Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

For Foreign Scholars and Artists for the 2025-2026 Academic Year

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.

Information

One minute introduction to Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

FAQs for scholarship applicants & academic supervisors (PDF, 126 kB, 26.06.2024)

Research scholarships

The research scholarship (research fellowship, PhD, Postdoc) is available to post-graduate researchers in any discipline (who hold a master’s degree is the minimum qualification required) 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 supervisor at one of these higher education institutions will be considered.

Research fellowship

Abbreviated summary. For full details, please refer to the Guidelines for Scholarship Applicants 2025-26 (PDF, 789 kB, 31.07.2024).

Objectives

• To enable selected applicants to undertake postgraduate research in the realm of their PhD at one of the Swiss public universities, the Swiss federal institutes of technology, the Graduate Institute, the universities of applied sciences, or the public teaching and research institutes.
• Valid for full-time research in Switzerland only.

Target Group

• Highly qualified postgraduate researchers from all academic fields as well as young medical doctors.
• Primarily for scholars who have not already been to Switzerland.

Eligibility Criteria

• Master’s degree or equivalent achieved before 31 July 2025 (except: ETH Zurich: 30 June 2025). Degree certificate completed.
• Applicants must be born after 31 December 1989.
• A research proposal including a timeframe.
• Mandatory letter from an academic host professor (including their short CV).

Duration

• Scholarship starts for the academic year 2025-26: 1 September 2025.
• 12 months maximum (starting in September).
• No prolongation possible.

Amount

• The scholarship amounts to a monthly payment of CHF 1’920.-
• The scholarship amount covers the living costs of one person only.
• This scholarship is not a salary.

Selection Criteria

• The candidate: academic profile, research capacity and motivation.
• The research project: originality and methodological soundness.
• The academic context: quality and context of supervision and potential for future academic cooperation.

Contact for further questions

• See the contact address for your country of origin (PDF, 298 kB, 10.10.2024) - this is the country according your passport.
• Check the available scholarship types for your country of origin.
• Check the opening of the call and the submission deadline. Applications submitted too late will not be considered.

To Apply

• Download the application package (ZIP, 2 MB, 31.07.2024) (application forms and templates).
• Fill out and print.

To Submit

• Note: Two paper copies of your application must be submitted.
• Click here (PDF, 298 kB, 10.10.2024) for the e-mail contact that will give you the postal address of your country of origin.

PhD scholarship

Abbreviated summary. For full details, please refer to the Guidelines for Scholarship Applicants 2025-26 (PDF, 789 kB, 31.07.2024).

Objectives

• To enable selected applicants to undertake a PhD at one of the Swiss public universities, the Swiss federal institutes of technology or the Graduate Institute.
• Valid for full-time research in Switzerland only.

Target Group

• Highly qualified postgraduate students (possessing the required degrees to start a PhD).
• Primarily for scholars who have not already been to Switzerland.

Eligibility Criteria

• Master’s degree or equivalent university degree achieved before 31 July 2025 (except: ETH Zurich: 30 June 2025). Degree certificate completed.
• Applicants must be born after 31 December 1989.
• A research proposal including a timeframe.
• Mandatory letter from an academic host professor (including their short CV). 

Duration

• Scholarship starts for the academic year 2025-26: 1 September 2025.
• 12 months (starting in September).
• Prolongable up to 36 months. The scholarship is awarded in three steps of 12 months each based on the achieved academic results.

Amount

• The scholarship amounts to a monthly payment of CHF 1’920.-
• The scholarship amount covers the living costs of one person only.
• This scholarship is not a salary.

Selection Criteria

• The candidate: academic profile, research capacity and motivation.
• The research project: originality and methodological soundness.
• The academic context: quality and context of supervision and potential for future academic cooperation.

Contact for further questions

• See the contact address for your country of origin (PDF, 298 kB, 10.10.2024) - this is the country according your passport.
• Check the available scholarship types for your country of origin.
• Check the opening of the call and the submission deadline. Applications submitted too late will not be considered. 

To Apply

• Download the application package (ZIP, 2 MB, 31.07.2024) (application forms and templates). 
• Fill out and print.

To Submit

• Note: Two paper copies of your application must be submitted.
• Click here (PDF, 298 kB, 10.10.2024) for the e-mail contact that will give you the postal address of your country of origin.

Postdoctoral scholarship

Abbreviated summary. For full details, please refer to the Guidelines for Scholarship Applicants 2025-26 (PDF, 789 kB, 31.07.2024).

Objectives

• To enable selected applicants to undertake postdoctoral research at one of the Swiss public universities, the Swiss federal institutes of technology, the Graduate Institute, the universities of applied sciences or the public teaching and research institutes.
  
• Valid for full-time research in Switzerland only. 

Target Group

• Highly qualified early career scientists on postdoctoral level.
• Primarily for scholars who have not already been to Switzerland. 

Eligibility Criteria

• PhD degree achieved after 31 December 2021 and before 31 July 2025 (except: ETH Zurich: 30 June 2025). PhD degree certificate completed.
• A research proposal including a timeframe.
• Mandatory letter from an academic host professor (including their short CV).

Duration

• Scholarship starts for the academic year 2025-26:  1 September 2025.
• 12 months maximum (starting in September).
• No prolongation possible.

Amount

• The scholarship amounts to a monthly payment of CHF 3’500.-
• The scholarship amount covers the living costs of one person only.
• This scholarship is not a salary.

Selection Criteria

• The candidate: academic profile, research capacity and motivation.
• The research project: originality and methodological soundness.
• The academic context: quality and context of supervision and potential for future academic cooperation.

Contact for further questions

• See the contact address for your country of origin (PDF, 298 kB, 10.10.2024) - this is the country according your passport.
• Check the available scholarship types for your country of origin.
• Check the opening of the call and the submission deadline. Applications submitted too late will not be considered. 

To Apply

• Download the application package (ZIP, 2 MB, 31.07.2024) (application forms and templates).
• Fill out and print.

To Submit

• Note: Two paper copies of your application must be submitted.
• Click here  (PDF, 298 kB, 10.10.2024)for the e-mail contact that will give you the postal address of your country of origin.

Art scholarships

Art scholarships are open to art students wishing to pursue an initial arts 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.

Art scholarship

Abbreviated summary. For full details, please refer to the Guidelines for Scholarship Applicants 2025-26 (PDF, 789 kB, 31.07.2024).

Objectives

• To enable selected applicants to undertake initial Master’s studies in Switzerland at any Swiss conservatory or university of the arts.
• Valid for full-time research in Switzerland only.

Target Group

• Highly qualified young artists without Master degree.
• Art scholarships only available to citizens of countries with which Switzerland has a reciprocity agreement for art scholarships.

Eligibility Criteria

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent achieved before 31 July 2025. Degree certificate completed.
• Applicants must be born after 31 December 1989.
• Invalid: All applications for a second master’s degree.

Duration

• Scholarship starts for the academic year 2025-26: 1 September 2025.
• 12 months (starting in September).
• Prolongable up to 21 months at most depending on the Master programme chosen and the necessary ECTS credits.

Amount

• The scholarship amounts to a monthly payment of CHF 1'920.-
• The scholarship amount covers the living costs of one person only.

Selection Criteria

• The candidate: artistic profile, qualification and motivation.The submitted portfolio: artistic maturity and potential.
• The host institute: available study places.

Contact for further questions

• See the contact address for your country of origin (PDF, 298 kB, 10.10.2024) - this is the country according your passport.
• Check the available scholarship types for your country of origin.
• Check the opening of the call and the submission deadline. Applications submitted too late will not be considered.

To Apply

• Download the application package (ZIP, 2 MB, 31.07.2024) (application forms and templates).
• Fill out and print.

To Submit

• Note: Two paper copies of your application must be submitted.
• Click here (PDF, 298 kB, 10.10.2024) for the e-mail contact that will give you the postal address of your country of origin.

Application procedure

Release of programme for 180+ Countries
Go to: www.sbfi.admin.ch/scholarships_eng	early August
▼
Call for Applications
Download application documents, questions? see list of contacts	this September
▼
Prepare application
Forms, research proposal, support letters, references	before the submission deadline
▼
Submission deadline at Swiss representation
This date and the postal address varies from country to country	September - December
▼
Selection
By the Federal Commission for Scholarships FCS	by the end of May
▼
Start of scholarships
At the Swiss academic host institution	next September

How to apply

Select your country of origin according to your passport. Find out about the types of scholarships available, eligibility criteria and application deadlines for your country. For more information and questions, please contact the address provided in the list of contacts (PDF, 298 kB, 10.10.2024). 

Select your country of origin according to your passport (PDF, 298 kB, 10.10.2024)

North America (PDF, 197 kB, 31.07.2024)

South America (PDF, 205 kB, 31.07.2024)

Europe (PDF, 217 kB, 31.07.2024)

Africa (PDF, 90 kB, 31.07.2024)

Asia (PDF, 212 kB, 10.10.2024)

Australia and Ozeania (PDF, 187 kB, 31.07.2024)

Download the Application Package (ZIP, 2 MB, 31.07.2024)

Read the Application Guidelines (PDF, 789 kB, 31.07.2024) and read the instructions. Prepare your application and submit two complete copies to the relevant office in your country of origin according to the list of contacts (PDF, 298 kB, 10.10.2024) by the deadline.

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 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.

Outlook

The FCS will select scholarship holders for the 2025-26 academic year by the end of May 2025. Scholarships for the 2025-26 academic year will be advertised online from August 2025.

Documentation

Survey among former scholarship holders

«Career-boosting scholarships». Online survey of ESKAS alumni from the 2016-2021 cohort and follow-up survey of the 1996-2015 cohort (PDF, 10 MB, 23.02.2024)in German, summary in French and English

«Stipendien, die das Leben verändern» (PDF, 1 MB, 03.04.2019)Online Befragung von ESKAS Bundesstipendiat/innen der Jahrgänge 1996-2015 (German, summary in English)