Mistakes That Get ESKAS Files Thrown Out
Exclusions are mechanical. A fourth attempt, a missing letter or a postdoc request never reaches the science panel.
ScholarshipUnion Editorial
2 min read
Updated Oct 6, 2026
How files die before anyone reads the science
Most failed ESKAS files never reach a scientific debate. They trip an exclusion, miss a country window, or ask for a postdoc that no longer exists. These are the patterns we see against the 2027–28 rules.
Mistakes before the portal
1. Opening GO ESKAS before you have a supervisor
A research or PhD file without a named Swiss supervisor and letter is excluded. The portal being open since 20 August 2026 does not change that. Start the professor search first.
2. Inventing a global close date
There is no single worldwide deadline. Close dates run from 6 October to 30 November 2026. Copying another country's 30 November date when yours is 31 October (Pakistan) or 10 November (India) is how people miss their own cut-off. Check your line on the SBFI A–Z list.
3. Applying for a postdoc
Postdoctoral scholarships are discontinued from 2027/28. Old PDFs and aggregator pages are wrong. The remaining tracks are research stay, PhD, and (for some countries) a first Art Master's.
Mistakes inside the file
4. Two proposals, two hosts, or two types at once
Multiple simultaneous applications and more than one research proposal are published exclusions. Pick one project and one Swiss host.
5. Treating PhD admission and ESKAS as the same form
They are separate. Doctoral-school applicants who skip the admission letter fail. Applicants who cannot contact a supervisor before school admission cannot use this scholarship on that route.
6. Already in Switzerland too long
If you have been living, studying, or working in Switzerland for more than 13 months before the 1 September 2027 start, you are out. If you already reside in Switzerland, entry cannot be earlier than 1 August 2026.
7. A fourth attempt
Three applications for the same type are the maximum. The fourth is excluded automatically. Do not burn an attempt on an incomplete file.
Money and process mistakes
8. Paying a “visa fee” to a stranger
The application is free. SBFI warns about phishing that uses the Swiss Government Scholarship name. FCS will not ask you to wire money to apply.
9. Budgeting as if CHF 2,450 were a Zurich salary
It is living expenses for one person. No family allowance, no conference pot, no guaranteed tuition waiver. See funding.
10. Sending the file by email
SBFI is clear: applications go only through GO ESKAS. Email and paper are not accepted.
Exclusion list: at a glance. Full rules: eligibility.