New Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists for the 2024-2025 Academic Year
Swiss Government Excellence 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.
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships
How to apply for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships
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.
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:
- Candidate profile
- Quality of the research project or artistic work
- 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.
Outlook
The FCS will select scholarship holders for the 2024-25 academic year by the end of May 2024. Scholarships for the 2025-26 academic year will be advertised online from August 2024.
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships Through the Swiss Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS aka ESKAS, CFBE), the Swiss Government grants foreign researchers postgraduate scholarships at Swiss higher education institutions (Universities, Federal Institutes of Technology and Universities of Applied Sciences, Arts and Music Schools). The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are intended for highly motivated, competitive young researchers who have graduated from university (postgraduates). These scholarships will enable applicants to undertake research work in the fields in which the Swiss universities are particularly active.
Types of Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships Available
All scholarships start in September. It is not possible to start the scholarship in the Spring semester or any other time in the year.
- Research Fellowships 12 months (September – August) – no prolongation possible. Cannot be upgraded into a prolongable PhD scholarship. Grant applications for stay lasting less than 9 months will not be treated as a priority. Grant applications for stay lasting less than 6 months will be rejected.
- PhD Scholarship 12 months (September – August) – prolongable up to 36 months The PhD scholarships can be prolonged in three steps of 12 months based on the achieved academic results. It is the concerned grant holder’s and the supervisor’s responsibility to find sufficient funding beyond the maximal duration of the PhD scholarship (36 months) if it turns out to be necessary to end the doctorate.
- Postdoctoral Scholarship 12 months (September – August) – no prolongation possible Grant applications for stays lasting less than 9 months will not be treated as a priority. Grant applications for stays lasting less than 6 months will be rejected.
- Arts Scholarships 12 months (September – August) – prolongable up to 21 months at most depending on the Master programme chosen and the necessary ECTS credits.
Apply Here for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships
