Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2027-2028 for Researchers and Artists

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2027-2028 for Researchers and Artists

The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are a Swiss Confederation program for international researchers and, in selected countries, artists. The Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS, also known as ESKAS) selects recipients, while the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) provides the official program information. The 2027-2028 call is announced and covers research fellowships, PhD scholarships, and art scholarships. It is not a general undergraduate award, and the current call does not offer postdoctoral fellowships.

There is no single worldwide closing date. The official country-and-territory table assigns each participating nationality its own opening date, deadline, scholarship types, contact point, and conditions. The earliest deadline listed in that table is 6 October 2026, while several countries close on 30 November 2026. The deadline field on this page uses the earliest listed date as a warning for readers planning from the generic program page. Your own country’s row is the deadline that controls your application.

Key details

What the 2027-2028 award pays for

The official amount is CHF 2,450 per month for the basic living expenses of one person. The award is a scholarship, not a salary, so applicants should not budget as though it were ordinary employment income. It is intended to support a full-time stay in Switzerland, and the holder must live in the city or canton of the host institution.

The additional benefits are narrower than the old page suggested. The FCS lists a one-time CHF 600 grant for a rental deposit and a Half-Fare Travelcard for public transport. For scholarship holders from non-EU/EFTA countries, the FCS covers premiums for compulsory health insurance. Holders from EU/EFTA countries pay those insurance costs themselves. Non-EU/EFTA holders also receive a return-flight allowance, with the amount determined by country of origin. The official page says this allowance is for returning to the country of origin and may be used up to two months after the scholarship ends.

Tuition and semester fees are not covered by the Federal Excellence Scholarship. The official information warns that universities, universities of applied sciences, and federal institutes of technology may charge semester fees or reduced tuition, and that some doctoral fees are not waived. Applicants must therefore ask the host institution for its current fee schedule and include those costs in the financial plan. Conference participation is also paid by the scholarship holder. PhD holders may request field research for up to six months without additional funding, so travel and research expenses need separate planning.

Which scholarship track fits

Research fellowships support a one-year, full-time research project in Switzerland as part of doctoral studies. The official target group is highly qualified early-career researchers from all academic fields who are pursuing a PhD in their home country, including young medical doctors. The duration is at least six months and at most twelve months, with no extension for this track. A Swiss academic supervisor must endorse the project and provide a letter of support with a short CV.

PhD scholarships support full-time doctoral study at a Swiss university or recognised research institute. They run for twelve months and can be renewed twice, up to a maximum of thirty-six months, subject to academic progress during the first year. The scholarship and admission processes are separate. A regular PhD applicant needs the supervisor’s support letter, but not necessarily a doctoral admission letter at the time of application. An applicant entering a doctoral school where no supervisor is assigned in the first year must provide proof of admission to that doctoral school as well as the supervisor’s support.

Art scholarships are for applicants seeking an initial Master’s degree in an artistic field in Switzerland. They are available only to a limited number of countries. The art application requires admission, conditional admission, or confirmation that the relevant admissions process has not yet opened from a Swiss University of the Arts or Music. Artists should also expect a portfolio or recording appropriate to their discipline.

The program does not offer postdoctoral fellowships in the 2027-2028 academic year. Anyone who has already completed a doctorate and is looking for postdoctoral funding should not describe this call as a postdoctoral route or submit an application under a research track that does not match the published target group.

Eligibility that applies to the current cycle

The official 2027-2028 list covers 183 countries, but participation is not uniform. Some countries offer research fellowships and PhD scholarships; a smaller set also offers Arts; and some countries have no scholarship offer. Start with the country table, not with a general scholarship summary. It is the only reliable way to learn whether your nationality is eligible and which track is available.

For research fellowship and PhD applicants, the official eligibility criteria require a Master’s degree or equivalent completed by 31 July 2027. For ETH Zurich, the stated completion date is 30 June 2027. Applicants must have been born after 31 December 1991, prepare a detailed research plan with a timeline, and obtain a support letter from an academic supervisor in Switzerland. Suitable supervisors are professors or laboratory group leaders; for PhD applications, the supervisor must be authorised to supervise doctoral theses. At a university of applied sciences, a doctorate requires two supervisors, one of whom must be authorised to confer doctorates at a traditional university.

Applicants already living in Switzerland have an additional rule: their date of entry must not be earlier than 1 August 2026. They must provide a registration confirmation or residence permit. The program is for full-time research in Switzerland, and applicants should also review the exclusion criteria in the official factsheet. In particular, an incomplete or formally defective application, simultaneous applications for several host universities or scholarship types, a missing Swiss supervisor, or a missing support letter can make an otherwise promising application ineligible.

Deadlines and application route

Applications open on 20 August 2026 for many countries, while the official table shows later opening dates for some national calls. The same table records the submission deadline in Swiss local time. The earliest listed deadline is 6 October 2026 for Belize. Other listed deadlines include 3 November 2026, 10 November 2026, 13 November 2026, 17 November 2026, 20 November 2026, 24 November 2026, 27 November 2026, and 30 November 2026. These dates are examples from the official table, not a substitute for checking your own row. Some countries have no scholarship offer at all.

The application route is online. First, check your country’s row and confirm that the desired track is available. Next, prepare to register in Grants Online (GO ESKAS), the platform named by SERI. Sign in when applications open, complete the online form, upload the requested documents, and submit before the deadline shown for your country. The official instructions specifically say not to send the application by email or in paper form. Use the contact details in your country’s official row if the diplomatic representation gives additional local instructions.

Applications are submitted to Swiss diplomatic representations, while the FCS evaluates them. The selection criteria are the candidate’s academic profile, research competence and motivation; the originality and methodological quality of the project or artistic work; and the quality of supervision plus the potential for future cooperation. The FCS says award decisions for the following academic year are announced by the end of May at the latest.

Documents to prepare

Research and PhD applicants should prepare a complete CV covering education, degrees, awards, positions, publications, teaching, and practical experience. The motivation letter may be no more than two pages and should explain the purpose of the stay, its significance for the applicant’s career, and the plans after the scholarship. The research proposal must use the FCS/ESKAS form, include a timeline with key milestones and activities, and fit within a maximum of five pages including a summary for non-specialists.

The file also needs the Swiss supervisor’s letter of support and short CV. Research fellowship applicants need a short CV from the supervisor at their home university as well. Doctoral-school applicants need the school’s admission confirmation where the official criteria require it. The online application asks for the email addresses of two different professors in the relevant field; the system contacts them for recommendation letters on the FCS/ESKAS form. Add degree certificates and transcripts, with certified translations when they are not in English, French, Italian, or German, plus a passport copy. Dual citizens should provide both passports. Applicants already residing in Switzerland need the residence permit or registration confirmation.

Art applicants should prepare the same basic identity and academic records where applicable, a motivation letter, a full CV, two professor contacts for recommendations, certificates and transcripts, and the required admission confirmation from the Swiss arts or music institution. The portfolio instructions are discipline-specific: music applicants provide a link or QR code to a high-quality recording of three different styles, composers provide scores, visual artists provide a portfolio with three works and sketches, and applicants in other artistic domains provide a link or QR code to recordings of performances or creations.

A practical preparation plan

Begin with nationality and track eligibility. Save the country-table row and contact the relevant Swiss embassy, consulate, or other listed representation if anything is unclear. Then identify a suitable supervisor or, for art applicants, the institution and degree program that can provide the required admission evidence. A supervisor inquiry should be personal and specific: explain your academic background, name the project question, show why the professor’s work is relevant, and attach a short CV, motivation letter, and a concise research plan. The official FAQ notes that finding a supervisor can take weeks or months.

Build the proposal around a feasible period in Switzerland. State the question, explain the method, identify the material or data, set milestones, and describe the result you expect to produce during the funded period. Make the Swiss host’s role concrete instead of presenting a project that could be carried out anywhere. Ask the supervisor to confirm that the proposed work fits the group and that the available facilities are appropriate.

Before submission, compare every document with the country-specific instructions. Check translations, file formats, signatures, recommendation contacts, and the exact deadline time zone. Keep proof of submission. Do not pay an intermediary: the official source says the application is free and warns about fake offers that use the Swiss government’s name to request money for visas, insurance, or other supposed processing costs.

Common questions

Is 6 October 2026 the deadline for everyone? No. It is the earliest date in the official country table and is retained in this page’s metadata so readers see the first closing date. Your country may close later, including on 30 November 2026, or may not offer a scholarship.

Does the scholarship cover tuition? No. Tuition and semester fees are the holder’s responsibility, and some doctoral fees are not waived.

Can a postdoctoral researcher apply? Not under the 2027-2028 postdoctoral route, because the official FAQ says postdoctoral fellowships are no longer awarded from this academic year. Review the research fellowship and PhD criteria carefully; they are not interchangeable with postdoctoral funding.

Is a Swiss supervisor optional? No for research fellowship and PhD applications. A Swiss academic supervisor and a support letter are required. The applicant is responsible for finding that supervisor.

Where is the official application link? Start at the official SERI page, check your country’s row, and use GO ESKAS when the online application opens. Do not send a paper or email application.

Official source

The authoritative page for this 2027-2028 cycle is the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships page at https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/en/swiss-government-excellence-scholarships. It links to the detailed “at a glance” guidance, the FAQ, the country-and-territory deadline table, and the GO ESKAS application route. Recheck the row for your nationality before submitting because scholarship type, opening date, deadline, contact point, and country-specific conditions differ. This page is a current-cycle listing, not a historical reference: the call has been announced, applications open on the dates shown in the official table, and the next action for a prospective applicant is to prepare the required documents and supervisor or admission evidence.