Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS).

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. 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.

Requirements and Application:

Select your country of origin:

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.

Research Scholarships

Eligibility:

• Master’s degree or equivalent university degree.
• The applicant must not be more than 35 years old at the time of the application.
• Applicants who have been in Switzerland for more than one year at the beginning of the scholarship in September are not eligible.
• Applicants must provide a letter (or e-mail) from a professor at the Swiss host institution stating that they are willing to supervise the research. Without such confirmation the application will be rejected.
• Applicants must have a research proposal including a timeframe. This is the centrepiece of the application. The applicant must devote all required attention to it.
• Applicants must be in command of the necessary language skills required for the research/studies.

Worth

• The scholarship amounts to a monthly payment of CHF 1,920.
• Tuition fees are waived.
• For non-EU and non-EFTA grantees only: mandatory Swiss health insurance is paid by the FCS.
• Non-European grantees receive a lump sum for their airfare (provided at the end of the scholarship).
• Special CHF 300 housing allowance (paid once at the beginning of the scholarship).
• One-year half-fare public transportation card.
• Support services and various trips, dinners and sightseeing tours organised for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship holders.

PhD Scholarships

Requirements:

• Master’s degree or equivalent university degree recognised by the Swiss university.
• The applicant must not be over 35 years old at the time of the application.
  Applicants who are in Switzerland for more than one year at the beginning of the scholarship in September are not eligible.
• Applicants must provide a letter (or email) from a professor at the Swiss host institution stating that they are willing and entitled to supervise the PhD.
• In those cases where the PhD is pursued within a structured doctoral school, applicants must include in their application an admission letter or proof that they are being considered for admission. Without such a document, the application will be rejected. For EPFL doctoral school candidates, the admission letter from the EPFL doctoral school is required. As this takes time, applicants must plan accordingly and submit their application for admission to the EPFL doctoral school sufficiently in advance of the scholarship programme deadline.

Worth:

• The scholarship amounts to a monthly payment of CHF 1,920.
• Tuition fees are waived.
• For non-EU and non-EFTA grantees only: mandatory Swiss health insurance is paid by the FCS.
• Non-European grantees receive a lump sum for their airfare (provided at the end of the scholarship).
• Special CHF 300 housing allowance (paid once at the beginning of the scholarship).
  One-year half-fare public transportation card.
• Support services and various trips, dinners and sightseeing tours organised for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship holders.

Postdoctoral Scholarships

Requirements:

• PhD degree
• No more than five years may have passed between the award of the PhD and the application deadline.
• Applicants who are in Switzerland for more than one year at the beginning of the scholarship in September are not eligible.
• Applicants must provide a letter (or email) from a professor at the Swiss host institution stating that they are willing and entitled to supervise the postdoctoral research. Without such confirmation, the application will be rejected.
• Applicants must have a research proposal including a timeframe (this is the centrepiece of the application. The applicant must devote all required attention to it).
• Applicants must be in command of the necessary language skills required for the postdoctoral research.

Worth:

• The scholarship amounts to a monthly payment of CHF 3,500.
• Tuition fees are waived.
• For non-EU and non-EFTA grantees only: mandatory Swiss health insurance is paid by the FCS.
• Non-European grantees receive a lump sum for their airfare (provided at the end of the scholarship).
• Special CHF 300 housing allowance (paid once at the beginning of the scholarship).
• One-year half-fare public transportation card.
• Support services and various trips, dinners and sightseeing tours organised for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship holders.

Selection criteria

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