The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are one of the most respected ways for early-career researchers from around the world to spend a year, or up to three years, doing research at a top Swiss university. They are aimed mainly at people who already hold a master’s degree and want to do a PhD or a research stay in Switzerland, and they are open to applicants from 183 countries, which includes many African countries.
This is not a casual scholarship. You cannot apply without a Swiss professor who agrees to supervise you, deadlines are set country by country, and the funding is a living stipend rather than a full ride. That is exactly why so many strong candidates lose out: they discover a requirement too late.
This guide is for graduates, especially international students from Africa, who want straight answers. Am I eligible? What does the scholarship really pay for? How do I find a supervisor? And what should I do right now, given where we are in the calendar?
I used the official Swiss government pages as the backbone and cross-checked them with other sources. Where pages disagree, or where I could not confirm something, I say so. Scholarship rules change every cycle, so please treat this article as a map and the official site as the final word.
Quick reality check: This scholarship is mainly for people with a master’s degree who want a PhD or research stay. It is not for bachelor’s degrees. A small art track exists for first master’s degrees, but only for applicants from a limited list of countries.
What Are the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships?
The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are awarded by the Swiss Confederation through the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS), with the secretariat handled by ESKAS, part of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. The official 2027-2028 call describes them as aimed at talented early career researchers who have already completed a master’s degree.
They fund research at Swiss cantonal universities, universities of applied sciences, ETH Zurich, EPFL, and research institutes in the ETH Domain (PSI, WSL, Empa and Eawag). Every research application needs a Swiss academic supervisor who is willing to direct your project.
The official page lists three scholarship categories for the 2027-2028 call:
| Category | Who it is for | Duration (per the official summary) |
| Research scholarship (research stay) | PhD candidates abroad who want a research project in Switzerland | 6 to 12 months, no extensions |
| PhD scholarship | Master’s holders who want to do a PhD at a Swiss university or recognised institute | 12 months, renewable twice, up to 36 months depending on progress |
| Art scholarship (Master in Arts) | Artists pursuing a first master’s at a Swiss art school or conservatory, from a limited list of countries | 12 months, extendable to 21 months |
Postdoctoral fellowships are no longer awarded. The official FAQ says they will not be awarded from the 2027/28 academic year. Some third-party sites still advertise them, so be careful with older articles.
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships Benefits: What Do You Actually Get?
Here is what the official “at a glance” summary lists.
What is paid
- Monthly stipend of CHF 2,450 to cover basic living costs for one person. The official page stresses this is not a salary. The amount applies from 1 January 2026, after a Federal Council amendment in November 2025, so older guides may show lower figures.
- Health insurance premiums covered for holders from non-EU/EFTA countries. EU/EFTA holders pay their own.
- A one-time CHF 600 grant toward a rental deposit.
- A Half-Fare Travelcard for public transport.
- A return flight allowance for non-EU/EFTA holders, usable up to two months after the scholarship ends.
- Excursions and activities organised for scholarship holders.
What is not covered
- Tuition. The official summary says tuition is not covered, and that some institutions charge semester fees (roughly CHF 600 to 2,000), and some PhD fees are not waived.
- Conference costs and fieldwork. PhD holders may do up to six months of fieldwork, self-funded.
- Travel for EU/EFTA holders.
- Family allowances. Residence permits for accompanying family are restricted, and neither the commission nor universities provide support.
- Housing, apart from the deposit grant.
A conflict you should know about
Some third-party guides say tuition is fully waived, and list extras such as a housing allowance of CHF 600 “previously CHF 300” and a monthly postdoctoral amount. I trust the official summary over aggregator sites, but tuition and fee treatment can differ by university. Ask your prospective department exactly which fees you would have to pay before you accept.
Is CHF 2,450 enough?
Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world, and the official page says the amount covers basic living costs for one person. Rent will be your biggest expense, especially in cities such as Zurich and Geneva. Ask current PhD students what they actually spend, and check whether you will owe semester fees.
If your doctorate runs longer than the fellowship, the official FAQ says your supervisor may help with funding for one to two years. That is not guaranteed, so ask early.
Who Are the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships For?
Undergraduate students
There is no scholarship for bachelor’s study. If you are still an undergraduate, use the time to build the profile this scholarship rewards: strong grades, research experience and relationships with lecturers who can write detailed references. Your realistic target is a call a few years away.
Graduate students (bachelor’s degree holders)
For the research and PhD tracks, you need a master’s degree or equivalent. The one exception is the art track, which is for students pursuing a first master’s in an artistic field at a Swiss institution. It requires a bachelor’s degree, no master’s yet, admission or proof of application to a Swiss art university, and it is offered only to applicants from a limited list of countries. The official pages I read do not name those countries, so check your country’s page.
Postgraduate students (master’s degree holders)
This is the core audience. If you hold a master’s degree, or will complete it by the required date, and you have a clear research idea plus a Swiss professor willing to supervise you, this scholarship is built for you.
PhD candidates and postdocs
PhD candidates already enrolled abroad can use the research stay track (6 to 12 months, no extensions). Postdocs are out of luck: fellowships are not awarded from the 2027/28 academic year.
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships Eligibility Criteria
Based on the official pages for the 2027-2028 call:
Nationality and country
- You must come from one of the countries covered by the call (the official page says 183).
- Which scholarship types are offered, and the deadline, depend on your country. Art scholarships are limited to certain countries.
- I could not verify from the official pages whether a specific African country, such as Nigeria, Ghana or Kenya, is included for each category. Check the country page for your nationality.
Academic level
- Research and PhD tracks: a master’s degree or equivalent completed by 31 July 2027 (30 June 2027 for ETH Zurich).
- Art track: a bachelor’s degree or equivalent completed by 31 July 2027, with no master’s degree yet held.
Age
- The official page gives a maximum age of 35, and the summary states a date of birth after 31 December 1991.
Supervisor
- A Swiss academic supervisor must support your research application. The supervisor must be affiliated with a Swiss higher education institution at one of the designated study locations.
Time already spent in Switzerland
- Priority goes to applicants with no prior study or research in Switzerland.
- The official FAQ says applicants who have been in Switzerland for more than one year when the scholarship starts in September are excluded.
- If you already live in Switzerland, the summary says your entry must be no earlier than 1 August 2026.
Number of attempts
- You can apply a maximum of three times for the same type of scholarship, according to the official FAQ.
What the official pages do not say clearly
- Language requirements. The pages I accessed do not state them. Third-party guides say you need proficiency in the language of instruction, with certificates possibly required. Ask your host department what it expects, and contact the scholarship secretariat if in doubt.
- Insurance details for EU/EFTA holders, work rules, family provisions and renewal specifics. The FAQ points applicants to the secretariat for these.
How applications are judged
The commission assesses applications on three criteria: your profile as a candidate, the quality of your research project or artistic work, and your potential for future research cooperation with Switzerland.
How to Apply: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Check your country’s deadline and scholarship types
This comes before everything else. The official page says country-specific deadlines and which scholarships are available are published in regional lists, and applications opened on 20 August 2026. There is no single worldwide deadline. See the deadlines section below for what this means today.
Step 2: Find a Swiss supervisor
The official FAQ is blunt: you must find a supervisor on your own, and neither the secretariat nor the universities will help you. The search can take weeks or months.
Tips for the supervisor search:
- Build a shortlist of professors whose recent papers match your work. Read the papers before you write.
- The official FAQ says the initial contact package is a short CV, a letter of motivation, two to three recommendation letters and a research plan of two to three pages.
- Keep your first email short, specific and professional, with your research plan attached.
- Contact several professors. The FAQ says the secretariat recommends that a supervisor support only one or two candidates per academic year, so some will say no.
- Start early. One third-party guide suggests contacting professors six to twelve months before the deadline. That is not an official rule, but it matches how long this step really takes.
Step 3: Understand the doctoral school rules
For a regular PhD under a supervisor, you submit the supervisor’s support letter and do not need an admission letter at this stage. If you apply to a doctoral school that does not assign a supervisor in year one, admission to the school is mandatory, and you submit the admission letter along with the supervisor’s support letter. If the school does not let you contact a supervisor before admission, you cannot apply. If admission arrives after the deadline, you may start your studies without the scholarship and apply for the following academic year.
Step 4: Get the supervisor’s support letter
The FAQ says the letter must be detailed, on official institutional letterhead, and should describe the research project, the supervisor’s relationship to you, and the potential for collaboration, plus a short CV. Give your supervisor plenty of time and a clear summary of your proposal.
Step 5: Prepare your research proposal and motivation letter
The official summary sets a research proposal of at most five pages on the commission’s form, including a summary for non-specialists, and a motivation letter of at most two pages. Be specific, realistic about what you can do in the time, and tied to the host group’s resources.
Step 6: Arrange your recommendation letters
You give the email addresses of two professors who will upload recommendation letters. Brief them early, share your CV and proposal, and tell them the deadline.
Step 7: Register and submit online
The official summary says to register in the GO ESKAS online system and warns: do not send your application by email or in paper form. One page on the main official site mentions applications being submitted to Swiss diplomatic representations, while the summary describes the online system, so follow whatever your country’s page says. The application is free of charge.
Step 8: Wait for the decision
The official page says decisions are announced by the end of May at the latest for the following academic year. For this call, that means May 2027 and a start on 1 September 2027.
Required Documents Checklist
Based on the official “at a glance” summary:
- Complete CV
- Motivation letter (maximum two pages)
- Research proposal on the commission’s form (maximum five pages, with a non-specialist summary), for research applicants
- Supervisor’s letter of support and short CV (maximum two pages), for research applicants
- Email addresses of two professors who will upload recommendation letters
- Certificates and transcripts, with certified translations if not in English, French, Italian or German
- Passport copy (both passports if you are a dual citizen)
- Residence permit or registration confirmation, if you are already in Switzerland
- For art applicants: a PDF portfolio with links or QR codes to work samples, and admission confirmation from the Swiss institution
A note on older checklists: some third-party guides also list a signed medical certificate, passport photos or an acceptance letter from the host. These are not in the official summary I read. Check your country’s instructions in the portal, because requirements can differ.
Practical tip: keep every document as a clean, legible PDF with clear names, and check the portal’s file size limits before the final day.
Deadlines and Timeline
What the official pages say
- Applications opened on 20 August 2026.
- Deadlines are country-specific and published in regional lists.
- Decisions are announced by the end of May 2027 at the latest.
- The scholarship starts around 1 September 2027.
- Scholarships for the following year (2028-2029) will be advertised from August 2027.
I could not confirm a deadline for any specific African country, because the regional lists were not accessible to me. One national listing I found for the previous cycle showed a deadline in May, which tells you that national dates can differ a lot from what you might expect.
What this means for you today
Today is mid-October, so you have two possible situations:
- Your country’s deadline has not passed yet. Check the regional list today. If a deadline is only weeks away and you do not yet have a supervisor, be honest with yourself about whether a rushed application can be strong. A support letter from a real supervisor is not something you can fake.
- Your country’s deadline has already passed. Do not panic. Use the time well and aim for the 2028-2029 call, which the official page says will be advertised from August 2027. You then have close to a year to find a supervisor, sharpen your proposal and gather documents.
A realistic preparation plan
| When | What to do |
| Right away | Find your country’s page and confirm deadline and scholarship type |
| Next 2 to 6 weeks | Shortlist professors, send first emails with your research plan |
| After a professor agrees | Agree on the project, ask for the support letter, brief referees |
| Before the deadline | Finish proposal and letters, upload everything, submit early |
| After submission | Wait for the decision, expected by end of May for the following academic year |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Applying without a supervisor. It is the foundation of the application, and you must find the professor yourself.
- Missing the country-specific deadline. There is no global date, and old blog posts can mislead you.
- Choosing a professor by fame, not fit. Match your research to the group’s actual work.
- A broad, generic proposal. The commission rates the quality of the research project, so be specific and feasible.
- Ignoring the date of birth rule. Check it before you spend weeks preparing.
- Assuming your family is covered. The stipend and insurance cover the scholar only.
- Overlooking fees. Tuition and semester fees may not be fully covered. Ask the department.
- Falling for scams. The official page warns about fake scholarship offers by email or social media that ask for money for visa or insurance. The application is free, so never send money.
- Missing the master’s completion date. Your degree must be completed by 31 July 2027 (30 June for ETH Zurich).
Insider Tips to Strengthen Your Application
These are practical suggestions based on how competitive research awards generally work, not official rules.
- Treat the supervisor as your co-applicant. A professor who is excited about your project writes a much stronger support letter than one who just signs.
- Make your proposal the shortest path to a yes. Explain the question, the method, what you will have done by the end of year one, and why this lab is the right place.
- Use existing links. If you have co-authored with, cited or met anyone from the Swiss group, say so.
- Write the non-specialist summary carefully. Reviewers may not be in your exact field.
- Show future cooperation. One of the three criteria is your potential for future research cooperation, so explain how your work could link your home country and Switzerland.
- Choose referees who know your research. Specific letters beat famous names.
- Ask a lecturer to read everything. Fresh eyes catch weak spots.
- Have a plan B. Apply to other scholarships in parallel, and remember you can apply up to three times for the same type.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship fully funded?
It gives a monthly stipend of CHF 2,450, and covers health insurance premiums, a deposit grant, a travelcard and a return flight allowance for non-EU/EFTA holders. The official summary says tuition and some fees are not covered, so it is better described as a generous living stipend than a full ride.
Can African students apply?
Applicants from 183 countries can apply, but the scholarship types and deadlines depend on your country. Check your country’s page for your nationality.
Do I need a master’s degree?
For the research and PhD tracks, yes: a master’s or equivalent completed by 31 July 2027 (30 June for ETH Zurich). The art track is for first master’s students with a bachelor’s.
Is there an age limit?
The official page gives a maximum age of 35, with a stated date of birth after 31 December 1991.
Do I need a Swiss supervisor?
Yes, for research applications. You must find one yourself.
Can I apply as a postdoc?
Not from the 2027/28 academic year, according to the official FAQ.
How long does the scholarship last?
PhD scholarships run 12 months, renewable twice up to 36 months. Research stays last 6 to 12 months with no extensions. Art scholarships last 12 months, extendable to 21.
Is there an application fee?
No, the application is free of charge, and you can apply up to three times for the same type of scholarship.
When do I find out?
By the end of May at the latest for the following academic year.
Can I bring my family?
The stipend and insurance cover the scholar only, and residence permits for family are restricted, so plan carefully.
Who do I contact with questions?
The scholarship secretariat lists its contact email on the official page: sgs@sbfi.admin.ch.
Conclusion: Your Next Steps
The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships reward applicants who are academically strong, have a clear research idea and have won over a Swiss supervisor. The paperwork is manageable. The hard part is the supervisor search, which is why starting early is the single best thing you can do.
Here is what to do this week:
- Find the page for your country and write down your deadline and scholarship type.
- Confirm that you meet the master’s completion date and the date of birth rule.
- Build a shortlist of Swiss professors and send your first emails with a short research plan.
- Start drafting your proposal and motivation letter.
- If your deadline has passed, aim for the next call and use the months ahead wisely.
Apply here: Open the official Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships page and apply through the official online system
You do not need to be perfect. You need a clear idea, a supportive supervisor and an application that arrives on time. Good luck.
Author’s note: Scholarship amounts, deadlines, eligibility rules and application procedures change with every call, and they differ by country. Third-party websites, including this one, can lag behind the official source. Before you apply or make financial or travel plans, double-check everything on the official Swiss government scholarship pages and in your country’s instructions. If anything here conflicts with an official page, trust the official page.