Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

Overview

Who can apply

Requirements

• Master's degree (for PhD applicants) or PhD (for postdoc applicants)

  Required

• Under 35 years (PhD) or under 40 years (postdoc)

  Required

• Citizen of an eligible country — apply through Swiss representation

  Required

• Research proposal or invitation from a Swiss institution

  Required

What a strong applicant looks like

A competitive applicant has a completed master's degree with strong academic results in a field where they can identify a specific Swiss university professor or research group whose current work directly aligns with their intended doctoral project — ideally with a letter of intent or informal correspondence from that supervisor already secured before applying. They have a concrete research proposal, not a general statement of interest, with a defined question, methodology, and justification for why Switzerland specifically — not Germany or France — is the right place to pursue it. Publication, conference presentation, or a substantial thesis in their field strengthens the case significantly, as does demonstrated language competency relevant to their host institution's working language (German, French, Italian, or English depending on the institution). Candidates who treat this as a general funding opportunity rather than a research placement to a specific Swiss institution are consistently outcompeted by those who arrive with institutional contacts already warm.

Human coaches

No human coaches are available for this scholarship yet. Check back soon.