EPFL Scholarships and Fellowships for 2027 Entry: Your Application Process Guide
EPFL’s Master Excellence Fellowship offers CHF 10,000 per semester for 2027-2028 entry, but applicants with a bachelor’s from abroad must apply. Waiting for the later master’s admission round means missing fellowship consideration.
Other EPFL-listed scholarships have different entry points: some require Swiss qualifications, specific residence status or a completed year at EPFL. Use the list below to identify funding you can pursue before admission and support available only later.
Find your funding route
Which EPFL Scholarships Match your Situation?
For a new international master’s applicant, the Master Excellence Fellowship is the main EPFL merit award to pursue alongside admission. The following EPFL-listed options serve different applicant groups; their existence does not mean every scheme has an open autumn 2027 call.
| Funding option | Who should consider it? |
|---|---|
| Master Excellence Fellowship | Outstanding incoming master’s applicants, including international candidates. |
| Bachelor Excellence Fellowship | Eligible Swiss maturity-diploma holders, including the specified vocational-maturity/CMS route. CHF 10,000 spread over three years. |
| EPFL social scholarship | Students facing financial hardship. International applicants generally need at least one completed EPFL year and an unexpected change in circumstances. |
| Hans Wilsdorf scholarship | Eligible Geneva-based students; international students must meet prior-study conditions. |
| Professor Charles Rapin scholarship | Master’s students, including those from developing countries, after successfully passing their first EPFL year. |
| Orlando Lauti Foundation grant | Architecture, Civil Engineering or Urban Systems students after a successful EPFL year; Swiss and Italian nationals receive priority. |
| Charles-Edouard Guillaume Foundation scholarship | Microengineering students seeking social support; EPFL lists an annual 30 September deadline. |
| Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships | Research applicants generally holding a master’s, with Swiss supervisor support. This is a separate research route, not standard EPFL taught-master’s funding. |
International newcomers should secure their study budget before arrival. EPFL’s social scholarship is emergency support, not a substitute for first-year funding.
Do you qualify for the Master Excellence Fellowship?
You must qualify for your chosen master’s and cannot already hold a master’s degree or be enrolled in an EPFL master’s. You may apply for only one master’s programme per academic year.
EPFL publishes no fixed minimum fellowship GPA. Selection considers academic excellence, qualifications and motivation; research, entrepreneurship and civic or extracurricular achievements can strengthen your profile.
Choose the programme that matches your preparation. In your statement of purpose, connect relevant coursework or projects to what you want to study at EPFL. Specific evidence gives the committee more to assess than claims such as “I am passionate about innovation.”
Does the Fellowship Cover Everything?
It provides a fixed grant, not a separate tuition waiver or rent payment. External recipients receive a student-room reservation. Budget tuition and accommodation from your available funds.
A 90-credit programme receives up to three semesters of support; a 120-credit programme can receive four. Second-year renewal requires at least 50 qualifying credits and a weighted average of 5.0/6. Language, admission and out-of-plan courses do not count toward the credit threshold.
Declare other scholarships: substantial awards cannot be combined under the published conditions. Keep enough money for your first month because the initial payment may take time.
How do you apply with a bachelor’s from abroad?
Request fellowship consideration within the master’s application; no additional fellowship documents are required.
- Prepare the admission file. EPFL’s online application instructions list your CV, available degree certificate, transcripts, identity document and statement of purpose, capped at 1,000 words. Provide legalised translations where required.
- Arrange academic references. Supply three professor referees’ details. They upload confidential letters themselves; EPFL needs at least two to process the application.
- Select the fellowship option. Follow the Master Excellence Fellowship instructions, tick the consideration box, validate the application and pay before the deadline.
- Check the confirmation email. It specifies the reference deadline, one week after the application deadline. Monitor receipt of the letters.
For another award in the table, use its separate instructions in EPFL’s scholarship directory. The master’s fellowship checkbox does not apply for those grants.
What are the deadlines for 2027 entry?
The last date to apply for the Master Excellence Fellowship offered by EPFL, through the master’s application form, is 15 December 2026. The application must be paid for and validated by then. The later admission deadline of 31 March 2027 does not qualify for this fellowship.
EPFL bachelor’s students continuing in the same field apply directly to their section by 31 January 2027, including references. Those changing fields use the online route by 15 December, with fellowship references due by 31 January.
For the other schemes, check the award-specific call: the directory’s spring 2027 support dates should not be treated as autumn 2027 entry deadlines.
Start with your programme choice, statement of purpose and referee requests. Those are the tasks you can complete before the application window opens.
