Brief description:
The
Swiss Government, through the Federal Commission for Scholarships for
Foreign Students (FCS), awards various postgraduate scholarships to
foreign scholars and researchers: University scholarships (Swiss
universities, Federal Institutes of Technology as well as Universities
of Applied Sciences) and Arts scholarships (schools of music and fine
arts, only for a limited number of countries).
These
scholarships provide graduates from all fields with the opportunity to
pursue doctoral or postdoctoral research in Switzerland at one of the
public funded university or recognized institution.
Host Institution(s):
Any
of the ten (10) Swiss Public Universities, the two (2) Swiss Federal
Institutes of Technology, the public teaching and research institutes
and the Universities of applied sciences
Field of study:
All academic fields
Target group:
Scholarships
are open to: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Antigua
& Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas,
Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile,
China, Columbia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire,
Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of
Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Dijibouti, Dominica,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,
Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia,
Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras,
Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Jordan, Kazakshtan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos,
Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia,
Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius,
Morocco, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique,
Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger,
Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestinian Authority, Panama, Papua New
Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea,
Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia,
Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts &
Nevis, Sudan, Sudan South, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand,
Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine,
United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela,
Vietnam, and Yemen.
Scholarship value/inclusions:
The scholarship covers the following:
• Monthly payment of 1920 Swiss Francs for PhD studies/research or 3,500 Swiss Francs for postdoctoral research
• Exemption of the tuition fees (except for EPFL)
• Mandatory Swiss Health insurance paid by the FCS (for non-European grantees only)
• A lump sum for air fare for non-European grantees (provided at the end of the scholarship)
• Special 300 Swiss Francs lodging allowance (paid once at the beginning of the scholarship)
• 1 year half-fare public transportation card
• Counseling and various trips, dinners and sigh seeing tours organized for Swiss Government Scholarship holders
• Exemption of the tuition fees (except for EPFL)
• Mandatory Swiss Health insurance paid by the FCS (for non-European grantees only)
• A lump sum for air fare for non-European grantees (provided at the end of the scholarship)
• Special 300 Swiss Francs lodging allowance (paid once at the beginning of the scholarship)
• 1 year half-fare public transportation card
• Counseling and various trips, dinners and sigh seeing tours organized for Swiss Government Scholarship holders
General Eligibility Criteria:
•
First class Master degree or equivalent University degree if applying
for PhD studies/research or a First Class Doctoral Degree if applying
for a Postdoctoral research.
•
For PhD studies/research, the candidate should not be more than 35
years old at the moment of the application. For postdoctoral research,
there should not be a gap of more than 5 years between the award of
the PhD and the application deadline.
•
Applicants should be residing in their home country at the moment of
the application. Applicants who are in Switzerland since more than 1
year are not eligible
•
Applicants must provide a letter (e-mail) from a Professor from the
Swiss host institution stating that he/she is willing to supervise the
Research, PhD, or the Postdoctoral reasearch. For PhD studies,
applicants must apply to the chosen Swiss University as well as for
the scholarship.
•
Applicants must have a research proposal including a timeframe (this
is the central piece of the application. The applicant must devote all
required attention to it)
•
Applicants must be in command of the necessary language skills
required for the Research, PhD Studies or the Postdoctoral research.
Application instructions:
Please
see the country-specific webpages for eligibility criteria, application
procedure, deadlines, and contact information specific to your country.
If you fulfill the eligibility requirements, contact the Swiss
diplomatic representation in your country of origin. The diplomatic
representation will provide you with all the necessary information
regarding the procedure including application forms and a list of
required documentation.
The application deadline falls between the end of October and early November 2012, depending on the Swiss Embassy to which the applications have to be submitted.
It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.
Website:
Official Scholarship Website: http://www.sbf.admin.ch/htm/themen/bildung/stipendien/eskas_en.html
