Swiss Government Scholarships for International Students
The Swiss Government Scholarship gives opportunity to international students by their post-graduate scholarships. It is a fully-funded scholarship by Switzerland’s government and the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS).
Annually, the government of Switzerland looks for international students who have an innate potential and offer them to study at any university in Switzerland. The scholarship’s objective is to strengthen international cooperation by admitting students from diverse countries to reside and study in Switzerland. It also offers master’s or research degrees.
For international students who wish to study at any university in Switzerland, this may be a good chance for you.
Scholarship Awards for Swiss Government Scholarship
An awarded scholar of the Swiss Government Scholarship is entitled to different benefits that they may enjoy during the duration of the program. It will sustain their needs while staying in Switzerland. The benefits awarded per student differ from the program they are enrolled in.
For the research program, an estimated amount of CHF 3,500 is allotted for their monthly scholarship. The housing allowance of CHF 300 will be paid only once. The scholar will also be given mandatory Swiss health insurance. For transportation, the scholars will be presented with a half-fare public transportation card to help with the transportation expenses. The transportation card is only good for one year.
Moreover, the scholarship also allows the scholars to explore the country during their stay. Sightseeing tours, trips, different services, and dinners are entitled to them. Once the program is completed, a flight allowance for returning airfare will be provided.
On the other hand, for the master’s program, an estimated amount of CHF 1,920 is allotted for the monthly stipend. The total allowance depends on the program enrolled. The housing allowance of CHF 300 will be paid only once. The scholar will also be given mandatory Swiss health insurance. For transportation, the scholars will be presented with a half-fare public transportation card to help with the transportation expenses. The transportation card is only good for one year.
Moreover, the other benefits are the same as the research program starting from excursions, trips, different services, dinners and flight allowance for returning airfare will be provided.
To get a more accurate range of benefits for the program, check the official website of the Swiss Government Scholarship.
Eligibility Criteria for Swiss Government Scholarship
Two programs are available in the Swiss Government Scholarship.
The Research Scholarship program is given to post-graduate researchers in any line of expertise who wants to continue research and studies at the doctoral or post-doctoral level. For this program, the student should have a master’s degree.
This program can be taken at any Swiss cantonal university, universities of applied sciences, federal institutes of technology, or the four research institutes. An applicant for this program should be nominated by an academic mentor at one of the higher education institutions.
The other type of scholarship is the Art Scholarship. This program is dedicated to art students who want to continue their master’s degree in Switzerland. Any Swiss conservatory or university of the arts caters to the program for the scholarship. Despite the good offer to this program, it is only available for limited countries.
The documents needed to be qualified for the Swiss Government Scholarship differ per program applied.
A bachelor’s degree is required for the application of a master’s degree. On the other hand, a master’s degree is needed for Ph.D. and post-doctoral programs.
An applicant should submit the following documents to be eligible for the scholarship. These are a letter of acceptance from a Swiss university mentor, curriculum vitae, motivation letter, a completed and signed research proposal, two recommendation letters, signed medical certificates, and two photocopies of passport. They should also be a citizen of a country that has diplomatic ties with Switzerland.
On the other hand, an applicant who spent more than a year in Switzerland or was previously awarded a Swiss scholarship grant is not eligible to apply.
In addition, the eligibility for a master’s program varies from countries A-L to countries M-Z. To get more exact requirements per country, check the university list on the Swiss Government Scholarship website.
Late submissions of the required documents will be deemed ineligible.
Swiss Government Scholarship Deadlines
The release of programs for the Swiss Government Scholarship starts in early August. The application period begins every September. The submission of application range from September to December. The date varies per country. To check the deadlines per country, check the official website of the Swiss Government Scholarship (countries A-L and countries M-Z).
The selection process of the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS) will be conducted by the end of May. And the start of the scholarship at the host university will commence in September next year.
How do I apply for Swiss Government Scholarship?
To apply for the Swiss Government Scholarship, the applicant should individually send their applications to Swiss universities and the Federal Commission of Scholarships for Foreign Students. They must find a supervisor from the university on their own. It is recommended that the academic mentor has the same line of expertise as the applicant.
For the application process, the applicant should give his or her full profile and a research project or artistic piece. The necessary documents should also be submitted to the assigned agency per country (check countries A-L and countries M-Z). The documents that will be submitted should be written in English.
All applications will undergo a preliminary selection by the Swiss diplomatic representative or relevant national representative. After that, the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS) will assess and select scholarship holders from the short-listed applicants. The FCS has three criteria when assessing an application – the candidate’s profile, research project or artistic work, and the applicant’s potential for the scholarship.
The committee for the selection process are professors from different Swiss public universities. The applicants who will be given the scholarship grant mean they portray academic and scientific excellence.
Once the committee process the applications, the results will be announced by September.
Check the official website of the Swiss Government Scholarship for more details.
I hope that this article was helpful. If you are interested, visit the Europe Scholarships Page.