Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for South African Scholars

About The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)
The Department of Higher Education and Training is an establishment that is formed on the basis of providing international opportunities for local students residing in South Africa. DHET believes that studying abroad is a terrific way for local students to expand their horizons and get out of their comfort zones. This is why the department is constantly seeking out for global scholarships that will motivate South African students to further pursue their education in foreign lands.

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship Programme
The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship programme is one of the many scholarships that are made available for future South African PhD/Postdoctoral or Research students who wish to study in Switzerland. Grantees of this scholarship are expected to be individuals who have a passion in the research fields, no matter which are of study they come from.

Grantess of this scholarship will be awarded with an abundance of financial benefits that will definitely support selected candidates during their period of studies. These benefits include:

• All expenses paid tuition
• For Research and PhD Scholars: a monthly stipend of 1,920 Swiss Francs
• For Postdoctoral Scholars: a monthly stipend of 3,500 Swiss Francs
• Coverage for health insurance
• A one-time allowance of CHF 300 to be used for deposit payment of accommodation.

Visit the official DHET website to see more information about this scholarship programme.

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship Requirements
To apply for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship, there are a list of requirements that all candidates must oblige. Failure to meet any one of these requirements might cause candidates to lose their chance withing the applications process. If you don’t meet one of these requirements, you can always try out for another scholarship – just check the DHET website regularly for more scholarship updates.

Below are the requirements for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship programme:

1. Must hold a South African nationality
2. Applicants for the PhD Scholarship programme must have a Master’s degree beforehand, as well be born after December 31st, 1984
3. Applicants for the Postdoctoral Scholarship are required to have a PhD Degree
4. Applicants for Research scholarships are opened for researchers coming from disciplines and Medical Doctors. These are available for Master’s degree holders and are born after December 31st 1984
5. Must be able to provide an admission letter from their host university in Switzerland
6. Include in a well-written research proposal that explains what their future research will be about.

How to Apply
Once you’ve checked whether you’re eligible enough for the programme, it’s time to sign up for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship. Before you start with your applications, please read these instructions carefully to make sure you have a smooth application process:

1. Candidates are required to send in two bundles of application documents – both the original copy and the photocopy
2. A finished research proposal with a maximum of 5 pages. The format of the research proposal must adhere to the standards that have been provided by the application package
3. Fellow PhD candidates are to apply for a Swiss university beforehand (not the responsibility of the scholarship programme.) Once they have been admitted to a Swiss institution, candidates must provide a valid letter of admission and a letter of support from one of their supervisors
4. All candidates are obliged to have a host professor residing in Switzerland. The supervisor will play a crucial role in assisting the candidate’s research or future projects.

Please take note that the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) does not offer this programme – the department only shares information of available scholarships from all around the world for South African students. Therefore, all candidates are responsible in finding further information about the scholarship programme by themselves.

Documents and links
01 Application Guidelines
02 Application Form
03 Research Proposal
04 Application medical certificate form
05 Will you be my supervisor?
Confidential letter of Recommendation
PhD Scholarship information
Research Scholarship information
Postdoctoral Scholarship information

Contact
Inquiries, questions and application documents must be submitted to the following address:
Swiss Embassy 225 Veale Street
0181 New Muckleneuk
E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +27 12 452 0695
Please visit: Desk for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) for more information.

Directorate: International Scholarships, Department of Higher Education and Training
Website: www.internationalscholarships.dhet.gov.za
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +27 (0) 12 312 5372.

Source: Swiss Government; Author: Larxsati; Editor: Melisa; Picture: dhet.gov.za.