Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2027-28 | How to Apply
The Swiss Government is now accepting applications for its 2027-28 Excellence Scholarships, paying CHF 2,450 a month across three distinct tracks: a 12-month Research Fellowship, a PhD Scholarship running up to 36 months, and an Art Scholarship for a first Master’s in an artistic field. Applications opened August 20, 2026, and there’s no single universal deadline — it depends on your country of origin, submitted through your local Swiss diplomatic representation. This guide covers all three tracks, since they have meaningfully different eligibility, and one important recent change: postdoctoral fellowships have been eliminated starting this cycle.
About the Programme
The Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS/ESKAS) runs this on behalf of the Swiss Confederation, currently open to applicants from 183 countries, though the Art Scholarship specifically is restricted to a much smaller list of just 26. One recent policy shift is in November 2025, the Federal Council raised the monthly stipend to CHF 2,450 starting January 2026, but to keep the change cost-neutral, the total number of scholarships awarded has been reduced, and postdoctoral fellowships have been discontinued entirely from the 2027/28 academic year onward. If you already hold a doctorate, this specific programme no longer has a track for you.
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships Summary
| Scholarship Name ⇒ | Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships — Research Fellowship, PhD Scholarship, and Art Scholarship |
| Host Country ⇒ | Switzerland |
| Study Level ⇒ | Masters, PhD, Fellowship (Research) |
| Benefits ⇒ | CHF 2,450 per month, plus health insurance, a rental deposit grant, a transport card, and a return flight allowance — tuition and family costs are not covered |
| Funded By ⇒ | Swiss Confederation, via the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS/ESKAS) |
| Eligible Countries ⇒ | 183 countries for Research Fellowships and PhD Scholarships; a smaller list of 26 countries for Art Scholarships |
| Application Deadline ⇒ | No single date — deadlines vary by country of origin. Check the official Africa country list directly before starting your application. |
The Three Scholarship Types
Research Fellowship — for early-career researchers already pursuing a PhD in their home country, including young medical doctors, who want a full-time, 12-month research stay in Switzerland (minimum 6 months, no extensions).
PhD Scholarship — for researchers who’ve completed a Master’s degree and want to pursue a full PhD in Switzerland itself. Starts at 12 months, renewable twice up to a maximum of 36 months, subject to your academic progress in that first year.
Art Scholarship — for talented young artists pursuing their first Master’s degree at a Swiss conservatory or art school, who don’t already hold a Master’s. Runs 12 months, extendable up to 21 months depending on your programme’s ECTS requirements.
Who Qualifies for the Scholarships
For Research Fellowships and PhD Scholarships, you need:
- A Master’s degree or equivalent completed by July 31, 2027 (June 30, 2027 specifically for ETH Zurich)
- A date of birth after December 31, 1991
- A detailed research plan with a timeline of key milestones
- A letter of support from an academic supervisor in Switzerland, including their short CV
- If you already live in Switzerland, an entry date no earlier than August 1, 2026
For the Art Scholarship, you need:
- A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent completed by July 31, 2027
- A date of birth after December 31, 1991
- To not already hold a Master’s degree by the time the scholarship starts
- An admission letter or proof of application to a Swiss art or music university, or confirmation that the application period hasn’t opened yet
- The same entry-date rule if you already live in Switzerland
Priority across all three tracks goes to applicants who haven’t previously studied or researched in Switzerland.
The Supervisor Requirement (Research Fellowship and PhD Only)
This is the biggest gate for the research-based tracks, and the Art Scholarship doesn’t require it. You must find your own academic supervisor in Switzerland professors or lab group leaders for Research Fellowships, and supervisors specifically authorised to supervise doctoral theses for PhD Scholarships. At universities of applied sciences, PhD candidates need two supervisors, one of whom must be authorised to confer doctorates at a traditional university.
Neither ESKAS nor the universities help you find one; this is entirely your own search, and it can genuinely take weeks or months since professors receive high volumes of these requests. Before reaching out, confirm the professor actually works in your field, that you meet the university’s specific degree requirements, and prepare a short CV, a letter of motivation, 2-3 recommendation letters, and a 2-3 page research plan to include with your first contact. Importantly, your scholarship application (with the supervisor’s letter) and your application for admission to a Swiss doctoral programme are two entirely separate procedures — securing one doesn’t automatically secure the other.
Two Ways to Structure a PhD Application
If you’re applying under a supervisor directly (a regular PhD), you need their support letter, but you don’t need a formal admission letter at the time you apply. If you’re applying to a doctoral school where you won’t have an assigned supervisor in your first year, admission to that school is required at application time; you’d submit your admission proof together with your scholarship application and your supervisor’s letter, simultaneously. Not every Swiss university runs a doctoral school (the University of Fribourg doesn’t, for example), so confirm directly with your target institution which path applies to you.
Scholarship Coverage
- CHF 2,450 per month, covering basic living costs for one person — this is explicitly not a salary
- Compulsory health insurance premiums, for scholarship holders from non-EU/EFTA countries
- A one-time CHF 600 grant toward a rental deposit
- A Half-Fare Travelcard for public transport
- A return flight allowance for non-EU/EFTA holders, usable only within two months of your scholarship ending, specifically to return home
What’s Not Covered in the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships
- Tuition and semester fees. These aren’t included, and some institutions charge CHF 600 to 2,000 per semester on top — in some cases, PhD fees aren’t waived at all.
- Conference participation costs, which fall entirely on you
- Field research costs. PhD scholarship holders can request up to six months of field research, but without any additional funding — all costs are your own. Field research outside Switzerland isn’t permitted during Research Fellowships specifically.
- Family costs. The CHF 2,450 covers one person only, with no family allowance. Residence permits for accompanying family members are decided by migration authorities under what the programme itself describes as a currently restrictive policy — neither FCS nor the universities assist with this.
Reasons an Application Gets Excluded
- The application is incomplete or contains formal errors
- Multiple applications submitted at once for different host universities or scholarship types
- You’ve been living, studying, or working in Switzerland for more than 13 months before the scholarship start date
- You’ve already received a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship before
- This is your fourth attempt after three unsuccessful applications
- No Swiss academic supervisor is named, or their letter of support is missing (Research Fellowship and PhD only)
- More than one research project proposal is submitted
- For PhD scholarships at graduate schools specifically: the required admission confirmation is missing
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships Required Documents
Research Fellowship and PhD Scholarship:
- A complete CV
- A letter of motivation, up to 2 pages
- A research proposal on the FCS/ESKAS form, up to 5 pages including a summary for non-specialists
- Your Swiss supervisor’s letter of support and short CV
- For Research Fellowships specifically: a short CV of your supervisor at your home university too
- For PhD scholarships at graduate schools only: confirmation of admission
- Email addresses for two different professors in your field, who’ll be contacted directly through the system for recommendation letters
- Certified translations of certificates and transcripts, if not already in English, French, Italian, or German
- A copy of your passport
Art Scholarship:
- A CV including your exhibitions, concerts, or performance history
- A letter of motivation, up to 2 pages
- Two professors’ emails for recommendation letters
- Certified translations of your academic documents, if needed
- A copy of your passport
- An art portfolio in PDF: a link or QR code to recordings or images of your work — three pieces for visual artists, three musical styles for musicians (composers submit scores instead), or recordings of performances for other artistic fields
- Confirmation from your target Swiss art or music institution that you’ve been admitted, or that your application is under review
How to Apply for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships
- Check the scholarship types and deadline for your specific country before doing anything else — this varies significantly, and the official country lists (including a dedicated Africa list) are the only reliable source.
- Confirm you meet every eligibility requirement for your chosen track.
- Register in Grants Online (GO ESKAS), the only accepted application system — applications are never accepted by email or on paper.
- If applying for a research-based scholarship, identify your Swiss academic supervisor first, since this needs to be secured before your application can be considered complete.
- Prepare and submit your complete application through GO ESKAS, well ahead of your country’s specific deadline.
Application Deadline
There’s no single deadline for this programme; each country’s Swiss diplomatic representation sets its own, and these are published in country-specific lists rather than on a single central page. Applications opened August 20, 2026. Given how long a supervisor search alone can take for the Research Fellowship and PhD tracks, start that process now regardless of your specific country’s deadline, since it’s genuinely common for this step to take weeks or months on its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a postdoctoral track for researchers who already hold a doctorate?
No, not anymore. The Federal Council eliminated postdoctoral fellowships starting with the 2027/28 academic year, as part of a broader change that raised the monthly stipend while reducing total scholarship numbers to keep the change cost-neutral.
Do I need to already have a Swiss supervisor lined up before I can even apply?
For the Research Fellowship and PhD Scholarship, yes — an application without a named Swiss academic supervisor and their letter of support isn’t considered at all. The Art Scholarship doesn’t require this.
Can I bring my family with me on this scholarship?
The scholarship only covers living costs for one person, with no family allowance. Whether accompanying family members can get a residence permit is decided separately by migration authorities, under what’s currently described as a restrictive policy, and neither FCS nor the host university helps with this process.
How many times can I apply if I’m unsuccessful?
Up to three applications per scholarship type. A fourth attempt after three unsuccessful applications is an automatic exclusion.
I received an email asking me to pay a fee for my Swiss Government Scholarship application — is this legitimate?
No. The Swiss government has explicitly warned that fake scholarship offers are circulating by email and social media, trying to get applicants to send money under pretexts like visa or insurance costs. The real application is completely free — never send money to anyone claiming to process it.
Disclaimer: All scholarship details, deadlines, award values, and eligibility criteria in this post were verified from official sources as of September 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details, including your country-specific deadline, directly on the official Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships website before submitting your application. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with the Swiss Confederation or the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students.
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