Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for foreign researchers and artists

International students already holding a Master's or PhD degree in any field of study are eligible for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships in Switzerland.

Study tracks

To find out at which Swiss university your track or field of study is offered, please read the information on Accredited Swiss Higher Education Institutions - swissuniversities.

To see if the University of St.Gallen offers the study programme that you are specialised in, please refer to Schools of the University of St.Gallen (HSG) | unisg.ch.
Please see State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI) to determine which scholarships are available for your home country.

Please read the information on the SBFI website first, and contact the Swiss embassy in your home country regarding documents and deadlines.

Applicants for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships research stay must search for an academic supervisor independently. Make direct contact with a professor whose expertise is exactly in your research field, you must include your CV and a research proposal (two to three A4 pages). Competition for the Swiss Government Excellence scholarships is high. Research projects are expected to be of excellent content and quality.

To find an academic supervisor, please visit the websites of the institutes and schools at the University of St.Gallen.

The procedure for applying for a Swiss Government Excellence scholarship and the procedure for applying for admission to a PhD degree programme at the University of St.Gallen are two different and independent processes.

PhD application

It is important to keep in mind the application deadline for admission to a PhD programme. Enrollment deadline for PhD programmes beginning in autumn is February 1 - April 30. The federal scholarship selection meetings are held in March and May. It is therefore strongly recommended that you apply for admission to your chosen PhD programme even before knowing if you have been selected for a scholarship. In order to avoid confusion, please read the information available at Doctoral Studies at University of St. Gallen join the PhD Programme carefully before contacting the admissions office.
Please note that Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are only available for PhD programmes starting in autumn.


For all questions concerning the admission to a PhD programme (e.g. for a pre-assessment), please write to: admissions@unisg.ch
If you would like to get a non-binding pre-assessment from our admissions office, please attach the following documents:


•    Transcripts of records (bachelor's and master's degree, in English)
•    Diplomas in English
•    A short CV in English

Please note that while the scholarship selection committee may select you for a scholarship, the University of St.Gallen may not accept you to the PhD programme or vice versa. 

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship application

Applicants for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship PhD studies must search for an academic supervisor independently. If you contact a professor, you must include your CV and a research proposal (two to three A4 pages). Competition for the Swiss Government Excellence scholarships is high. Research projects are expected to be of excellent content and quality.

To find an academic supervisor, please visit the websites of the Institutes and schools of the University of St.Gallen.