About the opportunity
What this programme is offering
Each year the Swiss Confederation awards Government Excellence Scholarships to encourage 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 aka ESKAS).
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are mainly intended for talented early career researchers (ECRs) from abroad who have already completed their Master’s degree. The scholarship programme is currently open to applicants from 183 countries.
Research scholarships
These scholarships are available to postgraduate researchers in any discipline wishing to pursue research at any Swiss cantonal university, university of applied sciences, either of Switzerland’s two federal institutes of technology (ETHZ or EPFL) or at one of the four research institutes within the ETH Domain (PSI, WSL, Empa, Eawag). Prerequisite: the scholarship application must be backed by an academic supervisor in Switzerland who is willing to direct and guide the applicant’s proposed research.
Art scholarships
Art scholarships are open to students wishing to pursue an initial Master’s degree in an artistic field in Switzerland. This scholarship is available to students from a limited number of countries only.
Selection
Applications are submitted to Swiss diplomatic representations. 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
Awards
By the end of May at the latest, the FCS will announce its decisions regarding the scholarship awards for the following academic year.
For More Information:
How to apply