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FellowshipCloses 27 Nov 2026 · 77 daysPartially funded

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

Swiss Confederation — Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS), State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation

Swiss government awards for international researchers: research fellowships of 6-12 months and PhD scholarships renewable to 36 months at any Swiss university, paying CHF 2,450 a month. For Ghana the 2027-28 call runs 20 August to 27 November 2026.

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Eligibility

Who can apply
All nationalities
Education required
Masters completed
Age
up to 35 (Applicants must have a 'Date of birth after 31 December 1991', i.e. be no older than 35.)
Fields
Any field of study
Language
The scholarship pages set no single language test. Research is carried out in the working language of the Swiss host institute — English, German, French or Italian — so agree this with your Swiss supervisor. Application documents not in English, French, Italian or German must be accompanied by certified translations.
Residency
Applications are submitted through the Swiss diplomatic representation in the applicant's country of origin. For Ghana this is the Embassy of Switzerland in Ghana, Hilla Limann Hwy / Kenneth Kaunda Rd, North Ridge Area, Accra (accra.scholarshipsbourses@eda.admin.ch).
Also required
  • The scholarship application must be backed by an academic supervisor in Switzerland
  • A Master's degree or equivalent must be completed by 31 July 2027 (30 June 2027 for ETH Zurich)
  • The programme is open to applicants from 183 countries; the available scholarship types and the deadline differ by country, and for Ghana the types offered are Research Fellowship and PhD
  • Art scholarships, for an initial Master's in an artistic field, are available to a limited number of countries only
  • Applying for a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship is free of charge

About this opportunity

The Swiss Confederation awards Government Excellence Scholarships (often called ESKAS) to encourage international exchange and research cooperation between Switzerland and more than 180 other countries. Two types are open to applicants from Ghana for the 2027-2028 academic year: the research fellowship, for postgraduate researchers who want to carry out research at a Swiss university, university of applied sciences, ETH Zurich, EPFL or an ETH Domain research institute; and the PhD scholarship. Art scholarships exist but are open to a limited number of countries only. The scholarship year starts 1 September 2027.

The grant pays CHF 2,450 a month to cover basic living expenses for one person, a one-time CHF 600 grant towards a rental deposit, a Half-Fare Travelcard for public transport, health insurance for non-EU/EFTA scholars and a country-based return flight allowance. It does not pay tuition: Swiss universities may charge CHF 600 to CHF 2,000 per semester and scholars bear that cost themselves, so budget for it. A research fellowship runs a minimum of six and a maximum of twelve months with no extension; a PhD scholarship runs twelve months and is renewable twice, up to 36 months, subject to academic progress.

The hard prerequisite is a Swiss academic host: the application must be backed by an academic supervisor in Switzerland, so start writing to potential supervisors months before the deadline. Applicants need a Master's degree or equivalent completed by 31 July 2027 (30 June 2027 for ETH Zurich) and must have been born after 31 December 1991. Applications are managed by the Swiss representation in the applicant's country — for Ghana that is the Embassy of Switzerland in Accra, and the country-specific deadline is 27 November 2026. The Federal Commission for Scholarships evaluates the candidate profile, the research quality and the scientific collaboration potential, and announces decisions by 31 May.

Level
PhD, Postdoc
Where
Switzerland
Duration
Research fellowship: 6 to 12 months, no extension. PhD scholarship: 12 months, renewable twice for up to 36 months.
Difficulty
Very high · about 12 weeks to prepare

Funding

Partially funded

  • stipend
  • health insurance
  • travel
  • accommodation

CHF 2,450 per month to cover basic living expenses for one person; a one-time grant of CHF 600 for a rental deposit; a Half-Fare Travelcard for public transport; health insurance covered for non-EU/EFTA scholars; and a return flight allowance, set by country, for non-EU/EFTA scholars, usable up to two months after the scholarship ends. Tuition is not covered — Swiss universities may charge CHF 600 to CHF 2,000 per semester and scholars bear these costs.

What you will need

  • Research proposal
  • CV / résumé
  • Degree certificate

The scholarship pages confirm that the application must carry a written backing from an academic supervisor in Switzerland and that documents not in English, French, Italian or German need certified translations. The full document checklist is published in the country-specific call issued by the Embassy of Switzerland in Accra — request it from accra.scholarshipsbourses@eda.admin.ch rather than relying on third-party lists.

Track this application and eStudent360 turns the list into a checklist and, with Plus, a dated plan that works back from the deadline.