Swiss or Chevening Scholarships: Can You Apply for Both or Just 1 – Lets Find Out
Can an applicant pursue both Chevening and a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship for 2027–28? Yes. Neither application automatically rules out the other. But the apparent choice between two prestigious awards conceals a more consequential decision: Chevening is a route to a taught master’s in the UK, whereas the Swiss scheme is chiefly a route into doctoral research. For the small group eligible for both, parallel applications are possible; taking up two full-time awards in different countries is not a realistic study plan.
Find your answer
Who can submit both applications for Swiss & British Scholarship?
The strongest overlap is an experienced master’s graduate considering a second UK master’s or a Swiss PhD. Your degree history, work experience, nationality and Swiss host arrangements determine whether both applications are realistic.
| Applicant profile | Chevening 2027–28 | Swiss Excellence 2027–28 | Can you apply to both? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master’s graduate with at least 2,800 hours of work after undergraduate study | Potentially eligible for a UK taught master’s, including a second master’s, if undergraduate study was completed by October 2024. | Potentially eligible for a PhD with a research plan and Swiss supervisor’s support. The master’s must be completed by 31 July 2027, or 30 June for ETH Zurich. | Yes, potentially. The UK master’s and Swiss PhD are alternative study plans. |
| Current PhD candidate based outside Switzerland, with qualifying earlier work experience | Potentially eligible for a UK taught master’s if all Chevening conditions are met. | Potentially eligible for a one-year research stay forming part of the existing PhD, with a Swiss supervisor’s support. | Yes, potentially. Check whether taking a UK master’s would fit your doctoral commitments. |
| Arts bachelor’s graduate seeking a first master’s, with qualifying work experience | Potentially eligible for a UK taught master’s if the earlier degree-completion rule is met. | Potentially eligible for a first arts master’s, but only if the applicant’s country offers this award and the arts-admission conditions are met. | Yes, for a limited group. The Swiss arts route is not open to every nationality. |
| Recent bachelor’s graduate without 2,800 hours of post-degree work | Ineligible for this Chevening cycle. | May be eligible for the Swiss first arts master’s route if country, age and admission rules are met; a bachelor’s alone does not qualify for a Swiss PhD award. | No. The Chevening work requirement prevents a dual application. |
Chevening also requires eligible citizenship, three distinct UK course choices and a two-year return commitment. Swiss research and PhD candidates must have been born after 31 December 1991 and must check their country’s available awards. New Swiss postdoctoral scholarships will not be awarded from 2027–28.
What if both scholarships offer you funding?
An offer from each programme would create a choice, not a combined funding package. Both routes demand full-time work or study in different countries. Chevening requires disclosure of other scholarship applications and subsequent offers. Switzerland prohibits simultaneous applications to multiple Swiss hosts or award types within its scheme; that restriction does not describe an application to Chevening. Candidates should give accurate disclosures and observe the acceptance and withdrawal terms attached to any offers.
The financial comparison is less symmetrical than the scholarships’ reputations suggest. Chevening covers eligible tuition, economy travel for the scholar, a location-dependent monthly living allowance and specified visa and other allowances. Its MBA tuition contribution is capped at £22,000. Switzerland pays research, PhD and arts recipients CHF 2,450 a month for one person and provides a CHF 600 rental-deposit grant. It does not pay tuition or semester fees; some institutions charge approximately CHF 600–2,000 per semester. Conference participation and fieldwork are also unfunded. An applicant considering Switzerland needs an institution-specific budget, especially where a family or costly research travel is involved.
Would either award affect your plans afterward?
Chevening’s two-year return requirement is a decisive difference for anyone planning an immediate career move abroad. Recipients must return to their country of award for at least two years after the scholarship. The Swiss guidance does not impose that same Chevening condition, but the award is intended to develop international research cooperation, and its return-flight allowance is for travel home. A scholarship does not itself confer a right to remain or work in Switzerland after funding ends; any future stay depends on the applicable immigration rules.
How do you apply without mixing up the rules?
- For Chevening, confirm your citizenship, experience and course eligibility on the official eligibility guidance. Select three eligible taught master’s courses and apply through your country or territory page in the Chevening application system. Disclose your Swiss scholarship application when asked. Apply separately to UK universities and budget for any university charges.
- For Switzerland, consult the official country list and award guidance before starting. For research, secure a willing Swiss supervisor, prepare the prescribed research plan, CV, motivation letter and supporting documents, then register and submit through GO ESKAS. For arts, prepare admission evidence and your portfolio. The government scholarship application is free and must be submitted online, not by email or on paper.
- Keep both admission tracks moving. Chevening applicants need an eligible UK university offer after submitting the scholarship form. Swiss doctoral applicants may need separate university admission; doctoral-school applicants should check whether confirmation must accompany the scholarship application.
When must each application be ready?
The last date to apply for a 2027–28 Chevening Scholarship is 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC. Invited interview candidates must upload required documents at least seven working days before their interview; successful candidates then need to submit a qualifying unconditional UK university offer by 8 July 2027 at 17:00 BST.
Whereas, Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship applications opened on 20 August 2026, but closing dates vary by country of origin and available award ranging in months of November & December 2026. A Swiss host’s admission timetable may create an earlier practical deadline, particularly for doctoral-school or arts applicants. Check both calendars now: eligibility for two awards is of little use if one application sequence cannot be completed in time.