Quick Eligibility Checker
Answer 7 questions. Yes means you pass that published cutoff. This is a planning tool, not an official SBFI decision.
1. Master's (or arts Bachelor) will be completed by 31 Jul 2027 (ETH 30 Jun)?
2. Born after 31 Dec 1991?
3. Research/PhD: a Swiss supervisor will write a support letter? (arts Master's can Yes if not research)
4. Will you have spent 13 months or less in Switzerland before 1 Sep 2027? (Yes = not over 13 months)
5. Have you NEVER received this FCS/ESKAS scholarship before?
6. Is this your 1st, 2nd, or 3rd attempt (not a 4th)?
7. Are you applying for research/PhD/arts Master — NOT a postdoc?
You meet these published cutoffs
You pass the 7 planning checks. Next: confirm your country type and window on SBFI, then start the GO ESKAS file.
You may not be eligible on these rules
One or more published exclusions may apply (including postdocs, which are discontinued for 2027/28). Read the details below and confirm on SBFI.
This is a planning tool, not an official SBFI decision. FCS screens nationality, country type, completeness, and your file. Confirm the current wording on the Confederation site.
The 2027–28 baseline
FCS screens on nationality (your country must be on the 183-country list with a type you can actually request), academic level, age, a Swiss supervisor for research and PhD tracks, and how long you have already been in Switzerland. These are cutoffs, not suggestions.
Your country page on SBFI also decides whether you may request a research stay, a PhD, and/or an Art Master's. Art awards are not worldwide. If the official country list does not show an art scholarship for your origin, that track is closed to you.
Research and PhD tracks need a Master's or equivalent by that date. ETH Zurich uses 30 June 2027. Art applicants need a Bachelor or equivalent by 31 July 2027 and must not already hold a Master's when the award starts.
SBFI states the maximum age as 35 for this cycle. If your birthday is on or before 31 December 1991, you are outside the published window.
A professor or laboratory group leader in Switzerland must endorse the project. For a PhD, that person must be authorised to supervise doctoral theses. Files without a supervisor are not considered — including graduate-school cases.
Your date of entry must not be earlier than 1 August 2026. Submit a copy of the registration confirmation or residence permit. Priority still goes to people who have not already studied or researched in Switzerland.
Three tracks, three different jobs
Research fellowship
A full-time research stay of at most 12 months (minimum 6). No extension. Aimed at early-career researchers, including young medical doctors, who are pursuing a PhD in a country other than Switzerland. Start: 1 September 2027.
PhD scholarship
Full-time doctorate in Switzerland. 12 months, renewable twice up to 36 months if academic progress in the first year is acceptable. A supervisor letter is required. An admission letter is required for doctoral schools; an individual doctorate does not need admission at application time.
Art Master's
First Master's only, at a Swiss art school or conservatory, and only for selected countries. 12 months, extendable to 21 months depending on the programme and ECTS. You need admission, a conditional admission, or proof that the admission window has not opened yet.
Hard exclusions
FCS publishes these as exclusion criteria. One of them is enough to stop the file.
Cotutelle doctorates (a formal agreement between a Swiss and a foreign university) are only eligible for a 12-month research fellowship, not the renewable PhD scholarship.
What is no longer available
Postdoctoral scholarships are not awarded from 2027/28. The Federal Council changed the ordinance on 19 November 2025, raised the monthly contribution to CHF 2,450 from 1 January 2026, and cut the number of awards to keep the budget still. If your plan was a Swiss postdoc on this scheme, this cycle will not fund it. FCS does not offer an alternative federal grant; SBFI points people to Study in Switzerland for other options.
Confirm the current wording on the at-a-glance page and the official FAQ.