Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

CHF 2,450 per month for one person, health insurance for non-EU/EFTA holders, a CHF 600 rental deposit grant, a Half-Fare Travelcard and a return flight allowance. Tuition and semester fees are not covered.

Fields: Any field

Citizens of African countries

• For research stays and PhD, you need a master's degree or equivalent finished by 31 July 2027 and must be born after 31 December 1991.
• You must have a Swiss academic supervisor who writes a support letter. You find the supervisor yourself.
• Priority goes to applicants who have not studied or researched in Switzerland before.
• The country list for Africa shows research fellowship and PhD available for Nigeria, and for nearly every African country.

Applications for 2027/28 opened on 20 August 2026 and close by country. For Nigeria the deadline is 27 November 2026 (11:59 pm Swiss time). Other African countries mostly close between 10 and 30 November 2026. Decisions come by the end of May 2027 and study starts 1 September 2027.

Deadlines move a little every year and some close early. Confirm the date on the official page before you plan around it.

• Short CV and motivation letter
• Two to three letters of recommendation
• Research plan of 2 to 3 pages
• Support letter from a professor at a Swiss institution on letterhead
• Admission letter if applying at a doctoral school

1. 1

   Step 1: Check your country row

   Open the Africa country list and find your country's deadline, scholarship types and embassy contact.
2. 2

   Step 2: Find a Swiss supervisor

   Contact professors at eligible Swiss institutions, share a short CV, motivation letter, recommendations and research plan, and secure a support letter.
3. 3

   Step 3: Apply online

   Submit your application through the Grants Online ESKAS system before your country's deadline.
4. 4

   Step 4: Embassy and Swiss selection

   The Swiss embassy forwards your file and SERI reviews profile, project quality and potential for research cooperation.

• Research stays last 6 to 12 months and cannot be extended. PhD awards last 12 months and can be renewed twice up to 36 months based on progress.
• Applying is free. Do not pay anyone claiming to arrange a visa or insurance.

• Start contacting professors now. The support letter takes weeks or months and the secretariat will not find a supervisor for you.
• Treat the Nigerian deadline of 27 November 2026 as fixed and confirm any earlier institutional deadline with your supervisor.
• Budget for tuition and semester fees, which the scholarship does not pay.
• You may submit up to three applications for the same scholarship type according to the FAQ.

Winning the award does not include the visa. Plan your application with our guide for the host country.

• Switzerland student visa

Checked against these official pages on 17 Oct 2026.

• SERI: Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships (opens in a new tab)
• SERI: at a glance (opens in a new tab)
• SERI Africa country list with deadlines (opens in a new tab)
• SERI FAQ (opens in a new tab)