«Pecunia» one-time loan — Bachelor's Scholarship

«Pecunia» is a one-time loan for students enrolled at the University of Zurich who face a single large expense — a rental deposit, a replacement laptop, the cost of a semester abroad. The money comes from the Stiftung studentische Darlehen Universität Zürich, a student-run loan foundation set up in 1979, and the university’s Student Financial Aid Office handles the applications.

It is deliberately the simplest route the office offers. Parents’ income and assets are not examined, no academic record is reviewed, and the only attachment is an extract from the debt collection register.

The loan is repayable. It carries no interest while you study and for a year after you finish, then 1% a year, with the balance due within five years of completing or leaving your degree.

Benefits & funding

A single loan of at least CHF 1,000 and at most CHF 4,000, usable for any purpose.
No interest during your studies and for the first year after you complete or leave your degree.
1% annual interest from the second year after completion; the foundation puts the total interest on a CHF 4,000 loan at under CHF 100.
Repayment runs for a maximum of five years after completion.
The loan can be held alongside a regular UZH loan, within the combined ceiling of CHF 36,000 per person (CHF 24,000 for Bachelor’s students).

Eligibility

You must be enrolled at the University of Zurich in a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.
You must be a Swiss citizen or hold a Swiss C permanent residence permit; students on other permits are not eligible for this loan.
Doctoral candidates and Advanced Studies (CAS/DAS/MAS) students are not supported by the Student Financial Aid Office.
Your parents’ financial situation is not assessed, and no income or asset ceiling applies.
You may receive a «Pecunia» loan only once during your entire time at UZH.

Can you apply?

Here's who can apply

Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.

Residence required
Switzerland
Education required
Bachelor Enrolled · Master Enrolled

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Application process

1
Order an extract from the debt collection register; it must be no more than three months old when you apply.
2
Sign in to the Student Financial Aid Office online portal with your UZH email address.
3
Complete the «Pecunia» form and state the one-off expense you need the money for.
4
Upload the debt collection register extract — it is the only attachment required.
5
Submit at any point in the year; there is no deadline window for this loan.
6
Wait for the decision, which the office sends within two weeks, and arrange payout and repayment with the office.

Program timeline

Any time of year
Applications open via the Student Financial Aid Office portal.
Within 6–8 working days
Decision usually communicated, at the latest within two weeks.
During studies and the first year after completion
No interest charged.
From the second year after completion
1% annual interest applies.
Within five years of completion
Loan repaid in full.