EPFL Excellence Fellowships for Bachelor's and Master's Study in Switzerland

EPFL awards a limited number of Excellence Fellowships to Bachelor's and Master's students who have strong academic records. The fellowships are funded partly by EPFL itself and partly through partnerships with foundations or companies. The award provides CHF 10’000 per semester and reserves a student room in a student residence. It is open to all students, including international students.

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland

Eligible Master’s programmes offered at the university.

For the Bachelor Excellence Fellowship, the award is open regardless of the field of studies chosen.

Limited.

All students, including international students.

The fellowship pays CHF 10’000 per semester and reserves a student room in a student residence.

For Bachelor's studies, the fellowship is spread over three years. For Master's studies, it is paid for 4 semesters, and renewal requires at least 50 ECTS credits and an overall average of 5,0/6.

For the Bachelor Excellence Fellowship, the CHF 10’000 is divided into 6 payments made at the start of each semester: CHF 2’000 per semester in the first year, and CHF 1’500 per semester in the second and third years. It is paid for a maximum of 6 semesters, provided semester registration is confirmed and the semester invoice is paid. Payment stops in case of orientation during the “Mise à niveau” course (end of BA1) or failure of the propaedeutic cycle (end of BA2); amounts already received do not have to be repaid. The fellowship also includes a certificate of excellence issued at the end of the programme, and it can be combined with other financial resources without affecting the payments or the amount.

EPFL grants a limited number of fellowships to the most deserving candidates based on their academic records. The award is intended for students who have achieved remarkable results throughout their pre-university curriculum, in both school and extracurricular activities.

For the Bachelor Excellence Fellowship, anyone who has applied for admission to the EPFL Bachelor’s programme can apply if one of these conditions is met: Swiss nationality or a C permit; refugee or stateless status in Switzerland; a certificate within the meaning of art. 1 of the ordinance on admission to EPFL; or a secondary II diploma obtained in Switzerland while domiciled in Switzerland.

Eligibility criteria for the Bachelor Excellence Fellowship: general average of the gymnasial maturity and the previous year of at least 5.3/6; specific average in scientific subjects and the maturity project of at least 5/6; all OS, but with a strengthened level of mathematics where applicable; for students who followed the CMS, an average of at least 5.00 at the end of the CMS. Eloquence, capacity for synthesis, engagement and the ability to put reflections into perspective are also evaluated.

Submit your application through EPFL’s online Master application.

For the Bachelor Excellence Fellowship, students in their final year of high school must tick the corresponding box on their Bachelor’s application form before 30 April and provide the requested application file. If eligible, an ad hoc form is sent and the following documents are requested: secondary II transcripts (covering the whole gymnasial path); a summary of the “travail de maturité” or an equivalent project (1 page A4 max., French or English); a motivation letter (French, English, German or Italian); a curriculum vitae with extracurricular activities (French, English, German or Italian); and the contact details of two reference persons, one a science teacher and the other a person linked to an extracurricular activity or engagement (French, English or German).

After Bachelor registration closes (30 April), each section preselects the best applications for an interview presenting the “travail de maturité”, or another subject if not applicable, before a jury including members of EPFL’s academic staff. Selected applications are then examined by the central Bachelor Excellence Fellowship Commission, which awards the fellowships. Positive decisions, subject to a final average matching the above criteria, and negative responses are communicated by the end of June. Decisions of the Commission are not subject to appeal.

For the Master Excellence Fellowship, apply through the same online form as your master’s programme application by 15 December or 31 March. Tick the box indicating that your profile should also be considered for an excellence fellowship.

Read the EPFL Bachelors Fellowship Guidelines and the EPFL Masters Fellowship Guidelines. Then visit the official website (link below) to access the application form and detailed information on how to apply.