Top 10 scholarships in Switzerland for foreign students

Did you know that tuition fees at Swiss universities are relatively low compared to other European countries? You can enroll in a Swiss university for as little as $1,500 a year. Switzerland is one of the best choices for international students looking to study in Europe. In addition, there are Swiss scholarships available for international students who help with tuition and living expenses.

Swiss Government Scholarships for International Students:
Swiss Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Students

The Government of Switzerland, through the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS), offers different scholarships to foreign scholars and researchers: university scholarships (Swiss universities, ETH as well as universities of applied sciences) and arts (schools of music and fine arts, as for a limited number of countries). These scholarships offer graduates from all fields the opportunity to pursue doctoral or postdoctoral research in Switzerland to one of the public funded by the recognized university or institution.

It's a full scholarship that covers a monthly payment of 1920 Swiss francs for a doctoral degree/research or 3,500 Swiss francs for postdoctoral research, the exemption from tuition fees, the Swiss compulsory health insurance paid by the FCS, a lump sum for flight tickets for European non-beneficiaries, once only 300 Swiss francs special accommodation allowance, 1 year half-fare public transport card, and advice and various trips, Dinners and guided tours for Swiss government scholarship holders.

Erasmus Mundus scholarships Programmes in Switzerland

Swiss universities participate in a number of study programmes funded by Erasmus Mundus grants. Scholarships allow international students to pursue a program participating in the Erasmus Mundus study free of charge. Find the complete list of Erasmus Mundus Masters and Phd courses and from these lists you will find Erasmus Mundus funded courses that are conducted in Switzerland.

Swiss universities offering scholarships for foreign students

ETH scholarships

The ETH Scholarships is the flagship scholarship of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich - it is in the top 12 of the 2012 World University Rankings. International Bachelors who have successfully completed their first-year exams and International Master’s students or who have earned their bachelor’s degree at another university, can apply for these scholarships once they have successfully completed their second semester. Scholarships can be awarded to students who are among the top 10 in their class. The scholarships cover the full costs of study and living during the master’s course.

Grants to the University of Lausanne for foreign masters students
The University of Lausanne in Switzerland offers scholarships to international students who wish to pursue a master’s degree at the University through the grants of the UNIL Master. The amount of the grant is CHF 1,600. - per month from 15 September to 15 July for a period not exceeding the minimum period of regulation of the programme (depending on the programme, one and a half or two years subject to deduction for paid internships or exempted semesters, if applicable).

Scholarships from the University of Bern for foreign students
The University of Bern provides grants for international students who wish to complete a master’s program at the university. The scholarship is offered for the Master’s programs offered at the University. The grant consists of CHF1,600 per month for the duration of the master’s program.

Scholarship for the EPFL
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) offers a limited number of scholarships at the master’s level for students with an excellent academic record. Anyone with a bachelor’s degree is eligible for EPFL’s master’s programs and therefore for an EPFL scholarship. Each grant consists of a financial envelope of CHF 16,000 per academic year (a maximum of CHF 32,000 for a two-year Master’s degree) for external candidates.

scholarships from the Institute of Higher Education
A large number of scholarships are awarded each year to students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs at the Geneva University Institute. All applicants to the Institute’s regular Master’s and Phd programs are eligible for the program. Scholarships usually come to CHF 18,000 per year and include an exemption from the Institute’s tuition fees. Some full scholarships are awarded subject to specific conditions (duration of study and/or geographical origin of students). Excellence scholarships that cover the cost of annual tuition fees are also available for excellent students, regardless of their financial needs. For a complete list of specific scholarships awarded by the Institute, click here.

See also Sud Global Scholar-in-Residence Program which is open to outstanding young professors from developing and emerging countries universities who pursue cutting-edge research in areas linking international and development fields, in the broad sense, and working in disciplines such as anthropology, history , law, politics, political science and economics.

The University of Geneva offers excellence scholarships
The Faculty of Sciences of the University of Geneva, in collaboration with several sponsors, has set up an excellence scholarship program to support exceptional and highly motivated candidates who intend to pursue a Master’s degree in science in one of the disciplines available at the Faculty. The request for an excellence scholarship is open to students from all universities with very good performance in their studies (belonging to the best 10% of their bachelor program). The Scholarship of Excellence consists of a grant of CHF 10,000 to CHF 15,000/year (no teaching tasks);it is granted for one year and extended for the regular duration of the chosen master’s program (three or four semesters) provided that the applicant has successfully completed his first semester of studies.

IMD MBA scholarships

IMD offers a number of scholarships for international students from different countries and backgrounds, including Jim Ellert MBA scholarships for Eastern Europe, Africa, Central America and Southeast Asia. Each award of the scholarship program is around CHF 25,000-50,000.