Financial support

SEMP Studies Scholarship

The SEMP programme entitles you to receive a bursary if the following conditions are met:

• You are enrolled at USI;
• You are not holding another bursary of the European Union for an international student exchange programme;
• You are not living in the country where you are planning to go on exchange.

The monthly amount of the grant likely to be similar to the one paid in the framework of the Erasmus+ programme. Scholarships do not provide total coverage of the expenses but they nonetheless contribute towards travel expenses and part of the living costs. The amount and the eligibility for the SEMP scholarship depend on the provisions issued by the Swiss National Agency Movetia. Students selected for the SEMP programme will be informed in due time. Additional information here. 

A limited number of SEMP scholarships are also available for destinations outside of Europe. Information will be shared with the candidates in due time.

For European mobility the grant for eco-friendly travel will be added to the balance of the SEMP grant to those students who decide to travel with a means of transport with low CO2 emissions such as train, bus, or car-sharing for at least one way (a proof of purchase will be asked in the end of the exchange).

The Heyning-Roelli Foundation provides scholarships to talented but financially underprivileged students for travel and subsistence expenses. Beneficiaries of the scholarships can be Bachelor- and Master students who wish to participate in an exchange programme for one or two semesters at a partner university. Exchange programmes include the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP, formerly Erasmus) as well as other programmes according to bilateral agreements between Swiss universities and foreign universities. In these programmes students stay enrolled at their home university and continue their studies there after the end of their stay abroad.

• Applications for Fall Semester must be submitted by 20th April 24.00h CET of each year.
• Applications for Spring Semester must be submitted by 20th October 24.00h CET of each year

Swissuniversities manages government scholarships from more than 30 countries for study or research abroad.

Grants are intended for Swiss students, researchers and, in some cases, artists. In certain countries, residents of Switzerland who do not hold citizenship may also apply, provided they are enrolled at a Swiss university.

Available grants vary by host country and can be awarded for a variety of purposes, including full degree programmes up to the doctoral level, short periods of, research at all career levels, professional training, teaching, and language courses.

Admission requirements, application procedure and scholarship amounts vary by host country and are available on the swissuniversities website: https://www.swissuniversities.ch/en/service/scholarships-for-study-abroad/government-scholarships

USI’s International Relations and Study Abroad Service does not handle applications for government scholarships.

For further information we suggest to get in touch with the Scholarship Service of swissuniversities.

Each year, SAS awards a total of 15,000 to 20,000 Swiss francs to five to seven scholarship recipients. The scholarship fund is financed through contributions of SAS members and various third parties.

Additional information can be found on the SAS website: https://www.swiss-am.net/?lang=en