Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2023-2024 for Foreign Students and Artists

The Swiss government, through the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS), awards various postgraduate scholarships to foreign scholars and researchers:

The research scholarship is available to post-graduate researchers in any discipline (who hold a master’s degree as a minimum). Also, beneficiaries must be planning to come to Switzerland to pursue research or further studies at the 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. 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. Only those who have already been awarded a place to study may apply. This scholarship is available to students from a limited number of countries only.

These scholarships provide graduates from all fields with the opportunity to pursue masters, doctoral or postdoctoral research in Switzerland at one of the public-funded universities or recognized institutions. 

• Table of Content
• About Swiss Government
• Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships
• Aim and Benefits of Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships
• Requirements for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Swiss Government

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

Aim and Benefits of Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

The scholarship covers a monthly payment, exemption of tuition fees, health insurance, airfare, special lodging allowance, etc. See the fact sheets for exact scholarship benefits.

Requirements for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships Qualification

The FCS assesses scholarship applications according to three criteria:

a) Candidate profile

b) Quality of the research project or artistic work

c) Synergies and potential for future research cooperation

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 subsequently takes the final decision.

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

Candidates for the University Scholarships must:

• Hold a university degree (Bachelors/Masters) on commencement of the scholarship.
• Be able to demonstrate their academic abilities and what they aim to achieve.
• Contact the institution and/or the professor supervising their period of research. Universities may request supplementary information and/or set certain additional conditions to determine whether or not you qualify for admission.
• Be under the age of 35 (born on or after 1 January 1978).
• Be suitably proficient in the language of instruction (French, German, Italian, or English) in order to draw full benefit from their studies in Switzerland.

Please refer to the country-specific fact sheets for general and specific eligibility criteria.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

For more details, visit the website.