INTRODUCTION

The State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation (SERI) manages multiple tasks related to scholarships: One aspect of its work involves overseeing federal subsidies allocated to the cantons to support Swiss students through grants.
SERI also plays a pivotal role in the coordination and financial backing of Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships, which are awarded to international scholars and artists studying in Switzerland.
Additionally, SERI is responsible for the distribution and bestowment of grants for postgraduate studies at prestigious institutions such as the European University Institute in Florence, the College of Europe in Bruges, and Campus Natolin.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligibile for the research scholarship (research fellowship, PhD, Postdoc) post-graduate researchers in any discipline, you must:

  • Hold a master’s degree is the minimum qualification required)
  • You are planning to come to Switzerland to pursue research or further studies at doctoral or post-doctoral level.

SCHOLARSHIP

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 master’s degree in the arts in Switzerland.
The 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.
Art scholarship

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, 05.09.2023). 

  1. Call for Applications
    Release of programme for 180+ Countries
    Download application documents,
    list of contacts
  2. Prepare application
    Forms, research proposal,
    support letters, references
  3. Submission deadline at Swiss representation
    This date and the postal address varies from country to country
  4. Selection
    By the Federal Commission for Scholarships FCS
  5. Start of scholarships
    At the Swiss academic host institution