The UNIL Master’s Grants are scholarships from the University of Lausanne (UNIL) in Switzerland for international students who earned their bachelor’s degree abroad. Each grant pays CHF 1,600 a month for ten months of the year (15 September to 15 July) for the minimum length of your master’s, which is one and a half or two years. Holders are also exempt from the normal semester registration fees, apart from a CHF 80 charge each semester. UNIL gives around ten grants a year, across most of its master’s programmes.
The Deadline is 1 November 2026 for master’s study starting in the 2027/2028 academic year. That is only days away as of 25 October 2026. The grant application doubles as your UNIL admission application, so you do not apply separately to the admissions office. You need a CHF 200 administration fee, C1-level French or English, and two recommendation letters. Results are expected in early April 2027.
Deadline in days
Applications for 2027/2028 close on 1 November 2026. If you have not asked your two referees yet, do it today, and check the official UNIL page for the exact cut-off time before you upload.
UNIL Master’s Grants at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Host | University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Amount | CHF 1,600 a month, paid 15 September to 15 July (10 months a year) |
| Length | Minimum statutory length of the master’s (3 or 4 semesters) |
| Fees | Exempt from course registration fees except CHF 80 per semester |
| Awards | Around 10 a year |
| Who can apply | Holders of a foreign bachelor’s (or equivalent) with outstanding results, never registered at UNIL |
| Language | C1 in French, or in English for English-taught master’s |
| Application fee | CHF 200 administration fee |
| Deadline | 1 November 2026 |
| Results | Early April 2027 (Selection Board meets in March) |
What the UNIL Master’s Grant pays
The grant is CHF 1,600 a month for ten months each academic year. Over a two-year master’s that adds up to CHF 32,000, and over a three-semester (90 ECTS) master’s it is about CHF 24,000, depending on how the months fall. On top of the cash, you skip the usual semester registration fees and pay only CHF 80 per semester.
Be realistic about the gap. Lausanne is expensive, and CHF 1,600 a month will not cover rent, health insurance and food on its own. There is also no payment from mid-July to mid-September. Most listings, including Scholars4Dev, describe the grant as partial funding, and I agree. Plan for savings, family support or a part-time job within the hours your permit allows.
When the grant stops
The grant runs for the minimum statutory length of your programme. It ends early if you fail definitively after the first year. It does not stretch to cover extra semesters if you take longer to finish.
UNIL Master’s Grants eligibility
- A foreign degree: a university degree from outside Switzerland that UNIL considers equivalent to its own bachelor’s, finished before the master’s starts.
- Outstanding results: UNIL is looking for brilliant academic records. No fixed GPA is published, but with about ten grants for the whole university, expect to need grades near the top of your class.
- Language at C1: at least C1 on the European framework in French, or in English if your master’s is taught in English. Some programmes ask for more.
- New to UNIL: you must never have been registered at UNIL before.
- Fee paid: the CHF 200 administration fee must be paid with the application.
- Programme admission rules: you must also meet the specific admission conditions of your chosen master’s.
Master’s programmes that are excluded
Most UNIL master’s programmes are eligible, but not these:
- All master’s programmes of the School of Medicine
- Master in Sciences and Practices of Education
- Master of Law, except the International and Comparative Law, Legal Theory, and International Tax Law and Policy specialisations
- MSc in Physical Education and Sport Didactics
- MSc in Health Sciences
- MSc in Sustainable Management & Technology
- MSc in Human Taphonomy
- All MAS (continuing education) programmes
Edge cases
- Nationality: there is no list of eligible countries. What counts is that your degree is from outside Switzerland.
- Studied at UNIL before: even an exchange or short registration can rule you out, because applicants must never have been registered at UNIL. Check with UNIL if you were there as an exchange student.
- Final-year students: you can apply before graduating, but the degree must be finished before the master’s starts.
- Spring start: some programmes allow a spring semester start. Check your programme before you assume September.
Documents for the UNIL Master’s Grant application
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Online application form | Also your admission and matriculation application |
| Complete file as one PDF | Upload it online; UNIL asks you not to email it |
| Transcripts and degree certificate | Certified copies where the document list requires them |
| Proof of language level | C1 in French or English, matching your programme |
| Two recommendation letters | Sent by your professors or lecturers directly to UNIL by email after you register online |
| Certified copies by post | Only for applicants whose degree comes from a country that has not ratified the Lisbon Recognition Convention |
| CHF 200 administration fee | Paid during the application |
UNIL publishes a full list of documents to attach. Download it from the official UNIL Master’s Grants page and follow it line by line. Incomplete files are not considered.
How to apply, step by step
- Pick an eligible master’s: browse UNIL’s master’s programmes and confirm yours is not on the excluded list. Note its teaching language.
- Check the admission conditions: some programmes require specific bachelor’s subjects or credits.
- Register online: create your application on the grants page. The form also serves as your admission application, so do not apply separately to UNIL’s admissions office.
- Ask your referees to email their letters: after registration, your two professors or lecturers send their recommendations straight to UNIL.
- Build one PDF: combine every document on UNIL’s list in the order given, and make sure scans are legible.
- Pay the CHF 200 fee and upload the PDF before 1 November 2026.
- Post certified copies if required: only if your degree comes from a country outside the Lisbon Recognition Convention.
How to write a motivation that stands out
With about ten grants for the whole university, your motivation letter needs to show selectors why you, this programme and Lausanne fit together. A simple plan:
- Open with a specific academic interest: a question or problem from your degree that you want to go deeper into.
- Prove it: a thesis, research project, publication or job where you worked on it, with a concrete result.
- Explain the UNIL match: name the programme’s courses, an institute or a professor whose work connects to yours.
- State your goal: a PhD, a role in an international organisation in Geneva or Lausanne, or work in your home country, described realistically.
A short example opening: “My bachelor’s thesis traced how drought changed farm incomes in two districts over ten years. UNIL’s master’s in geography would give me the spatial analysis and field methods to turn that into a policy tool.” Keep it in the programme’s language; a French-taught master’s deserves a letter in French.
Common mistakes
- Applying to an excluded programme such as medicine or most law tracks.
- Sending documents by email instead of uploading the single PDF.
- Applying separately to the admissions office as well, which is not needed.
- Language proof below C1, or in the wrong language for the programme.
- Referees who forget to email UNIL before the deadline.
- Forgetting the postal copies when your country is outside the Lisbon Recognition Convention.
Selection and results
Applications go through three stages: an administrative check, an assessment by the faculty that runs your programme, and a final decision by the Master’s Scholarship Selection Board, which meets in March. Results are communicated in early April 2027. The Board’s decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
If you win, follow UNIL’s instructions to confirm, then apply for your Swiss entry visa and residence permit. Non-EU/EFTA students usually need to prove funds for the permit, and a grant of CHF 1,600 a month may not meet the full amount on its own, so prepare evidence of extra funds.
Costs the grant does not cover
- Living costs above CHF 1,600 a month, plus the two summer months without payment.
- Compulsory Swiss health insurance.
- Visa and residence permit fees.
- Flights and rent deposits.
- The CHF 200 administration fee and CHF 80 per semester.
UNIL grants compared with other awards
| Scholarship | Country | What it pays | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNIL Master’s Grants | Switzerland | CHF 1,600 a month, 10 months a year, fee exemption | 1 Nov 2026 |
| ETH Zurich ESOP | Switzerland | CHF 13,500 a semester plus tuition waiver | 30 Nov 2026 |
| Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships | Switzerland | CHF 2,450 a month (PhD and research only) | Set by country, mostly autumn 2026 |
| Justus & Louise van Effen (TU Delft) | Netherlands | Full tuition plus living contribution | 1 Dec 2026 |
| Leiden Excellence Scholarship | Netherlands | €10,000 to €19,000 off tuition | 1 Dec 2026 |
For more options across the continent, see our guide to scholarships in Europe for international students.
Who should apply, and who should not
Apply if your foreign bachelor’s results are excellent, your French or English is genuinely at C1, your programme is on the eligible list, and you can top up CHF 1,600 a month from your own funds. Social sciences, humanities, business, environmental and life sciences applicants all have programmes to choose from.
Skip it if you want medicine or most law tracks, if you have studied at UNIL before, or if you cannot finish a complete file before 1 November 2026. A rushed, incomplete application will not be read.
FAQs
How much is the UNIL Master’s Grant?
CHF 1,600 a month from 15 September to 15 July, for the minimum length of your master’s. You also pay only CHF 80 per semester instead of the normal registration fees.
When is the UNIL Master’s Grant deadline?
The Deadline is 1 November 2026 for the 2027/2028 academic year. Results are expected in early April 2027.
Can I study in English with a UNIL Master’s Grant?
Yes, if your chosen master’s is taught in English. You then need C1-level English; for French-taught programmes you need C1 French.
Do I need to apply separately for admission to UNIL?
No. The grant application form also serves as your admission and matriculation application, so you do not apply separately to the admissions office.
Sources and updates
Scholars4Dev’s UNIL Master’s Grants article was the starting point. UNIL’s official grants page blocks automated access, so I could not open it directly this time. I cross-checked every figure (CHF 1,600 for 10 months, CHF 80 per semester, CHF 200 fee, around ten awards, C1 language level, the excluded programmes and the 1 November 2026 deadline) against two further independent summaries of the 2027/2028 call, MakeOverArena and Tutopiya, which agree with each other. The selection stages, recommendation letter process and early-April results date come from MakeOverArena’s summary of the UNIL regulations. The Swiss government figure is from SERI, as checked for our Europe guide. Scholars4Dev’s page metadata still shows the older 1 November 2025 date; the 2026 date is used here. Before you submit, confirm the cut-off time and document list on UNIL’s page. Checked 25 October 2026.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
