Switzerland Scholarships for Sri Lankan Students
Switzerland scholarships for Sri Lankan students offer fully funded and merit-based opportunities for postgraduate and research programmes. Explore the best government and university scholarships, who qualifies, and how to apply.
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship for Sri Lankan Students
Known as ESKAS, this is Switzerland’s main award for international postgraduates, funding PhD and postdoctoral research at any Swiss cantonal university, ETH Zurich, EPFL, or a research institute such as PSI or Empa. It pays a monthly stipend of roughly CHF 1,920 (CHF 3,500 for postdocs), tuition exemption, health insurance, and a return flight home.
You’ll need a completed Master’s degree, a named Swiss professor willing to supervise you, and a strong research proposal, there’s no separate track for a Bachelor’s or taught Master’s. From the 2026–2027 cycle, applications moved fully online through the ESKAS portal instead of via the embassy.
ETH Zurich ESOP Scholarship for International Students
Unlike ESKAS, this one is built for incoming Master’s students rather than researchers. ESOP covers full tuition plus around CHF 12,000 a semester for living costs, and pairs each scholar with a mentor through the ETH Foundation. It’s open to any nationality applying to a Master’s programme at ETH Zurich.
The bar is high: you’ll need to rank in the top 10% of your Bachelor’s class and submit a self-written thesis pre-proposal alongside your Master’s application. The application window is short, typically the first two weeks of November for the following autumn’s intake, so a Sri Lankan applicant needs transcripts and references ready well ahead of time.
University of Geneva Excellence Master Fellowship
This fellowship funds Master of Science students in the Faculty of Science; chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, computer science, and environmental studies among them, with CHF 10,000 to 15,000 a year, renewable for the length of the programme provided your grades hold up. There’s no teaching requirement attached.
It’s decided purely on academic merit rather than financial need, and programmes run in English or a mix of English and French, so Sri Lankan applicants from an English-medium background can apply without needing French first. Applications open once you’ve registered for a relevant Master’s programme, typically opening in the new year.
Top Swiss University Scholarships for Sri Lankan Students
EPFL, the University of Lausanne, the University of Basel, and the University of Bern all run smaller merit-based awards for international Master’s and PhD students, usually tied to a specific faculty rather than the whole university. Amounts and eligibility vary year to year and by subject.
Because these are managed at faculty level rather than centrally, the most reliable approach is checking your shortlisted department’s own funding page once you’ve picked a programme, rather than searching for a single university-wide scholarship that may not exist for your field.
Tuition Fees and Living Costs in Switzerland
Public Swiss universities charge comparatively low tuition to begin with, often CHF 500 to 2,000 a semester regardless of nationality. A full scholarship isn’t always necessary to make a degree affordable. For many Sri Lankan applicants, the bigger cost is living expenses in cities like Zurich or Geneva, which rank among the most expensive in Europe.
That’s why scholarships like ESKAS and ESOP focus on covering a living stipend rather than tuition alone, and why some students choose to self-fund tuition while still applying for smaller grants to offset rent and daily costs.
Switzerland’s scholarships reward strong academic records more than financial need, so a well-prepared application matters as much as the scheme you pick. Campus Abroad’s counselors can help match your profile to the right one. Book a free consultation at campusabroad.lk to get started.
