Swiss Government scholarships for university, fine arts and music schools for foreign students for the academic year 2010-2011.
Deadline: depends per scholarship, usually October or November
Open to: students with a BA or MA degree
Fund: between EUR 1600 and 1920
Scholarships
The scholarships that are offered varies per country. Check here to see for the scholarships possibilities for your country.
Eligibility
- Candidates must hold a university degree (Bachelors/Masters) on commencement of the scholarship.
- Candidates must be able to demonstrate their academic abilities and what they aim to achieve.
- Candidates must contact the institution and/or the professor supervising their period of research. Universities may request supplementary information and/or set certain additional conditions to determine whether or not you qualify for admission.
- Candidates must be under the age of 35 (born on or after 1.1.1975).
- Candidates must be suitably proficient in the language of instruction (French, German, Italian or English) in order to draw full benefit from their studies in Switzerland.
- Candidates who have already embarked on the first year of a Masters programme at a Swiss university or UAS are no longer eligible for a Swiss government scholarship (with the exception of arts scholarships). Such applications will not be considered by Swiss diplomatic representations.
- Swiss government scholarships may not be combined with other scholarships or awards.
Length and amount
Scholarships are provided for a nine-month academic year. Scholarships for postgraduate or Masters programmes lasting up to 2 years (3 or 4 semesters) may be extended depending on results from the first year.
Scholarships consist of monthly payments of:
CHF 1920.- for postgraduate students
CHF 1920.- for fine arts and music students
CHF 1600.- for students attending language courses in Fribourg or Lugano
The Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students does not cover the cost of academic and /or term fees. Generally-speaking, the universities and the Zurich Federal Institute of Technology exempt holders of Swiss government scholarships from term fees, but not necessarily from Masters programme enrolment fees. In the event that these fees are not waived, it is up to the scholarship holder to arrange payment.
Application procedure
1. If you fulfill the eligibility requirements contact the Swiss diplomatic representation in your country of origin. You can find this on the website.
2. The diplomatic representation will provide you with all the necessary information regarding the procedure including application forms and a list of required documentation.
Awards
Technically, the scholarships are offered to the government of the student’s country of origin and not to the student. Applications are subject to preliminary selection by the relevant national authorities and the Swiss diplomatic representation. The Swiss diplomatic representation then passes on the selected applications to the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS) which subsequently takes the final decision. The FCS is composed of academic staff drawn from Swiss universities. Scholarship awards are made on the basis of academic and scientific excellence.
Check for more information the official website.