Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships For Foreign Scholars and Artists for the 2024-2025 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.

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.

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.

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, 136 kB, 02.08.2023).

Select your country of origin according to your passport (PDF, 136 kB, 02.08.2023)

Download the Application Package

Read the Application Guidelines and follow 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, 136 kB, 02.08.2023) 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 2024-25 academic year by the end of May 2024. Scholarships for the 2025-26 academic year will be advertised online from August 2024.