Swiss Excellence Scholarship FAQ 2027/28

You can. FCS says neither the ESKAS secretariat nor the universities will do it. Use university websites and contacts at your home institution, and allow weeks or months. See how to find a supervisor.

No. The cycle opened on 20 August 2026, but each country has its own window. SBFI’s country list puts close dates between 6 October and 30 November 2026, at 11:59 pm Swiss time. Some countries opened later, and ten (including Canada, France and Spain) have no offer. Check your line on the SBFI A–Z list. Examples are on the deadlines page.

No. From 2027/28, postdoctoral scholarships are no longer awarded. The monthly amount rose to CHF 2,450 from 1 January 2026; the Confederation reduced the number of awards and dropped the postdoc track.

A maximum of three applications for the same type. A fourth attempt after three failures is an exclusion.

For an individual doctorate you need a supervisor support letter, not an admission letter, at application time. For a doctoral school, admission is required in addition to the support letter. If the school blocks supervisor contact before admission, FCS says you cannot apply on that route.

Art scholarships exist only for selected countries. If your origin is not on that list, FCS does not offer a substitute federal grant.

No. SBFI says it covers basic living expenses for one person and is not a salary. It must not be treated as regular remuneration. Tuition, conferences, and family costs are separate.

By the end of May 2027 at the latest, for the academic year that starts on 1 September 2027. The 2028–29 call will be advertised from August 2027.

No. GO ESKAS only. Access is linked from the official at-a-glance page. The application is free of charge.

SBFI lists sgs@sbfi.admin.ch. For country windows and how your representation receives files, start with the official programme page and your Swiss embassy.