Applications are open for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for research, PhD and art study in Switzerland. Deadlines vary by country: Morocco closes on 10 November 2026.
The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are awarded by the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students on behalf of the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. For the 2027–2028 academic year they support three routes: research fellowships of 6 to 12 months, PhD scholarships of 12 months that can be renewed up to 36 months, and one-year Master's-level art scholarships, which are offered only to applicants from a limited list of countries. The scholarship holder receives CHF 2,450 per month for basic living costs, and the programme is open to nationals of more than 180 countries. Postdoctoral scholarships are no longer awarded from 2027/28, and the number of awards is being reduced, so competition is likely to be strong.
The official rules are specific. Research and PhD applicants must hold a Master's degree or equivalent by 31 July 2027 (30 June 2027 for ETH Zurich), be born after 31 December 1991, submit a detailed research plan and include a letter of support from a professor at a Swiss institution, because finding a supervisor is the applicant's own responsibility. Priority goes to people who have not previously studied or researched in Switzerland, and anyone already living there must have entered on or after 1 August 2026. Beyond the monthly amount, holders from non-EU/EFTA countries receive health insurance premiums and a return flight allowance, and all holders receive a one-time CHF 600 rental-deposit grant and a Half-Fare Travelcard. Tuition and semester fees, conference costs and fieldwork costs are not covered.
Applications are submitted only through the online Grants Online (GO ESKAS) portal, never by email or on paper, and there is no application fee. The deadline depends on your country: according to the official A–Z country list published on 26 October 2026, the submission deadline for Morocco is 10 November 2026 at 11:59 PM Swiss local time, while Algeria and Egypt are listed on 13 and 10 November 2026 respectively. Check your own country's row, which also shows the scholarship types available and the contact details of the Swiss representation, before you start. Scholars would begin on 1 September 2027. Switzerland's State Secretariat warns about fake offers using the Government's name, so never pay money to anyone and use only the official SERI pages or sgs@sbfi.admin.ch.
