A research award, not a generic Master's grant
Each year the Swiss Confederation awards Government Excellence Scholarships to support exchange and research cooperation with 183 countries. The awarding body is the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students — FCS in English, ESKAS in German. The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI) publishes the call.
The programme is aimed at talented early-career researchers who already hold a Master's. The main tracks are a research fellowship (usually a one-year research stay) and a PhD scholarship. A smaller Art Master's track exists for a first artistic Master's — and only for a limited list of countries. From the 2027/28 academic year, postdoctoral scholarships are discontinued.
This is not a portal you fill in over a weekend. Almost every research or PhD file needs a Swiss academic supervisor who will write a letter of support. FCS is explicit: finding that professor is your job, the search can take weeks or months, and a PhD admission at a Swiss university is a separate procedure from the ESKAS application.
The monthly amount is CHF 2,450 for one person's living expenses. SBFI states plainly that it is not a salary and must not be treated as one. Zurich and Geneva are among the most expensive cities in Europe. Read the funding page before you budget a family move that this award does not support.
The step most people get backwards
Applicants treat GO ESKAS like a general scholarship form and look for a professor after they upload a PDF. FCS will not consider a research or PhD file without a Swiss supervisor and that supervisor's letter. Start with the person, then the portal.
What this handbook covers
Eleven pages, including a combined planning checklist. Start with eligibility and the supervisor search. Do not assume your country is still open because the cycle started on 20 August 2026.
Eligibility
Master's by 31 July 2027 (ETH Zurich 30 June), born after 31 December 1991, and the hard exclusions FCS actually uses.
How to Apply
GO ESKAS only. No email, no paper. Country windows sit with Swiss representations, not a single global inbox.
Deadlines
Open from 20 August 2026. Close dates differ by country. Start date is 1 September 2027. Decisions by the end of May.
Documents
CV, two-page motivation, five-page FCS research form, supervisor letter, two referee emails, and certified translations.
Funding
CHF 2,450 is living money for one person. Tuition, conferences, and family costs are not built into that figure.
Find a Supervisor
How to write a professor who already receives too many cold emails — and what that letter of support must contain.
Common Mistakes
Incomplete files, two proposals, a fourth attempt, or applying for a postdoc that no longer exists.
FAQ
Official FCS answers on doctoral schools, three-attempt limits, and why art awards are not worldwide.
After Selection
May decisions, September arrival, residence in the host canton, and the visa/permit work that is not automatic.
Checklist
One planning tracker for eligibility, documents, GO ESKAS steps, supervisor search, and post-selection. Not an SBFI decision.
Official SBFI list
Country types and country close dates. If this handbook and SBFI disagree, SBFI wins.
Three things listing sites get wrong
There is no global deadline
The cycle opened on 20 August 2026. Each country has its own close date. Poland, for example, has been published on NAWA as 15 September–30 November 2026. That is one country, not a worldwide rule. Check yours on SBFI.
Postdocs are gone
On 19 November 2025 the Federal Council raised the monthly amount to CHF 2,450 from 1 January 2026. To hold costs, postdoctoral awards end from 2027/28. A leftover blog post about Swiss postdocs is out of date.
The application is free
SBFI warns against fake emails and social posts that ask for visa or insurance money. FCS will not ask you to pay to apply. Never transfer money to someone using this scholarship's name.
Official facts for 2027–28
Official pages: programme, at a glance, FAQ. Questions to FCS: [email protected].
Start with the hard filters
Age, degree date, time already spent in Switzerland, and whether a supervisor will sign. If those fail, GO ESKAS will not save the file.
Check Eligibility