Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

The Swiss Confederation's Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS) annually awards Government Excellence Scholarships to promote international exchange and research cooperation between Switzerland and over 180 other countries, including Japan.

The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year are given to (a) young researchers from abroad who have completed a Master’s degree or PhD who are planning to come to Switzerland to pursue research or further studies at doctoral or post-doctoral level and (b) to foreign artists holding a Bachelor’s degree wishing to pursue an initial Master’s degree in Switzerland. Applicants must find a host institution as well as a supervisor at the respective institution willing to support and supervise their scholarship research project.

A short summary of the two types of scholarships for Japanese researchers and artists is listed below:

1. Research Scholarships (Research Fellowship, PhD or Postdoc scholarship)

  • Eligibility: post-graduate researchers who hold a Master’s degree as a minimum who wish to pursue research or further studies at doctoral or post-doctoral level (research fellowship, PhD, Postdoc)
  • Research fields: the call is open to all disciplines
  • Host Institutions: all Swiss cantonal universities, universities of applied sciences, the two federal institutes of technology (ETH Zurich, EPFL) as well as the four research institutes (PSI, WSL, EMPA, EAWAG) are eligible for hosting
  • Duration: 12 months, September 2025 to August 2026 (PhD scholarships prolongable up to 36 months; Research Fellowship scholarships and Postdoc scholarships are not prolongable)
  • Grants:
    • Research scholarship: 1’920.- Swiss Francs per month = 23’040.- CHF for 1 year
      PhD scholarship: 1’920.- Swiss Francs per month = 23’040.- CHF for 1 year
      Postdoctoral scholarship: 3’500.- Swiss Francs per month = 42’000.- CHF for 1 year
    • Housing allowance: All scholarship holders receive a one-time lump sum of CHF 300.-

2.Art Scholarship

  • Eligibility: art scholarships are open to art students wishing to pursue an initial master’s degree in Switzerland (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent already achieved)
  • Invalid: all applications for a second master’s degree
  • Research fields: art related courses offered by eligible host institutions
  • Host Institutions: any Swiss conservatory or university of the arts are eligible for hosting
  • Duration: 12 months, September 2025 to August 2026 (prolongable up to 21 months)
  • Grants:
    • Arts scholarship: 1’920.- Swiss Francs per month = 23’040.- CHF for 1 year
    • Housing allowance: All scholarship holders receive a one-time lump sum of CHF 300.-

The deadline for applications for both types of scholarship is on 22 November, 2024 (16:00 JST). Please visit the following websites for further information on the guidelines and application procedures etc.