Geneva Graduate Institute Financial Aid and Scholarships (Master & PhD)

Benefits & funding

• Master scholarship: full or partial, capped at CHF 20,000 per year, across the two-year programme; the second year is renewed on request in April or May of the first year.
• Master tuition: CHF 8,000 per year for non-residents and CHF 5,000 for Swiss residents, with reductions available as part of an aid package.
• Students shortlisted by the Scholarships Office after applying for special or emergency aid may receive priority consideration for on-campus administrative jobs; placement is not guaranteed.
• Roughly 10 to 15 percent of admitted master students receive a full or partial scholarship each year.
• PhD package funded by the Institute: CHF 20,000 per year, paid as CHF 2,000 monthly from September to June, with tuition of CHF 3,000 in year one and CHF 1,000 in each of years two to four.
• PhD work allowance: up to 25 percent of full time during the academic year in years one and two, up to 50 percent in years three and four, and full time over the summer.
• Holders of the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship pay CHF 1,000 per year for three years; that award replaces Institute support in years two to four.
• A Refugee Scholarship is offered alongside the general scheme. The Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada Scholarship for Afghan women ran for 2025/26 but has no call for 2026/27 because funding is limited.
• Special Aid may reduce or waive tuition for the current semester and must be requested on the date published on the intranet; Emergency Aid is considered at any time upon request.

Eligibility

• Open to applicants of every nationality. No age limit and no work-experience requirement are set.
• Master applicants must hold, or obtain before arrival, a bachelor degree from an accredited university; the disciplinary programmes expect prior study in a relevant field, while the interdisciplinary master accepts wider backgrounds.
• PhD applicants must hold, or obtain before arrival, a master degree in a relevant discipline, and submit a thesis proposal plus a master thesis or substantial research paper.
• Aid decisions rest on academic excellence, documented financial need, and available funds; applicants supply proof of income, tax statements, bank statements, and any external scholarship offers.
• Master financial aid is available only to applicants who request it in the 15 January admission round. A request cannot be added after that.
• PhD applicants leave the financial aid fields blank, since support comes with the admission offer.
• English at CEFR C1 is required: TOEFL iBT 100, IELTS Academic 7.0, or Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency at 185 or above. Native speakers and those with a year of full-time university study taught in English are exempt. French is not an admission condition.
• A master scholarship is reduced if the holder’s total annual income passes CHF 32,000. Swiss rules cap term-time work at 15 hours per week, and non-EU students cannot work in their first six months.

Application process

1. 1
   Wait for the portal to open: applications for the September 2027 intake open in October 2026.
2. 2
   Pick a round. 15 October is for PhD applicants going after the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship (fee CHF 100); 15 January covers all programmes (CHF 100); 1 March is master programmes only (CHF 200); 15 April is limited to the MA in Anthropology and Sociology, the MA in International Economics, and the MA in International History and Politics (CHF 300). Every deadline closes at midnight Geneva time.
3. 3
   Master applicants who need money apply in the 15 January round and complete the financial aid part of the same form.
4. 4
   Upload transcripts and diplomas, a motivation letter, and a CV of one to two pages, and give contacts for two or three referees. PhD applicants add a thesis proposal and a research writing sample. Documents go through the portal as PDFs only.
5. 5
   Master aid applicants also upload proof of income, tax statements, bank statements, and any external scholarship offers.
6. 6
   Pay the application fee and validate the submission. Fees are not waived, though payment can be deferred in rare cases.
7. 7
   Follow the decision on the applicant follow-up page: rolling for the October round, by 2 or 16 March for the January round depending on programme, by 2 April for the March round, and by 7 May for the April round.
8. 8
   Master scholarship holders confirm renewal for the second year in April or May.

Program timeline

1. 15 January 2026

   financial aid deadline for the September 2026 intake (closed)

2. October 2026

   applications open for the September 2027 intake

3. deadline for PhD applicants seeking the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship

   15 October 2026

4. main deadline for all programmes and the only round carrying master financial aid

   15 January 2027

5. 2 or 16 March 2027

   admission and aid decisions for the January round, by programme

6. master-only deadline, no financial aid attached

   1 March 2027

7. final deadline for three MA programmes, no financial aid attached

   15 April 2027

8. master and PhD programmes begin

   September 2027