Finding scholarships

First of all, try getting some type of financial aid in your own country. This is the most typical type of financial aid. Contact the authorities in your country for information.
Citizens of the European Union are eligible for some financial aid through Erasmus/Socrates. Contact your university for more information.

• Swiss government scholarships
The Swiss Government offers a certain number of scholarships to foreign students wishing to study in Switzerland. Consult their Web site for further information: http://www.admin.ch/bbw/e/bildung/eskas.html

These scholarships are managed by the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS). These are given exclusively to postgraduate students who wish to continue their studies in a university or federal institute of technology. They are granted from a list established in the autumn each year that indicates the countries benefiting from scholarships available from the Swiss Confederation.

The scholarships are awarded exclusively to candidates who already have university degrees in their own countries. Requests are addressed to the Swiss diplomatic representative in your country of origin or to another appropriate national organizations concerned with scholarships.
You are strongly advised to inquire about these scholarships a year in advance.
These scholarships are offered for one academic year of nine months.
Conditions for applying: Candidates must be able to prove their abilities and have a precise educational objective. They must attach a detailed plan of studies or research.
At the time of application, candidates should know all the possibilities for study in Swiss universities. They should also have information on career opportunities in their own countries once studies are completed.
Before applying, candidates must know that their plans of study or research projects are feasible at the chosen Swiss universities. If possible, candidates should contact professors or deans of graduate studies in Switzerland beforehand, including copies of diplomas with grades, detailed plans of study, and CV's.
Candidates applying in the framework of cooperation between universities in their countries of origin and Swiss universities get priority.
Applications from candidates already residing in Switzerland do not get priority.
Candidates cannot be more than 35 years old. To be eligible for the academic year 2001-2002, your date of birth must be January 1, 1966 or later.
Candidates must have a sufficient knowledge of the language of instruction in order to clearly benefit from studies in Switzerland.
The Swiss diplomatic representatives will evaluate linguistic ability. In case of doubt, scholarships may be conditionally awarded pending completion of an intensive language course at Fribourg from mid-July to mid-October (with the scholarship covering the cost). Candidates with the "DELF 2" certificate from the Alliance Française or an equivalent diploma are exempt from this course in French-speaking areas.
Recipients must live in Switzerland (in the location of studies) and pledge to follow the instructions of the FCS as well as the regulations concerning the residency of foreigners in Switzerland. The relocation of families is usually not possible.
Before accepting the award, recipients must promise in writing to return to their own countries when the scholarships or studies in Switzerland end.
The scholarships of the FCS cannot be combined with other scholarships. If recipients receive any other type of financial aid (for example, remuneration for assistantships), they must renounce the FCS scholarships.
The decisions of the FCS are communicated by general rule during the month of May.
List of countries that received an offer of scholarships from the Confederation for the academic year 2001-2002 (For students in Eastern Europe, 15 to 20 scholarships were offered)

The monthly amount of the scholarship is:
- 1,450. CHF ($841)- for students without a university degree (the BA and the B.Sc. are not necessarily recognized as university degrees);
- 1,650 CHF ($957)- for postgraduate students;
- 1,650 CHF ($957)- for fine arts and music students;
- 4,050 CHF ($2,349)- for the language course in Fribourg (3 months).
- Grantees are exempt from tuition fees, except for certain postgraduate courses and especially certain art courses.