Swiss Confederation (SERI / Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students)
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships (research and PhD)
Switzerland's scholarship for early-career researchers from abroad. Thai citizens can apply for a PhD scholarship (12 months, renewable to 36) or a one-year research fellowship at a Swiss university, ETH Zurich, EPFL or an ETH Domain institute, with a Swiss supervisor backing the project.
Application round
The 2027/28 call for Thailand opened on 1 September 2026 and closes on 24 November 2026 at 23:59 Swiss time (05:59 on 25 November in Thailand). You apply through the online GO ESKAS system, not by email or post; the contact for Thai applicants is the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangkok. Decisions come by the end of May 2027 and the scholarship starts on 1 September 2027.
The IELTS requirement
The scholarship doesn't ask for an IELTS score. What matters is getting a Swiss supervisor to back your project and then meeting your host university's admission requirements, which for English-taught doctoral programmes commonly means IELTS 6.5 or above; some require 7.0. Certificates not in English, French, German or Italian need a certified translation.
Where is your IELTS score now?
Your university sets the IELTS score for this scholarship. Take the free level test to get an estimated band for each skill before you apply.
What it covers
- CHF 2,450 a month towards living costs (not a salary)
- Compulsory Swiss health insurance premiums
- A return flight allowance at the end of the scholarship
- A one-off CHF 600 grant towards a rental deposit, and a Half-Fare Travelcard for public transport
- Tuition and semester fees aren't covered (roughly CHF 600 to 2,000 a semester at many institutions)
Who can apply
- Thai citizen; Thailand is on the 2027/28 country list for research fellowships and PhD scholarships
- A master's degree completed by 31 July 2027 (30 June 2027 for ETH Zurich)
- Born after 31 December 1991
- A letter of support from a supervisor at the Swiss host institution
- Not previously a holder of a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship, and not in Switzerland for more than 13 months before the start
- Selected on your profile, the quality of the research project and its potential for future cooperation
Key facts
- Provider
- Swiss Confederation (SERI / Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students)
- Where you study
- Switzerland
- Study level
- PhD
- Funding
- Partly funded
- Application round
- Opens September 1, 2026 · Closes November 24, 2026
Already know your score?
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What band do you need?
Your overall IELTS target.
We checked these details against the provider's official page on November 1, 2026. Rules and dates change every round, so confirm them there before you apply.
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