Financing your studies

The Geneva Graduate Institute strives to attract talented scholars from around the world, regardless of origin and financial ability. We invest over CHF 2 million each year to support our students throughout their studies, thanks to our donors and solidarity fund.

Master Programme Tuition Fees

Swiss residents: CHF 5,000 per year
Non-residents: CHF 8,000 per year

PhD Programme Tuition Fees

Reduced Tuition Fees

First year: CHF 3,000
Subsequent years: CHF 1,000

PHD FINANCIAL SUPPORT PACKAGE

All PhD admission offers come with a four-year financial support package.

The details of the package are as follows:

Year 1 and Year 2:
Annual scholarship of CHF 20,000, disbursed in ten monthly instalments of CHF 2,000 from September to June.
Year 3 and Year 4:
Two options:
- Combine an annual scholarship of CHF 18,500 with a part-time activity of teaching assistance: 15 hours/week for 42 weeks, compensated at a gross annual sum of CHF 22,851
  
  OR
- Maintain the initial annual scholarship of CHF 20,000
Year 1: a reduced tuition of CHF 3’000 per year
Year 2, Year3 and Year 4: a reduced tuition of CHF 1’000 per year

Students employed as Research Assistants for a Swiss National Fund project (Sinergia, Eccellenza, doc.ch etc.)

CHF 3,000 per year

Beneficiaries of a 3 years Swiss Excellency Scholarship

CHF 1,000 per year for 3 years

Current students can find further information on our Intranet

Who is a Swiss resident?

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Living costs in Geneva

From approx. CHF 18,000 per academic year

Monthly budget estimate

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Financial Aid

The Institute strives to support its students throughout the duration of their studies, to the extent of its ability. It does so through financial aid (below) and paid jobs (teaching assistantships, research assistantships and administrative positions).

In particular, the Institute makes extensive efforts to assist its doctoral students. As of September 2023, all new doctoral students will be funded with a support package including both a stipend and a large contribution toward tuition fees. Doctoral students can supplement this package with documented, limited gainful employment, either off-campus or in an on-campus teaching or research assistantship.

In a spirit of responsibility and solidarity, all of our students contribute toward the cost of our students' education, including those receiving financial aid. The pre-registration fee of CHF 1,000, paid by new students to confirm their enrolment, contributes to the Graduate Institute's solidarity fund.

Current students can find further information on our Intranet

TYPES OF FINANCIAL AID

A master student might be awarded one type of aid or a combination of different types of support.

Scholarships: partial (CHF 10,000 per year) or full (CHF 20,000 per year)
Tuition reduction
Paid employment at the Graduate Institute in administrative support positions

In compliance with Swiss immigration regulations, non-EU students are not permitted to work in the first six months of their stay in Switzerland, whether inside or outside the Geneva Graduate Institute.

EducaSwiss is a Swiss organisation that offers the possibility to apply for loans. Foreign students are eligible. It is not affiliated with the Geneva Graduate Institute.

SPECIFIC SCHOLARSHIPS

It is not possible to apply directly for a specific scholarship, such as those benefiting students from our partner institutions or sponsored by individual benefactors. In its evaluation, the Financial Aid Committee identifies financial aid awardees who meet specific criteria for such scholarship schemes and allocates the scholarships accordingly.

More information on specific scholarships

Applying for Financial Aid

FOR MASTER DEGREE APPLICANTS

Master candidates can apply for financial aid by filling in the application fields concerning their financial situation. Academic departments and the interdisciplinary programme 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.

Once candidates have been granted admission and funding, provided that their financial situation does not change, the award will be renewed for the second year. They will thus be able to finance their entire course of study.

Master candidates 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.

FOR PHD APPLICANTS

All PhD candidates are eligible for financial support, regardless of their financial situation. When completing their application form, doctoral candidates 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 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.

The Geneva Graduate Institute only supports students applying for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship who have already been admitted to the PhD programme. We therefore encourage you to apply for admission to the PhD programme before January 15th. If your application is successful, you will receive a 4-year financial package. You will have the opportunity to apply for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship during the first year of your doctoral studies. Further information will be provided by the Scholarship Office once your admission has been confirmed.

Doctoral students may supplement this support package with a documented, limited, gainful employment position.

More about support for PhD student