Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2027–2028 for Africans: Deadlines by Country, Eligibility and How to Apply

Each year the Swiss government funds early-career researchers to do research or a PhD at a Swiss university. For 2027–2028 the programme is open to applicants from 183 countries, including almost every African country. Applications opened on 20 August 2026, and most African deadlines fall in November 2026.

Below: who can apply, what it pays (and does not), each African country’s deadline, and how to build an application that passes the first check. Everything comes from the official pages of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and the FCS country list dated 26 October 2026.

What the scholarship is (and is not)

This is a research scholarship. It is not for bachelor’s or master’s study. For African applicants there are two types:

• Research Fellowship: for people already doing a PhD in their home country (or elsewhere outside Switzerland) who want to spend between 6 and 12 months doing part of that research at a Swiss institution. It cannot be extended.
• PhD scholarship: for people who want to do a full PhD in Switzerland. It is awarded for 12 months and can be renewed twice, up to 36 months, if you make good academic progress.

Art scholarships are not offered to any African country, and from 2027/28 there are no postdoctoral scholarships. The monthly rate rose to CHF 2,450 from 1 January 2026, so fewer awards are available.

Deadlines for African countries (2027–2028 round)

Every country has its own deadline, and applications are submitted to the Swiss embassy or office that covers your country. The table below comes from the official FCS list of countries dated 26 October 2026. All deadlines are 11:59 PM Swiss local time.

For every African country on the list, the available types are Research Fellowship and PhD. Open the official PDF and find your own country before you start. It gives the contact email and address of the embassy handling your file, and some countries have extra conditions in the last column. Cameroon, for example, has specific notes for medical doctors. If your country is not in the table, check the PDF itself. Do not assume you are eligible.

Who can apply: eligibility in plain English

To be eligible for a Research Fellowship or a PhD scholarship starting on 1 September 2027, you must:

1. Have a master’s degree or equivalent, completed by 31 July 2027. If your host is ETH Zurich, the cut-off is 30 June 2027. A bachelor’s degree alone is not enough.
2. Be born after 31 December 1991. In practice, if you were born on or before that date you cannot apply.
3. Have a supervisor in Switzerland: a professor or lab group leader at an eligible Swiss institution who agrees to guide your research and writes you a letter of support. For a PhD scholarship, that person must be allowed to supervise doctoral theses. Applications without a supervisor’s letter are not considered.
4. Have a detailed research plan with a timeline and milestones.
5. Not already be living in Switzerland, unless you arrived on or after 1 August 2026.

Priority goes to people who have not studied or done research in Switzerland before. You also cannot apply if you have already held a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship, or if you have already applied three times without success.

Where you can do your research

Any Swiss cantonal university, university of applied sciences, ETH Zurich or EPFL, the four ETH Domain research institutes (PSI, WSL, Empa, Eawag) and the Graduate Institute in Geneva (IHEID).

What the scholarship pays, and what you must pay yourself

Covered by the scholarship:

• CHF 2,450 per month for the living costs of one person. This is a scholarship, not a salary.
• Compulsory health insurance premiums, for scholarship holders from non-EU/EFTA countries (this includes all African applicants).
• A one-time grant of CHF 600 towards a rental deposit.
• A Half-Fare Travelcard for Swiss public transport.
• A return flight allowance (the amount depends on your country of origin).

Not covered. Budget for these:

• Tuition and semester fees. Some institutions charge semester fees of roughly CHF 600 to CHF 2,000 per semester, and some do not waive PhD fees.
• Conference travel and fieldwork costs.
• Any costs for family members. The scholarship covers one person, there are no family allowances, and the official page says permits for accompanying family are currently granted restrictively.

Some universities (including EPFL, ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich) require the supervisor to add top-up funding. Ask early.

How to apply, step by step

1. Check your country’s deadline and scholarship types in the official A–Z country list on the SERI page.
2. Find a supervisor in Switzerland. This is your job alone. The FCS and the universities will not do it for you. Search university department pages for professors working on your exact topic, and allow weeks or months for replies.
3. Write to the professor properly. The official FAQ suggests sending a short CV, a motivation letter, two or three recommendation letters and a 2–3 page research plan, and saying you plan to apply for this scholarship.
4. Agree the research project with your supervisor and get their signed letter of support on official letterhead, plus their short CV (maximum 2 pages).
5. If your host has a doctoral school that admits students before assigning a supervisor, you must also include proof of admission to that doctoral school. If you will work directly under a supervisor, no admission letter is needed at the application stage.
6. Register on GO ESKAS, the official online system linked from the SERI page, and prepare your application there. Download the FCS research proposal form inside the system.
7. Enter the email addresses of two professors who will write your recommendations. The system contacts them and they upload their letters on the FCS form.
8. Upload everything and submit before your country’s deadline. Do not send your application by email or on paper.

Documents you will need

• A full CV: education, degrees, awards, positions, publications, teaching and practical experience
• A motivation letter (maximum 2 pages): why Switzerland, and how this fits your career plans
• A research proposal on the FCS form (maximum 5 pages, including a summary for non-specialists) with a timeline and milestones
• The letter of support from your Swiss supervisor, plus their short CV (maximum 2 pages)
• For Research Fellowships: a short CV of your supervisor at your home university
• For PhD scholarships at graduate schools only: confirmation of admission
• Copies of certificates and transcripts. If they are not in English, French, Italian or German, include certified translations
• A copy of your passport (dual citizens: both passports)

Practical tips from reading the rules closely

• Treat the supervisor search as the real deadline. With no supervisor yet and a 27 November deadline, start emailing professors this week. Three well-matched, specific emails beat 50 generic ones. The FAQ notes professors get many requests and are advised to back only 1–2 candidates a year.
• Write the summary for non-specialists carefully. State the problem, why it matters (ideally for your home country), and what you will produce in 12 or 36 months.
• Show the “synergies”. One of the three selection criteria is potential for future research cooperation. Explain how the project links your home institution with your Swiss host, and what continues after the scholarship ends.
• Brief your two recommenders early, and remind them a week before your deadline.
• Do the money maths now. Ask the host what semester fees apply and whether top-up funding is needed. CHF 2,450 is meant for one person.
• Plan beyond 36 months. The official FAQ says supervisors are expected to help with funding if the doctorate runs past the scholarship (by at most 1–2 years).

Common mistakes that get applications rejected

• Applying with only a bachelor’s degree, or for a master’s programme. This scholarship does not fund master’s study.
• Submitting without the Swiss supervisor’s letter of support. This is an automatic exclusion.
• Applying to several host universities or for more than one scholarship type at the same time. That is grounds for exclusion. Submit one application with one research project.
• Uploading transcripts in a language other than English, French, Italian or German without certified translations.
• Missing your own country’s deadline because you read a different country’s date. Deadlines in Africa range from October to 30 November.
• Paying anyone who offers a “Swiss Government Scholarship” by email or on social media. SERI warns that fake offers ask for money for “visa” or “insurance” costs. Applying is free.

After you apply

The FCS judges three things: your profile, the quality of the project, and the potential for future research cooperation. It says the FCS announces its award decisions by the end of May at the latest. For this round, that means by the end of May 2027 for a 1 September 2027 start. Scholarships for 2028–2029 will be advertised from August 2027.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use this scholarship for a master’s degree in Switzerland?

No. For African applicants the scholarship covers only research fellowships and PhDs, and you need a master’s degree (completed by 31 July 2027) to apply.

Where do I apply?

Only online through GO ESKAS, linked from the official SERI page. Applications are sent through the Swiss representation responsible for your country. Do not post paper copies or send email applications.

Can the Swiss embassy or the FCS find me a supervisor?

No. The official FAQ is clear that applicants must find their own supervisor, and neither the ESKAS secretariat nor the universities will do it for you.

I am already doing a PhD in Nigeria/Kenya/Ghana. Which type should I choose?

The Research Fellowship is designed for you: up to 12 months in Switzerland as part of a PhD you are doing elsewhere. If your PhD is a formal joint (cotutelle) arrangement between a Swiss and a foreign university, the rules say you can only get the 12-month research fellowship.

Related opportunities on OpportunityHanger

• Mastercard Foundation Scholarship at Sciences Po 2027, for fully funded master’s study in Paris
• Chevening Scholarships: 2027/2028 timeline and eligibility
• Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship (Embassy Recommendation) guide, which includes a research route

Official sources checked on 30 October 2026:

• SERI: Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2027–2028
• SERI: Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships at a glance (eligibility, documents, benefits)
• FCS A–Z list of countries and territories with deadlines (26 October 2026, PDF)
• SERI: FAQ for applicants and academic supervisors

Disclaimer: OpportunityHanger is an independent information website. We are not the Swiss Government, SERI or the FCS, we do not select scholarship holders, and we never charge any fee. Rules and dates can change, so always confirm the details on the official pages above before you apply.