WE ARE HERE TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH YOUR APPLICATION PROCESS
IF YOU ARE READY TO APPLY, CLICK HERE
OTHERWISE, CHECK OUT ALL THE RELEVANT INFORMATION BELOW
1. Complete the online application form
Applications for September 2025 open on 15 October 2024.
You can toggle between the English and French versions of the application form, by clicking the language at the top left corner of each page.
Please note that Master students may apply for financial aid during the regular deadline only, using the same form.
2. Pay the application fee
January 15th deadline: CHF 100
March 1st deadline: CHF 200
April 15th deadline: CHF 300
3. Provide contact details for two or three academic referees on the application form
4. Upload all your supporting documents before the application deadline
Prepare your document files in PDF format
Please do not send any documents by e-mail or post
5. Validate your application by clicking on "Submit"
6. Join our Unibuddy community to stay connected and up-to-date
If you encounter a technical difficulty with your online application, please e-mail IT support at servicedesk@graduateinstitute.ch
Many problems can be resolved simply by refreshing your web browser page and removing cookies from your browsing history.
FOR MASTER PROGRAMMES
FOR PHD PROGRAMMES
For all programmes, failure to document the award of the prior degree by 15 September 2024 may cause us to rescind our offer of admission
* Institutional accreditation by aaq.ch or the designated accreditation agency in the country of operation, subject to current policies
APPLICATION CHECKLIST THESIS PROPOSAL GUIDE GENERAL CONDITIONS Admission Criteria
The Institute promotes the use of French language: while most of the classes are taught in English, students may express themselves and submit assignments in either languages. Students are expected to have acquired a basic knowledge of French by the end of their first year.
All students must have an excellent command of English, allowing them to comfortably satisfy the academic language requirements of a rigorous
graduate programme: manage a large volume of challenging scholarly texts, produce frequent, extensive writings in compliance with graduate-level
academic standards and in a variety of styles, and make constructive, candid and respectful contributions to discussions in and out of the classroom.
Applications can proceed to evaluation without an English proficiency certificate, but with a submitted confirmation of an upcoming testing
appointment. Any resulting admission offers will remain conditional upon verification of a qualifying, official English proficiency certificate by 30 May
2025.
Failure to document the required English proficiency level by 30 May 2025 may cause us to rescind our offer of admission.
Recognised tests and scores
Tests must be within their validity period. If the test certificate does not indicate an expiry date, then the test must be no more than two years old at the
time of submission. Tests that expired more than 12 months before the application deadline need to be taken again.
Results must be submitted via a secure channel, available for online verification, or by post in a sealed envelope directly from the testing organisation.
We expect all students to document a proficiency level that corresponds to the CEFR C1 or higher.
iBT TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language): either
A single iBT TOEFL test with a total score of at least 100 and the following minimum subscores:
Or a "My Best Score" with a total score of 100 and the following minimum subscores:
Please have your TOEFL scores forwarded to us by indicating our institutional ETS code: 8909
IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System): either
A single IELTS test with an overall band 7.0 and the following minimum subscores:
Or different valid IELTS tests with at least one overall band of 7.0 and the following minimum subscores from different tests:
Cambridge English: C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency
Total score of at least 185 and each subscore at least 180
Knowledge of French is not an admission condition. The Institute values diversity, and encourages applications from students who have no or only basic prior knowledge of French.
Students with minimal (lower than B1) or no prior knowledge of French must take an intensive French course, lasting three weeks before the start of
the first semester. They must register for this course at the time of confirming their enrolment.
This intensive course will be followed by a weekly course during the first year.
All other students who are neither native French speakers, nor holders of a B1 or higher French proficiency certificate, must register for a French
placement test when confirming their enrolment. This test takes place during the first week of the academic year. Its results determine whether they
need to take a weekly French course during their first year of study.
These intensive and weekly courses are organised by the Institute, free of charge. They are compulsory and credit-bearing.
The above conditions do not apply to students whose mother tongue is French; or who have a secondary or post-secondary diploma taught entirely in
French; or who have spent a minimum of one academic year studying at university level, full-time, entirely in French; or who can produce a French
language certificate equivalent to a DELF B1 level.
Admission decisions are based on the quality of the overall application file.
Our evaluation committees, comprised of Faculty members, give priority consideration to academic achievement and motivation.
Academic achievement is documented using transcripts and recommendations letters. Motivational factors should be clarified in the letter of motivation.
The committee’s decision is final and we do not provide individual feedback.
As our students come from more than 100 different education systems around the world, we do not set minimum grade point average requirements.
All eligible, complete applications will be evaluated. Our selection process is competitive.
Please note the application deadlines carefully: incomplete applications will not be evaluated.
Submit your documents well ahead of the deadline, to allow resolution of any technical problems before the portal closes.
The evaluation committees will take into consideration the difficulties encountered by many students around the world due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Academic achievement in spring 2020/fall 2021 semesters, and its impact on overall performance, will be evaluated in that context.
Please address all your application-related questions to the Admission Office at prospective@graduateinstitute.ch
Master applicants can apply for financial aid by filling in the application fields concerning their financial situation.
Please note that you will need to apply for financial assistance at the same time that you apply for admission to the study programme of your choice.
If you do not apply for financial aid during your application to the January round of admission, you will not be able to do so again at a later time.
Admission committees do not have access to this information when they decide on the admissibility of candidates. When making its decision regarding the allocation of scholarships for admitted master candidates, the Financial Aid Committee will decide whether to award a full or a partial scholarship and/or tuition reduction, depending on the applicants' financial resources and the excellence of their application, within the limitations of available funds.
Master applicants who want to apply for financial aid must document all the elements that impact their financial situation, including all sources of income, liquidities, capital and potential contributions from family members and other organisations.
All PhD applicants are eligible for financial support, regardless of their financial situation.
When completing their application form, doctoral applicants should not fill in the fields relating to their finances, which only apply to master programme candidates.
All PhD admission offers are accompanied by a financial support package covering the four years of the PhD programme.
PhD students who obtain full funding from the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship, or from an externally funded research project led by one of our faculty members, may also be admitted. Externally funded research projects usually refer to those supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
They are announced and administered by our research centres.
Doctoral students may supplement this support package with a documented, limited, gainful employment position.
SUPPORT PACKAGE FOR PHD STUDENT MONTHLY BUDGET ESTIMATE WHO IS A SWISS RESIDENT FAQ
Confirmation (accepting an admission offer) requires payment of a CHF 1,000 pre-registration fee, deducted from the first tuition invoice.
