Scholarships in Switzerland for International Students 2026/2027

Switzerland offers something few countries can match: two of the world’s leading technical universities, a group of strong cantonal research universities, famously low public tuition fees by international standards — and one of the highest costs of living on earth. That combination shapes everything about scholarships in Switzerland for international students. The tuition bill at a Swiss public university is often surprisingly modest compared with the United States, the United Kingdom or Australia. The real financial challenge is rent, food, transport and compulsory health insurance in cities such as Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne and Bern. A good Swiss scholarship strategy therefore focuses less on tuition alone and more on securing a monthly living-cost income you can actually survive on.

For the 2026/2027 cycle, international students have three main funding layers to understand. The first is the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships, the Confederation’s flagship scheme, which is mainly for talented early-career researchers who already hold a master’s degree, plus a smaller art scholarship route for a first master’s in an artistic field. The second layer is university excellence funding for taught master’s students, led by ETH Zurich’s Excellence Scholarship and Opportunity Programme (ESOP) and EPFL’s Master Excellence Fellowships, with further awards such as the University of Geneva’s Excellence Master Fellowships in the sciences. The third layer is everything else: cantonal and university hardship or merit support once you are enrolled, home-country scholarships that are portable to Switzerland, Erasmus+ and exchange funding for eligible European students, and salaried doctoral positions — because in Switzerland, as in much of continental Europe, many PhD candidates are employed researchers rather than fee-paying students.

This guide explains each layer honestly, with verified amounts where official sources publish them. It states clearly who each scheme is for — and who it is not for. In particular, if you are looking for a fully funded bachelor’s degree in Switzerland, you need to know now that no major national scheme offers that to international students; undergraduate funding is extremely limited, and this guide will not pretend otherwise. If you are a strong master’s applicant or an early-career researcher, however, Switzerland offers some of the most prestigious funded opportunities in the world, and this article will show you exactly how to pursue them. Compare Switzerland with other destinations in our scholarships directory, and for the deepest treatment of the federal scheme, read our companion guide to fully funded scholarships in Switzerland through the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships.

Scholarships in Switzerland at a Glance

Read the table with care. Only the first two rows are the Swiss government’s own scheme, and neither is a general undergraduate or taught-master’s scholarship. The ETH, EPFL and Geneva awards are university funds with their own rules and deadlines. Keeping those categories separate — federal research funding versus university master’s funding — is the single most important step towards a realistic Swiss application plan.

Why Study in Switzerland?

Switzerland’s higher education system is compact but exceptionally strong. ETH Zurich and EPFL in Lausanne are consistently placed among the world’s top universities, particularly for engineering, computer science, mathematics and the natural sciences, and the cantonal universities — Zurich, Geneva, Bern, Basel, Lausanne, Fribourg, St. Gallen, Neuchâtel, Lucerne and the Università della Svizzera italiana — include internationally respected institutions for medicine, law, economics, humanities and social sciences. You can see how these institutions compare in our university rankings pages and browse the wider system through our universities directory.

Three features make Switzerland distinctive for funding planning. First, public tuition fees are comparatively low: many Swiss public universities charge semester fees in the region of several hundred to a few thousand Swiss francs, although the exact fee depends on the university, the level, and increasingly on whether you are a Swiss or foreign student, as several cantons and institutions have introduced higher fees for international students in recent years. Always take the fee from your programme’s official page for your intake. Second, living costs are high and non-negotiable: universities typically advise students to budget well over CHF 1,500 per month, and Zurich and Geneva sit at the expensive end even by Swiss standards. Third, the system is multilingual. Many master’s programmes — especially in science and engineering — are taught in English, but bachelor’s teaching is often in German, French or Italian depending on the region, and daily life rewards learning the local language.

Switzerland is also a research economy. It hosts CERN near Geneva, the Paul Scherrer Institute, Empa, Eawag and WSL within the ETH Domain, major pharmaceutical and technology employers, and a dense network of international organisations. For researchers especially, a funded period in Switzerland can open doors far beyond the stipend itself — which is precisely why the government’s Excellence Scholarships are designed around research cooperation rather than general degree funding.

Eligibility: Who Can Realistically Get a Swiss Scholarship?

Eligibility depends entirely on which layer you are targeting. For the Swiss Government Excellence Research Scholarships, the official State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI) pages state that the scholarships are mainly intended for talented early-career researchers from abroad who have already completed a master’s degree. The programme for 2027–2028 is open to applicants from 183 countries, the research scholarship carries a maximum age of 35, and — critically — the application must be backed by an academic supervisor in Switzerland who is willing to direct and guide your proposed research. Without a confirmed Swiss supervisor, a research application cannot succeed, however strong your grades are. Art scholarships are narrower: they support a first master’s degree in an artistic field at a Swiss conservatory or art university, and they are available to applicants from only a limited number of countries, listed in the official country information.

For university master’s excellence awards, eligibility starts with admission to that university’s master’s programme. ETH Zurich’s ESOP requires a very good bachelor’s result — ETH describes the benchmark as the top 10% of your bachelor’s programme, equivalent to grade A — and you must not already hold a master’s degree or be enrolled in a master’s at ETH. EPFL’s Excellence Fellowship is open to anyone applying to an EPFL master’s programme, internal or external, but candidates who already hold a master’s degree or are currently enrolled in a master’s at EPFL are not eligible, and only a limited number are awarded to the most deserving candidates. Geneva’s science fellowship similarly targets outstanding students who are among the top performers in their bachelor’s year and who meet the admission requirements of a Faculty of Science master’s.

At bachelor’s level, be honest with yourself and with your family: there is no Swiss national scholarship for international undergraduates, university excellence fellowships are overwhelmingly at master’s level, and most international bachelor’s students in Switzerland are self-funded or funded from home. Doctoral study is different again — many PhD positions are advertised as paid employment with a salary set by the university or funder, so a prospective PhD student should search advertised positions and contact research groups, alongside considering the government Excellence route for PhD funding where eligible. Students from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Nigeria, Indonesia and most other non-European countries can apply for the schemes above on the same academic terms as anyone else; what differs by country is mainly the Swiss Government Excellence country list, the scholarship types offered to your nationality, and your deadline, all of which are published in the official country-by-country information.

Benefits and Coverage in Detail

The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships pay CHF 2,450 per month for research fellowships, PhD scholarships and art scholarships, according to the official SBFI scholarships-at-a-glance overview for the current cycle. The SBFI is explicit that this is a living-cost contribution for one person, not a salary, and that no funding is provided for fieldwork or conference participation. Additional official benefits include coverage of compulsory Swiss health insurance premiums for scholarship holders from non-EU/EFTA countries, a one-time grant of CHF 600 towards a rental deposit, a Half-Fare Travelcard for public transport, and — for holders from non-EU/EFTA countries — a return flight allowance whose amount is determined by country of origin and which must be used for the return journey within the stated window after the scholarship ends.

Equally official, and often missed in promotional summaries, is what the Excellence Scholarship does not pay. It does not cover tuition or semester fees. The SBFI notes that institutions may require scholarship holders to pay semester fees of approximately CHF 600 to CHF 2,000 per semester, or reduced tuition fees, and that in some cases PhD fees are not waived; holders must pay these themselves. It provides no family allowances — the amount covers one person only — and accompanying family residence permits are decided separately by migration authorities under what the SBFI describes as a currently restrictive policy. Budget for fees, conferences and any fieldwork from other resources, and do not describe this scholarship to yourself as covering literally everything.

ETH Zurich’s ESOP is structured differently and is, for a master’s student, one of the most complete packages in Europe. ETH’s official ESOP page states that the Excellence Scholarship covers living and study expenses of CHF 12,000 per semester, rising to CHF 13,500 per semester from the autumn semester 2027 intake, plus a tuition fee waiver, for the regular duration of the master’s programme of three or four semesters. ESOP holders also receive mentorship and access to the ETH Foundation network. Around 60 ESOP scholarships are expected for the 2027/28 start, according to ETH — a useful reminder of the scale: this is a small, elite award, not a mass programme.

EPFL’s Master Excellence Fellowship pays CHF 10,000 per semester for up to four semesters, with a reservation of a student room in a student residence for external candidates and a certificate of excellence on completion. EPFL is clear that fellows remain responsible for managing their living expenses, including tuition fees and rent, from the fellowship and other resources — CHF 10,000 per semester is substantial support in Lausanne, but it is not unlimited. Renewal into the second year depends on excellent academic performance in the first year, with credit and grade conditions published by EPFL. Geneva’s Faculty of Science Excellence Fellowship pays CHF 10,000 to CHF 15,000 per year with no teaching duties, awarded for one year and extended for the regular duration of the master’s, of three or four semesters, provided the student is academically successful at the end of the first semester.

Programmes and Fields of Study

For research scholarships, the field is genuinely open: the SBFI states that research scholarships are available to postgraduate researchers in any discipline, at any Swiss cantonal university, university of applied sciences, ETH Zurich, EPFL, or one of the four ETH Domain research institutes — PSI, WSL, Empa and Eawag. The constraint is not the subject but the supervision: your project must fit a Swiss professor’s research programme closely enough that they agree to host and guide you. Interdisciplinary proposals are welcome in principle, but they still need one clearly committed academic home.

For taught master’s funding, fields follow each university’s strengths. ETH Zurich’s ESOP spans its master’s portfolio across engineering, architecture, mathematics, natural sciences, computer and data science, earth and environmental sciences, health sciences and technology, and management and social sciences, subject to each programme’s admission rules. EPFL’s fellowships span its master’s programmes in engineering, life sciences, computer and communication sciences, mathematics and physics, architecture and environmental sciences, and related fields. Geneva’s fellowship is specifically for Faculty of Science master’s programmes, including mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, earth and environmental sciences, pharmacy and related interdisciplinary science degrees. The University of Lausanne offers master’s grants for foreign students on its own terms, and other cantonal universities operate smaller merit or need-based schemes, usually for students already enrolled — check the scholarships page of any university you are seriously considering, because these smaller funds are rarely advertised internationally.

Language should shape your field choice. Science and engineering master’s programmes are widely taught in English at ETH, EPFL and the cantonal universities. Programmes in law, many humanities and social sciences, and most bachelor’s degrees are more likely to require German, French or Italian. A scholarship will not compensate for studying in a language you cannot work in, so verify the language of instruction on the programme page and plan language preparation alongside your funding applications, using resources such as our test preparation section where a language or admissions test is required.

How to Apply: Step by Step

Step 1: Decide which layer fits your level. If you already hold a master’s and want research, PhD or postdoctoral-stage work in Switzerland, target the Swiss Government Excellence Research Scholarship. If you hold an artistic bachelor’s and your country is on the art scholarship list, consider the Art Scholarship. If you are applying for a taught master’s, target ESOP, the EPFL fellowship, Geneva or Lausanne awards through those universities. If you are an undergraduate applicant, plan primarily on self-funding or home-country funding.

Step 2: For Excellence Scholarships, find your supervisor first. Identify Swiss professors whose published research matches your project, read their recent work, and contact them with a focused proposal well before the application window. The SBFI requires the application to be backed by a Swiss academic supervisor; expressions of interest are not enough — you need the supervisor’s formal support as specified in the application documents.

Step 3: Check your country’s page and deadline. Excellence Scholarship types, eligibility details and deadlines are set by country of origin and published by the SBFI in its country lists. Applications for the 2027–2028 year opened on 20 August 2026 through the official GO ESKAS online portal, and the SBFI states that applications must be submitted online — not by email or on paper. Swiss diplomatic representations remain part of the process as described in the official guidance, so follow the instructions for your country exactly.

Step 4: For ETH ESOP, apply in the November window. ETH states that ESOP applicants must apply within the first application window, 1–30 November, submitting the master’s admission documents plus a self-developed pre-proposal for your master’s thesis following ETH’s guidelines and proper citation practice. If your programme does not request references, you must name two professors who will provide reference letters through the system. Decisions are communicated at the end of March.

Step 5: For EPFL, tick the fellowship route inside the master’s application. EPFL excellence candidates apply through the master’s application process and must meet the fellowship deadline — applications validated after 15 December are reviewed for admission but are not eligible for the Excellence Fellowship, according to EPFL’s official application page. Selected candidates are notified in late March for the first round. Geneva fellowship applicants must first start the UNIGE enrolment procedure, then submit the single-PDF fellowship file by the Faculty of Science deadline published for the cycle.

Step 6: Prepare the residence and finance file early. A scholarship offer is not a residence permit. Non-EU/EFTA students need a national visa and cantonal residence permit, proof of sufficient funds for any costs the scholarship does not cover, and compulsory health insurance arrangements. Start the paperwork as soon as your offer arrives, and keep funds for semester fees, deposits and arrival costs separate from your expected stipend.

Required Documents

For the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships, the official application package is completed in the GO ESKAS portal and, for research applicants, centres on your academic CV, a motivation letter, a research proposal prepared to the official format, the Swiss supervisor’s letter of support and short CV, references, degree certificates and transcripts, a copy of your passport, and the medical and other forms specified in the current application set for your country. Art applicants substitute a portfolio and artistic documentation as specified. Because the exact dossier is defined per cycle and per country, download the current application documents from the official SBFI pages rather than reusing a checklist from an older blog post.

For university master’s funding, documents follow the master’s admission file: bachelor’s certificate and transcript, CV, statement of purpose, and references where required — plus the scheme-specific extra. For ESOP that extra is the master’s thesis pre-proposal, which must be your own work; ETH warns that plagiarism or misinformation leads to exclusion and can lead to revocation of admission and the scholarship. For EPFL it is the fellowship indication within the application by the December deadline. For Geneva it is the single PDF containing ID, a CV of at most two pages, the bachelor’s transcript, a motivation letter describing your scientific interests, and, where possible, two professor reference letters, alongside proof that you have started UNIGE enrolment. Across all schemes, documents in languages other than those accepted by the institution will need certified translations — confirm the accepted languages before paying for translations.

Deadlines and Timeline

Build your personal calendar backwards from the earliest deadline that applies to you. A researcher targeting the Excellence Scholarship should be contacting supervisors in the spring, months before the August opening, because supervisor support cannot be arranged in a weekend. A master’s applicant targeting both ETH and EPFL should treat November as the decisive month: ESOP closes on 30 November and EPFL fellowship eligibility closes on 15 December, so transcripts, references and language documents must be ready by early autumn.

Selection Criteria and How to Improve Your Chances

The Federal Commission for Scholarships assesses Excellence applications against three official criteria: the candidate’s profile, the quality of the research project or artistic work, and the synergies and potential for future research cooperation. That third criterion is distinctive — Switzerland is explicitly investing in long-term research relationships between your home country and Swiss institutions. In your proposal and motivation letter, show not only what you will do in Switzerland but what cooperation it can create afterwards: joint publications, institutional links, or a research line you will continue at home.

For university excellence awards, selection is an academic competition first and a presentation competition second. ETH’s top-10% benchmark, EPFL’s focus on remarkable academic results plus distinction in sporting, artistic, civic or entrepreneurial activity, and Geneva’s top-of-year expectation all point the same way: grades open the door, and a coherent story about your direction gets you through it. The ESOP pre-proposal is the clearest test — it must identify a real question, situate it in the literature with proper citations, and propose a feasible method. Write it yourself, revise it over weeks, and have a professor in your field read it before you submit.

Across every scheme, three habits separate successful files from unsuccessful ones. First, fit: apply only where your background genuinely matches, and say explicitly why this supervisor, laboratory or programme. Second, completeness: Swiss administrators do not chase missing documents, and an incomplete file is simply not assessed. Third, honesty about money: show that you understand the full budget, including the fees and costs your scholarship does not cover. Panels fund people who look ready to succeed in Switzerland, and financial realism is part of that readiness. Our student tools, including budgeting and deadline planning resources, can help you organise that preparation, and our guides section covers the wider application process.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most damaging mistake is applying for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship as if it were a general master’s or bachelor’s scholarship. It is not: research scholarships require a completed master’s degree and a Swiss supervisor, and art scholarships are restricted to listed countries and a first artistic master’s. Applicants who miss this waste a cycle. A second mistake is quoting the old stipend figures that still circulate online — CHF 1,920 per month was the previous rate for research and PhD holders. The official figure for the current cycle is CHF 2,450 per month, and older posts quoting lower or higher amounts, or claiming that tuition is fully covered by the federal scholarship, should not be trusted over the SBFI pages.

A third mistake is missing the layered deadlines: assuming that because a master’s programme has a spring application round, its scholarship does too. ESOP exists only in the November window, and EPFL fellowship eligibility ends on 15 December. A fourth mistake is budgeting the stipend for a family, or assuming a spouse’s residence will be straightforward; the SBFI states plainly that no family allowances are provided and that migration authorities currently apply a restrictive policy to accompanying persons. A fifth is under-budgeting the first month: deposits, semester fees, insurance setup and arrival costs arrive before or alongside the first stipend payment, so you need accessible savings even with a full award. Finally, never send an Excellence application by email or post — the official process is online through GO ESKAS only, and paper or emailed applications are not the route.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there fully funded scholarships in Switzerland for international students?
Yes, but mainly at postgraduate research level. The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships pay CHF 2,450 per month plus insurance and other benefits for researchers and PhD candidates, though not tuition or semester fees. At master’s level, ETH Zurich’s ESOP — a per-semester grant plus tuition waiver — comes closest to full funding. There is no national fully funded scheme for international bachelor’s students.

How much is the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship in 2026/2027?
The official SBFI figure is CHF 2,450 per month for research fellowships, PhD scholarships and art scholarships, covering basic living expenses for one person. Additional benefits include health insurance premiums for non-EU/EFTA holders, a one-time CHF 600 rental deposit grant, a Half-Fare Travelcard, and a return flight allowance for non-EU/EFTA holders.

Can I apply for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship with only a bachelor’s degree?
For research scholarships, no — they are mainly for early-career researchers who have already completed a master’s degree. The exception is the art scholarship, which supports a first master’s in an artistic field, but only for applicants from a limited list of countries. Bachelor’s graduates aiming for a taught master’s should target university awards such as ETH ESOP or EPFL fellowships instead.

Does the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship cover tuition fees?
No. The SBFI states that the federal scholarship does not cover tuition or semester fees, which are approximately CHF 600 to CHF 2,000 per semester where charged, and that holders must pay them. Some PhD fees are not waived. Budget for fees separately.

What is the deadline for scholarships in Switzerland in 2026/2027?
There is no single deadline. Excellence Scholarship applications opened on 20 August 2026 with country-specific deadlines in the official SBFI lists. ETH ESOP runs 1–30 November. EPFL fellowship eligibility requires application by 15 December. Always use the deadline for your scheme and, for the federal scheme, your country.

Do I need to speak German or French to study in Switzerland?
Many science and engineering master’s programmes are taught in English, so a scholarship is possible without German or French. However, bachelor’s programmes and many humanities, law and social science programmes require the regional language, and daily life is easier with it. Check the language of instruction for your exact programme.

Can scholarship holders bring their family to Switzerland?
The Excellence Scholarship covers one person only and provides no family allowances. Residence permits for accompanying family members are decided by federal and cantonal migration authorities under a currently restrictive policy, and neither the FCS nor host institutions provide support for this. Plan accordingly and seek official migration advice.

Are PhD students in Switzerland paid?
Many PhD candidates hold paid positions as research assistants or doctoral employees with a salary from the university, institute or a funded project, separate from scholarships. If you want a salaried doctorate, search advertised PhD positions and approach research groups directly, alongside checking your eligibility for the Excellence PhD scholarship.

Sources and Verification

This article was prepared from official sources checked at the time of writing: the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI) pages on Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships and the scholarships-at-a-glance overview, including the CHF 2,450 monthly amount, the CHF 600 rental deposit grant, health insurance and travelcard benefits, the exclusion of tuition and semester fees, and the 2027–2028 application opening (sbfi.admin.ch); the GO ESKAS application portal information; ETH Zurich’s official Excellence Scholarship and Opportunity Programme page, including the CHF 12,000 per semester amount rising to CHF 13,500 from autumn 2027, the November application window and the expected number of awards (ethz.ch); EPFL’s official Master Excellence Fellowships and application pages, including the CHF 10,000 per semester amount and the 15 December fellowship deadline (epfl.ch); and the University of Geneva Faculty of Science Excellence Master Fellowship page, including the CHF 10,000–15,000 annual range (unige.ch). Membership and institution information reflects the Swiss higher education system as described by swissuniversities. Where a figure is intake- or institution-specific, this article says so and directs you to the official page.

Disclaimer: Scholarship amounts, fees, deadlines and immigration rules change by cycle, institution and country of origin. Always confirm the current details on the official SBFI, university and Swiss migration websites before applying. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency, university or government body, and cannot promise scholarship selection, admission, or visa or residence permit approval. If you are also considering the federal scheme in depth, read our dedicated guide to Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships alongside this overview.