2024-2025 fully funded Swiss Scholarships

Each year the Swiss Confederation awards Government Excellence Scholarships to promote 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).

The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are aimed at young researchers from abroad who have completed a master’s degree or PhD and at foreign artists holding a bachelor’s degree.

Types of scholarship

• The research scholarship is available to post-graduate researchers in any discipline (who hold a master’s degree as a minimum) who are planning to come to Switzerland to pursue research or further studies at doctoral or post-doctoral level.
  Research scholarships are awarded for research or study at all Swiss cantonal universities, universities of applied sciences and the two federal institutes of technology, as well as the four research institutes. Only candidates nominated by an academic mentor at one of these higher education institutions will be considered.
• Art scholarships are open to art students wishing to pursue an initial master’s degree in Switzerland.
  Art scholarships are awarded for study at any Swiss conservatory or university of the arts. This scholarship is available to students from a limited number of countries only.

Application documents

Select your country of origin according to your passport for receiving further information and the application documents:

Countries A - L / Countries M - Z

Check the application deadline and the different types of scholarship on offer. These vary according to country. You will also find details of what to do next and where to get more information.

Selection

Applications are subject to preliminary selection by the relevant national authorities and/or the Swiss diplomatic representation. The short-listed applications are then assessed by the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS), which takes the final decision.

The FCS assesses scholarship applications according to three criteria:

1. Candidate profile
2. Quality of the research project or artistic work
3. Synergies and potential for future research cooperation

The FCS is composed of professors from all Swiss public universities. Scholarship awards are decided on the basis of academic and scientific excellence.

Awards

The FCS will announce its decisions regarding the new scholarship awards by the end of May at the latest.

 

Cantonal scholarship services

Applications for scholarships are generally submitted to the parents’ canton of residence. The cantonal scholarship services examine the applications received and decide who can benefit from a scholarship or loan. They can also provide information on other study financing possibilities. Below you will find the contact details of the various cantonal scholarship services.
Information regarding the granting of training allowances

     Swiss citizens as well as foreign citizens who have resided in Switzerland for at least five years can apply for training allowances. Nationals of EU/EFTA countries, refugees and stateless persons are also eligible. However, people who stay in Switzerland solely to study are not entitled to it.

     Training allowances are granted at least for the first training. The term “first training” includes training at the secondary level II and subsequent training at the tertiary level, as well as bridging offers and transitional training offers. The training in question must allow you to obtain a diploma recognized in Switzerland.

     In order for the right to training allowances to be examined, a formal application must be sent to the competent canton.
         As a general rule, the competent canton is the canton where the parents or the last person with parental authority are domiciled.
         When the parents of a Swiss citizen in training do not reside in Switzerland, the application must be filed with the canton of origin (provided that the state in which the parents reside is not competent).
         For adults who, after initial training, have resided for two years in a canton while exercising a professional activity and being financially independent, the competent canton is that of their own domicile.