Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2027-2028 — Fully Funded Research and PhD Scholarships (CHF 2,450 a Month)

Switzerland runs one of the few genuinely federal scholarship programmes in the world — the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2027-2028 are awarded by the Swiss Confederation itself, not by a university, and they are open to applicants from 183 countries. For an early-career researcher who already has a clear project and a potential supervisor, this is one of the most straightforward fully funded routes into a Swiss research institution.

WHAT THE SCHOLARSHIP COVERS

The award is CHF 2,450 a month to cover basic living expenses for one person, granted for a maximum of 12 months for a research scholarship and 36 months for a PhD scholarship. It is explicitly not a salary and must not be treated as regular remuneration, either financially or legally — which matters if you are used to the Nordic model of salaried doctoral positions.

The research scholarship lets you carry out a one-year research project as part of your doctoral studies at a Swiss higher education institution or a recognised research institute. It is valid only for full-time research in Switzerland. The PhD scholarship funds a full doctorate of up to 36 months at any Swiss cantonal university, either federal institute of technology, or one of the four research institutes within the ETH Domain.

There is also an art scholarship stream, open to students from a limited number of countries, for an initial Master's degree in an artistic field.

THE SUPERVISOR IS NOT OPTIONAL

This is the defining feature of the programme, and it is where most applications die. Every scholarship application — research fellowship or PhD — must be backed by an academic supervisor in Switzerland who is willing to direct and guide the proposed research and who writes a letter of support. Scholarship applications without an academic supervisor are not considered. That applies to graduate schools and doctoral programmes as well.

At universities of applied sciences, a doctorate requires two academic supervisors, one of whom must be authorised to confer doctorates at a traditional university. For PhD scholarships, your supervisor must be authorised to supervise doctoral theses.

The guidance from the awarding body is refreshingly direct: the search for an academic supervisor can take weeks or even months, because professors receive many enquiries. Start in August, not in November.

DEADLINES ARE COUNTRY-SPECIFIC — READ THIS BEFORE YOU PLAN

Applications opened on 20 August 2026, and the Swiss state secretariat publishes the deadline and the available scholarship types by country of origin. There is no single global closing date. Applications are submitted to Swiss diplomatic representations — in other words, through the Swiss embassy or consulate responsible for your country, not to a central portal.

Decisions are announced by the end of May at the latest for the following academic year. Scholarships for 2028-2029 will be advertised from August 2027, so this is an annual cycle rather than a rolling one.

IS THIS YOU? THE HONEST SELF-CHECK

Were you born after 31 December 1991? If not, you are outside the age limit and nothing else in the file will change that. Will you have completed a Master's degree or equivalent by 31 July 2027 — and if you are aiming at ETH Zurich, can you meet the tighter 30 June 2027 date? Have you already identified a named professor at a Swiss institution whose current research overlaps your proposal, and have you written to them? Do you have a research plan with a real timeline, not a topic title? And if you already live in Switzerland, was your date of entry no earlier than 1 August 2026?

There are also exclusion rules worth knowing. An incomplete application or one containing formal errors is rejected outright. Submitting multiple applications simultaneously for several host universities or scholarship types is an exclusion criterion. So is a second research proposal included in the same application.

HOW TO APPLY

Five stages. First, find your Swiss supervisor and secure the letter of support — this is the long pole, so start here. Second, prepare the research proposal on the FCS/ESKAS form, a maximum of five pages including a summary written for non-specialists. Third, write the letter of motivation, a maximum of two pages, covering your reasons for a stay in Switzerland and what you will do afterwards. Fourth, assemble your documents and submit through the online application before your country's deadline, which is published on the state secretariat's page. Fifth, arrange two referees, who are contacted through the application system and asked to upload recommendation letters on the official form.

Your materials checklist: a complete CV including degrees, awards, positions, publications, teaching and practical experience; the two-page motivation letter; the five-page research proposal on the official form; the supervisor's letter of support and their short CV; for research fellowships, a short CV of your supervisor at your home university; for PhD scholarships at graduate schools only, confirmation of admission to the graduate school; the email addresses of two professors in the field; certified copies of certificates and transcripts, translated if not in English, French, Italian or German; and a copy of your passport and, where relevant, residence permit or registration confirmation.

https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/en/swiss-government-excellence-scholarships

Talk it through with an OEAC advisor before you submit — a second pair of eyes on the research proposal is usually the difference between shortlisted and rejected.

OTHER FULLY FUNDED RESEARCH AWARDS

If you want a Master's level award in Switzerland rather than a research scholarship, ETH Zurich's excellence scholarship is the standard reference point:

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=14

EPFL runs a comparable Master's fellowship with a per-semester payment rather than a monthly stipend:

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=27

And Austria's ISTA doctoral programme offers a five-year contract, which is a different model again:

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=21

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID, AND HOW THIS SCHEME FILTERS PEOPLE OUT

Applying without a letter of support from a Swiss supervisor. Automatic rejection, and there is no appeal.

Missing the age criterion. Born on or before 31 December 1991 means ineligible, regardless of research quality.

Treating the scholarship as a salary. It is CHF 2,450 a month to cover basic living expenses for one person, and Swiss living costs are high — the award is not designed to support dependants.

Submitting the same person's application to multiple host universities at once. That is listed as an exclusion.

Writing a five-page proposal without the non-specialist summary. The form requires it, and assessors from outside your field rely on it.

Ignoring the formal-error rule. An application with incomplete documents or formatting mistakes is not assessed on its merits.

Be aware too that the Swiss government publishes a phishing warning about fake "Swiss Government Scholarship" offers circulated by email and social media. The genuine application is free of charge. If anyone asks you to transfer money for visa or social insurance costs, it is a scam.

Source — Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships at a glance: https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/en/swiss-government-excellence-scholarships-at-a-glance

Photo: Woudloper, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Universität_Bern.JPG)

Last updated: 12 October 2026