Closing Date: Not Specified
Applications are now open for the Fully Funded Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2027 – 2028
Each year the Swiss Confederation awards Government Excellence Scholarships to encourage international exchange and research cooperation between Switzerland and over 180 other countries. Recipients are selected by the awarding body, the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS aka ESKAS).
About the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2027 – 2028
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are mainly intended for talented early career researchers (ECRs) from abroad who have already completed their Master’s degree. The scholarship programme is currently open to applicants from 183 countries.
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2027 – 2028 Types Overview
(max. age: 35 / funding: CHF 2450.–/month)
| target group | main requirements | max. duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research | PhD Students(183 countries) | Master’s DegreeSupervisor | 12 months |
| PhD | PhD Students(183 countries) | Master’s DegreeSupervisor | 36 months |
| Art | Art Students(26 countries) | Bachelor’s DegreeAdmission or proof of application | 21 months |
Research scholarships
These research scholarships are available to postgraduate researchers in any discipline wishing to pursue research at any Swiss cantonal university, university of applied sciences, either of Switzerland’s two federal institutes of technology (ETHZ or EPFL) or at one of the four research institutes within the ETH Domain (PSI, WSL, Empa, Eawag). Prerequisite: the scholarship application must be backed by an academic supervisor in Switzerland who is willing to direct and guide the applicant’s proposed research.
Art scholarships
Art scholarships are open to students wishing to pursue an initial Master’s degree in an artistic field in Switzerland. This scholarship is available to students from a limited number of countries only.
Applying for a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship
Information on application deadlines and scholarship are available by country of origin.
After applying
Selection
Applications are submitted to Swiss diplomatic representations. The FCS assesses scholarship applications according to three criteria.
- Candidate profile
- Quality of the research project or artistic work
- Synergies and potential for future research cooperation
Awards
By the end of May at the latest, the FCS will announce its decisions regarding the scholarship awards for the following academic year.
Outlook
Scholarships for the 2028–2029 academic year will be advertised online from August 2027
Scholarships: Amount and additional benefits
- Research fellowships, PhD scholarships and art scholarships: CHF 2,450 per month to cover basic living expenses of one person.
Please note: This scholarship is not a salary.
No funding is provided for fieldwork and participation in conferences - Additional benefits:
- Health insurance: FCS covers the premiums for compulsory health insurance for scholarship holders from non-EU/EFTA countries. Scholarship holders from EU/EFTA countries must cover these costs themselves.
- One-time grant of CHF 600 for rental deposit.
- Half-Fare Travelcard for public transport
- In addition, the coordinating body organises excursions and activities for federal scholarship holders.
- Return flight allowance:
Scholarship holders from non-EU/EFTA countries receive a return flight allowance (amount determined by country of origin). This allowance may be used up to two months after expiry of the scholarship exclusively for the purpose of returning to the country of origin.
- Costs to be paid by scholarship holders:
- Tuition fees:
The Federal Excellence Scholarship does not cover tuition or semester fees. In some cases, universities, universities of applied sciences or federal institutes of technology require scholarship holders to pay semester fees (approx. CHF 600 to CHF 2,000 per semester) or reduced tuition fees. In some cases, PhD fees are not waived.
Scholarship holders must cover these fees themselves. - Conferences:
The costs of participating in international conferences are borne by the scholarship holders. - Field research:
PhD scholarship holders may request to do field research for up to six months (without additional funding). All associated costs are borne by the scholarship holders. - Travel expenses:
Scholarship holders from EU/EFTA countries must pay their own travel expenses.
- Tuition fees:
