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Scholarships

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists

Through the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS), the Swiss Confederation awards various post-graduate scholarships to foreign scholars of all disciplines and to some foreign artists:

  • University research fellowships for scholars, doctorates and post-doctorates at Swiss universities, federal institutes of technology and universities of applied sciences (no scholarships for bachelor or masters studies)
  • Arts scholarships for advanced-level artists at Swiss conservatories and universities of the arts (only for a limited number of countries)

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.

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

Types of scholarship

The research scholarship is available to post-graduate researchers in any discipline (holding 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. 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.

How to apply?

Candidates interested in applying for a Government Excellence Scholarship can request the full documentation by sending an email to amman@eda.admin.ch. 

Scholarships for Swiss students

The scholarship office of the Rectors’ Conference of the Swiss Universities swissuniversities administers the foreign governmental scholarships of about 40 countries on behalf of the Swiss Confederation. The scholarships are offered to Swiss students, researchers and artists to study for a period of time abroad. For more details:

Rectors’ Conference of Swiss Universities swissuniversities

Beware fake scholarship offers in the name of the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships (phishing)

The Swiss authorities are issuing this warning about fake scholarships advertised by email. The Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS) does not advertise scholarships by email; as a rule, scholarships are directly managed by the Swiss representation in the country concerned. The Swiss authorities recommend not responding to such emails and, above all, not transferring any money.

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Last update 22.10.2024