Scholarships in Switzerland for International Students

Studying in Switzerland is a wonderful privilege—but this great opportunity doesn’t come cheap.

International students need a source of funds that would see them through even after graduation. Because the harsh truth is, being rich in knowledge isn’t enough to survive in real life.

Switzerland is very generous with scholarship grants. This form of financial aid can help you support your education in the country.

Here are some scholarships in Switzerland that you can apply for:

Scholarships from Universities in Switzerland

ETH Zurich Scholarships

ETH Zurich is the most prestigious university in Switzerland. If you want to pursue your master’s degree here, you can apply for two types of scholarship.

There’s the Excellence Scholarship, which covers both study and living costs. There’s also the Master Scholarship Programme that offers a partial stipend.

To be eligible, you must have earned your bachelor’s degree at an international or Swiss university. 

University of Geneva Excellence Fellowship

The University of Geneva has established a scholarship program for foreign students. Its Excellence Fellowship is for those who want to pursue a Master of Science degree. 

The grant for the Excellence Fellowship can go from CHF 10,000 to 15,000 every year.

University of Bern Scholarships

The University of Bern offers financial support, specifically for female students from developing countries. They grant these scholarships through two foundations.

The first one is the Spark of Hope Foundation. You can apply for their scholarship offer if you’re a female master or doctorate student.

The second is the Swiss Study Foundation, which also seeks to support outstanding master students at the University of Bern.

University of St. Gallen Scholarships

The University of St. Gallen offers merit-based scholarships to international students. These grants are awarded every year.

To be eligible, you must meet the criteria set by the selection committee. This includes passing the admission test and educational qualifications.

The university also offers the Starr International Foundation Scholarship Fund. This is given to qualified foreign-language students under a master’s degree program.

University of Basel Scholarships

The University of Basel doesn’t offer scholarships that are specifically for foreign students, but they do offer financial aid to low-income students. These financial aids are either given as partial scholarships or Solidarity funds. You’re eligible to apply if you have a great financial need.

Scholarships from the Swiss Government

As part of its initiative to attract foreign students, the Swiss Confederation offers Government Excellence Scholarships. These scholarship grants are awarded specifically to international students.

You can apply for this scholarship if you are a postgraduate researcher with a master’s degree.

If you’ve been awarded this scholarship, you’ll be exempted from paying your tuition fees and you’ll also get a housing allowance. You will also receive a monthly stipend to cover the cost of living.

Scholarships are competitive and applying can be an exhausting process. You may be allowed to receive more than one scholarship depending on your situation.

Switzerland has plenty of scholarship options to fund your education. Check out our articles here at MSM Unify to learn more about studying in Switzerland.