ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship 2027: Fully Funded Master's in Switzerland

The ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship 2027 is one of the best-funded master's awards in Europe, and the application window opens on 1 November 2026. ETH Zurich plans to award about 60 places for the 2027/28 academic year, each covering living costs and tuition for the full length of a master's degree in Switzerland.

The award is formally called the Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP). It is open to applicants with a bachelor's degree from any country, so students from Africa and elsewhere compete on the same terms as Swiss graduates.

What the ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship 2027 offers

ETH says the scholarship covers the full study and living costs of a master's course. In practice that means:

• A grant of CHF 13,500 per semester for students starting from autumn semester 2027 (up from CHF 12,000).
• A full tuition fee waiver.
• Funding for the regular length of your programme, which is three or four semesters, paid in three or four instalments.
• Mentoring and access to the network of the ETH Foundation.

You may also hold a teaching or research assistantship alongside the award, as long as your studies do not suffer. The grant is tied to the programme you applied for and cannot be moved to a different master's later.

Who can apply

ETH sets a high academic bar and a few firm rules. You are eligible if:

• Your bachelor's results place you in roughly the top 10% of your programme (grade A). This is based on your own assessment, so be honest.
• You are not already enrolled in an ETH master's programme and do not already hold a master's degree.
• You submit your application in the first (international) application window.
• You can be reached by phone or video call during selection, which may include an interview in February.

The scholarship is for ETH master's programmes only. MAS (Master of Advanced Studies) courses are not included.

Key dates

• Application window: 1 to 30 November 2026.
• Closing time: 11:59 a.m. Central European Time on 30 November 2026. That is midday, not midnight.
• Possible interviews: February 2027.
• Results: end of March 2027.
• Studies begin: autumn semester 2027.

Applicants with a bachelor's degree from outside Switzerland must use this November window anyway. The April window is for Swiss bachelor's holders only, and there is no spring intake for new students.

Documents you will need

The scholarship application sits inside your normal ETH master's application, so you prepare one file with a few extra pieces:

• All the standard documents for your chosen master's programme, such as transcripts and degree certificates.
• A thesis pre-proposal that you wrote yourself, following proper scientific citation practice. ETH publishes guidelines for it as a PDF on the scholarship page.
• Two reference letters from professors, if your programme does not already ask for references. You enter their details and the system emails them after you apply.
• Proof of English (or German) ability where your programme requires it.

How to apply, step by step

1. Choose your ETH master's programme and read its own admission requirements and language rules.
2. Check your bachelor's ranking honestly against the top 10% requirement.
3. Download the pre-proposal guidelines from the ESOP page and draft your proposal early, ideally with feedback from a supervisor.
4. Contact two professors in October so they are ready to upload references once the system emails them.
5. From 1 November 2026, log in to ETH eApply, start your master's application and indicate that you are applying for ESOP.
6. Upload every document and submit well before 11:59 a.m. CET on 30 November 2026. Late or incomplete files are not processed.
7. Keep your phone and email active through February in case you are invited to interview.

Tips for a stronger application

The pre-proposal is where most candidates separate themselves. Pick a question that fits a real research group at ETH, name the methods you would use and show you have read recent work in the field. A focused, specific proposal beats a long, vague essay.

Ask referees who know your research or project work well, even if they are not the most senior names in your department. A detailed letter from a supervisor carries more weight than a short note from a dean.

If your programme needs an English test, book it now so the result arrives before the deadline. Our list of free IELTS preparation books and study guides can help you prepare without spending money.

Finally, submit a few days early. The cut-off is midday on a Monday, and a last-minute upload problem is hard to fix in time.

Contact

Questions go to the ETH Zurich Financial Aid Office, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zurich (phone +41 44 632 20 23 or +41 44 632 20 88). Always confirm the latest details on the official ETH scholarship page before you submit.