The University of Zurich awards need-based scholarships to students already enrolled in a first Bachelor’s or first Master’s program. The Student Financial Aid Office administers the money, which comes from university foundations, private foundations and donations.
Applications run per semester and are assessed on the applicant’s own means, parental income and assets, and academic progress. The office assigns each successful applicant to one or more foundations whose mission fits the case, so an award can arrive as several payments.
Support is normally non-repayable and can continue in later semesters. It supplements cantonal or home-country aid, which must be requested first.
Benefits & funding
- Non-repayable scholarship calculated to close the gap between the applicant’s own resources and a reference need of about CHF 12,000 per semester for a single person without children.
- Payments may come from more than one foundation; the office matches applicants to foundations by mission, and the applicant cannot choose.
- Own earnings below CHF 6,000 per year are disregarded, and CHF 5,000 of own assets is exempt in the calculation.
- Support can continue in later semesters when finances and academic performance are unchanged; there is no legal entitlement to it.
- Decisions are issued about 8–10 weeks after the deadline.
Eligibility
- Enrolment at UZH in a first Bachelor’s or first Master’s program; doctoral and Advanced Studies (CAS/DAS/MAS) students are excluded.
- Parents’ taxable income of at most CHF 86,000, raised by CHF 6,000 for each additional child in education, and parental net worth of at most CHF 300,000.
- All other sources of funding must already be used, and an application must already be filed with the scholarship office of the parents’ canton of residence or of the home country.
- Good academic results, achieved within a reasonable timeframe.
- International Bachelor’s students may apply after completing the first year with at least 55 ECTS credits, or after the first semester with very good grades.
- Students with protection Status S must hold no completed degree, have earned 55 ECTS credits and reach a grade average of at least 4.5.
- International Master’s students without a Swiss Bachelor’s degree are not supported.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Education required
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Application process
- 1Check the requirements for your degree level on the Financial Support pages and confirm that cantonal or home-country aid has already been requested.
- 2Gather the recent tax returns and latest final tax assessments of yourself and your parents; without a Swiss tax filing, six months of bank statements.
- 3Open the online application portal with your UZH email address during the submission window.
- 4Complete the scholarship form and upload the documents.
- 5Submit by 15 August for the autumn semester or 1 February for the spring semester, then wait 8–10 weeks for the decision.
Program timeline
Autumn-semester application window.
15 June to 15 August each year
Autumn-semester deadline.
15 August each year
Spring-semester application window.
1 December to 1 February each year
Spring-semester deadline.
1 February each year
8–10 weeks after each deadline
Decisions issued.