Switzerland Government Scholarships

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are awarded each year by the Swiss Confederation to encourage international exchange and research cooperation between Switzerland and over 180 countries. Recipients are selected by the awarding body, the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS aka ESKAS). The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation issues a warning about fake scholarship offers using the name of the Swiss Government.

The programme is intended for talented early career researchers (ECRs) from abroad who have already completed their Master’s degree, and it is open to applicants from 183 countries. The programme includes research scholarships and art scholarships. Research scholarships are for postgraduate researchers in any discipline to pursue research at specified Swiss institutions, while art scholarships are for an initial Master’s in an artistic field in Switzerland for students from a limited number of countries.

Recipients are selected by the FCS based on three criteria: candidate profile; quality of the research project or artistic work; and synergies and potential for future research cooperation. Applications are submitted to Swiss diplomatic representations, and the FCS assesses the applications using these criteria.

The scholarship provides funding up to a maximum age of 35 and includes a stipend of CHF 2450 per month.

• Applicant must be a talented early career researcher (ECR) from abroad.
• Applicant must have already completed a Master’s degree.
• Applicant must be from one of the countries covered by the programme: 183 countries for the overall programme.
• Research scholarships: applicant must be a postgraduate researcher in any discipline wishing to pursue research at a Swiss cantonal university, university of applied sciences, ETHZ or EPFL, or one of the ETH Domain research institutes (PSI, WSL, Empa, Eawag).
• Research scholarships: 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: applicant must be pursuing an initial Master’s degree in an artistic field in Switzerland.
• Art scholarships: available to students from a limited number of countries only.
• Maximum age: 35.

• Monthly stipend: CHF 2450.

1. Review the application information and preparation guidance published for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships.
2. Prepare an application for the appropriate scholarship type (research or art) based on the programme requirements.
3. Submit the application to Swiss diplomatic representations.
4. Selection is conducted by the FCS using the stated criteria (candidate profile; quality of the research project or artistic work; synergies and potential for future research cooperation).