ESKAS - Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships (ESKAS) provide international postgraduate students the opportunity to continue their studies or research at a public or state-accredited university in Switzerland.

All necessary information is available in the expanders below. By clicking on the "+"-sign, you will receive the specific information.

Application requirements

International students already holding a Master's or Ph.D. degree in any field of study are eligible for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships.

Study tracks
To see whether your track or field of study is eligible for the scholarship at the University of St.Gallen, please refer to the information on the website of Swiss universities. Please see the website of the State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI) to determine which scholarships are available for your home country.

Application procedure ESKAS scholarship and research stay

Please read the information on the SBFI website first, and contact the Swiss Embassy in your home country regarding documents and deadlines.

Applicants for the ESKAS scholarship research stay must search for an academic supervisor independently. If you contact a professor you must include your CV and a research proposal (two to three A4 pages). Competition for the Swiss Government Excellence scholarships is high. Research projects are expected to be of excellent content and quality.

To find an academic supervisor please see the websites of the Institutes and Centers at the University of St.Gallen.

Application procedure ESKAS scholarship and regular Ph.D. degree studies

The procedure for applying for a Swiss Government Excellence scholarship and the procedure for applying for a Ph.D. degree at the University of St.Gallen are two different and independent processes.

Procedure Ph.D. application
It is important to keep in mind the application deadline for admission to a Ph.D. programme. Enrollment deadline for Ph.D. programmes beginning in autumn is
February 1 - April 30. The federal scholarship selection meetings are held in March and May. It is therefore strongly recommended that you apply for admission to the Ph.D. programme already before knowing if you have been selected for a scholarship. In order to avoid confusion, please read the link "Ph.D. studies at the University of St.Gallen" carefully before contacting the admission's office.
Please note that Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are only offered for Ph.D. programmes starting in autumn.

For all questions concerning the admission to a Ph.D. programme (e.g. for a pre-assessment) please write to: admissions@unisg.ch
If you would like to get an unbinding pre-assessment from our admission's office, please attach the following documents:

•   Transcripts of records (Bachelor's and Master's degree, in English)
•   Diplomas in English
•   A short CV in English

Please note that acceptance to one does not mean acceptance to the other. In other words, while the scholarship committee may select you for a scholarship, the University of St.Gallen may not accept you to the Ph.D. programme or vice versa.

Procedure ESKAS application
Applicants for the ESKAS scholarship Ph.D. studies must search for an academic supervisor independently. If you contact a professor you must include your CV and a research proposal (two to three A4 pages). Competition for the Swiss Government Excellence scholarships is high. Research projects are expected to be of excellent content and quality.

To find an academic supervisor please see the websites of the Institutes and Centres at the University of St.Gallen.