Apply for CHF 1’920 per month Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

Eligibility criteria

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent completed by 31 July 2026.
• Date of birth after 31 December 1990.
• Applicants must not yet hold a Master’s degree at the start of the scholarship.
• Admission letter or proof of application of a Swiss University of the Arts or Music. If applicable: confirmation that the application period has not yet opened.
• If the applicant already resides in Switzerland: date of entry must not be earlier than 1 August 2025 (submit a copy of the registration confirmation or residence permit).

Selection criteria

• Artistic profile, qualifications, and motivation.
• Submitted portfolio: artistic maturity and potential.
• Enrolment availability at the desired university.

Scholarships: Amount and additional benefits

• Research fellowships, PhD scholarships and art scholarships: CHF 1,920 per month to cover basic living expenses of one person.
  Please note: This scholarship is not a salary.
  No funding is provided for fieldwork and participation in conferences
• Postdoctoral scholarship: CHF 3,500 per month to cover living expenses of one person.
  Please note: This scholarship is not a salary.
  No funding is provided for fieldwork and participation in conferences.
• Additional benefits:
  • Health insurance: FCS covers the premiums for compulsory health insurance for scholarship holders from non-EU/EFTA countries. Scholarship holders from EU/EFTA countries must cover these costs themselves.
  • One-time grant of CHF 300 for rental deposit.
  • Half-Fare Travelcard for public transport
  • In addition, the coordinating body organises excursions and activities for federal scholarship holders.
  • Return flight allowance:
    Scholarship holders from non-EU/EFTA countries receive a return flight allowance (amount determined by country of origin). This allowance may be used up to two months after expiry of the scholarship exclusively for the purpose of returning to the country of origin.
• Costs to be paid by scholarship holders:
  • Tuition fees:
    The Federal Excellence Scholarship does not cover tuition or semester fees. In some cases, universities, universities of applied sciences or federal institutes of technology require scholarship holders to pay semester fees (approx. CHF 600 to CHF 2,000 per semester) or reduced tuition fees. In some cases, PhD fees are not waived.
    Scholarship holders must cover these fees themselves.
  • Conferences:
    The costs of participating in international conferences are borne by the scholarship holders.
  • Field research:
    PhD scholarship holders may request to do field research for up to six months (without additional funding). All associated costs are borne by the scholarship holders.
  • Travel expenses:
    Scholarship holders from EU/EFTA countries must pay their own travel expenses.

Scholarship holder obligations

• Place of residence:
  The scholarship requires the holder to reside in Switzerland. Scholarship holders must live in the city or canton of their Swiss host institution. They must follow FCS instructions, comply with laws applicable to foreign nationals and adhere to the regulations established by their host institution.
• Family and children:
  The scholarship amount only covers the living expenses for one person. No family allowances are provided. The decision on whether to grant residence permits for accompanying persons is made by the federal and cantonal migration authorities. Currently, a restrictive policy is in place. Neither FCS nor Swiss higher education institutions provide any support in this regard.
• Additional scholarships/income:
  Some universities (e.g. EPFL, ETH Zurich, University of Zurich) require additional funding from the academic supervisor. FCS must be notified if any other financial support is provided, e.g. from other scholarships, teaching and research assistant positions. The scholarship may not be used to supplement full-time employment.
• Field research:
  Field research outside Switzerland is not permitted during research fellowships and postdoctoral scholarships.

Exclusion criteria

General exclusion criteria for all types of scholarship applications (research & art)

• The application is incomplete or contains formal errors.
• Multiple applications are submitted simultaneously by the same person for several host universities and/or scholarship types.
• The applicant has been living, studying, or working in Switzerland since a date more than 13 months before the start of the scholarship
• The applicant has already received a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship.
• This is the fourth application after three unsuccessful attempts.

Additional exclusion criteria for research scholarship applications (Research fellowship, PhD, PostDoc)

• No academic supervisor in Switzerland has been indicated.
• No letter of support from the academic supervisor in Switzerland has been provided.
• Applications are submitted with more than one research project proposal.
• PhD scholarships at graduate schools only:  
  The official confirmation of admission from a recognised graduate school is missing. Note: PhD applications for individual doctorates do not need a letter of admission at the time of application (see FAQ for more information).
• Postdoctoral scholarships only:
  The academic supervisor in Switzerland has already supervised the doctoral thesis or was co-supervisor within the framework of a cotutelle de thèse.

Additional exclusion criteria for art scholarship applications

• The applicant already holds a master’s degree (or equivalent qualification) at the start of the scholarship.