Scholarships to Study in Zurich, Switzerland

Scholarships are available in Zurich, Switzerland for international students from all over the world, including Nigerian students. Zurich is Switzerland’s largest city, and it is home to some of the highest-ranked universities in the country.

If you are interested in getting one of these scholarships in Zurich, we have some options for you to pick from.

If you are interested in studying elsewhere in Europe, check out these other options.

1.      The Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP)

One of Zurich’s leading universities, ETH Zurich, supports excellent Master’s students with the Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP). This scholarship programme supports students with a scholarship, mentorship and a network of the ETH Foundation. The scholarship covers the full study and living costs during the Master’s degree course.

General details

Switzerland’s education system is very selective, right from high school. ETH’s undergraduate programmes are highly competitive and only the very best students pass the rigorous exams in the first years of the Bachelor’s degree programmes. The level of basic education is thus very high and the Master’s degree programmes build on this foundation. Therefore, expect the selection process to be challenging. Generally, students from nationally top-ranked universities who have achieved excellent academic results stand a better chance of being selected.

Selection process

For the start in the academic year 2022/23 there will be assigned approximately 60 ESOP scholarships.

The applications are evaluated by the Admissions Committees of the respective Master’s programmes. The final decision for awarding scholarships in the Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme rests with the Rector of the ETH. The exact number of annual scholarships depends on the availability of funds. The decisions are communicated by end of March.

If you are already enrolled in a Master’s degree programme at ETH Zurich or hold a Master degree, you are not eligible for these scholarships.

Scholarship amount and duration

The Excellence Scholarship/ESOP consists of a scholarship covering living and study expenses (CHF 12’000 per semester) as well as a tuition fee waiver.

ESOP is awarded for the regular duration of the Master’s programme, which is usually three or four semesters. This also applies to the tuition fee waiver.

When to apply

Applications are open from 1 November 2021 and to 15 December 2021

How to apply

ESOP applications are done online. Click here to begin your application. You will need to register and log in before you can start the application process. Carefully go over the information and make sure you supply any requested documents for your Master’s degree.

Eligibility

To be considered for one of the available slots, you must have a very good result in your Bachelor’s degree programme (top 10% of Bachelor’s degree programme = grade A)

Make sure to be reachable under the telephone number specified in your CV as the selection process might include a phone/VC interview in February.

In addition to the documents for the Master’s admission, you will need to upload a pre-proposal for your master thesis.

See specifications here

The pre-proposal for the Master’s thesis must be developed by yourself and use established scientific citation practice.

Plagiarism, negligent or intentional misinformation will lead to exclusion from the admission process or – if discovered later – to the revocation of the admission and of any scholarship.

If your study programme does not ask for references you must name two reference persons for your ESOP application.

Language requirements

Most Master’s degree programmes at ETH Zurich are taught in English; some require knowledge of both English and German, and some are taught in German.

The language skills required for each Master’s degree programme are listed in the section on application documents.

When should language certificates be submitted?

The recognised language certificates listed below must be submitted by the application deadline at the latest.

An application without, invalid or insufficient language certificate will not be forwarded to the department for evaluation but leads to the rejection of your application. Click here to find out more about the language requirements for your application.

2.      The UBS Centre Scholarships

The UBS Centre Scholarships are full scholarships awarded every year by the UBS Centre, the main funding body for top international talent at Zurich University’s Graduate School of Economics. The scholarships are awarded to outstanding university graduates to enable them to take up their doctoral studies at the Graduate School of Economics, run by the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich.

Eligibility and selection criteria

The UBS Centre Scholarships are open to graduates from around the world. They are awarded to candidates on the grounds of outstanding academic merit, and continuing support will be subject to the satisfactory completion of course work. While preference may be given to students whose research plans include areas of interest of the UBS International Centre of Economics in Society, applications from all areas are welcomed.

To be considered for a UBS Centre Scholarship, you must apply for and get admission to the Zurich Graduate School of Economics. Applicants should indicate that they are applying for a UBS Centre Scholarship when they apply for admission to the Zurich Graduate School of Economics.

Scholarship details

The UBS Centre Scholarships are full scholarships, covering living expenses and all fees. Scholarship holders are free to choose their supervisor and have no mandatory duties beyond the completion of the course work and their doctorate. However, the Centre usually encourages students to contribute to departmental teaching because it is in their own interest to acquire good teaching.

Value and duration

The stipend covering living expenses currently stands at CHF 42’500 per year. Scholarships are offered to award holders for a period of four years, subject to the satisfactory completion of course work.

For any questions on the UBS Centre Scholarships, contact the Centre through [email protected]

Also Read: Your Ultimate Checklist of Items for Moving to Canada