EPFL Excellence Fellowships 2027 in Switzerland (CHF 10,000 per Semester for Master’s Students)

The EPFL Excellence Fellowships support outstanding students who join a master's programme at EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) in Switzerland. EPFL awards a limited number of fellowships to the most deserving candidates. Each fellowship pays CHF 10,000 per semester, for up to four semesters. It covers two to three semesters of the master's, depending on the length of the programme, plus one semester for the master's project. Fellows pay their own living costs, including tuition fees and rent. External fellows can also reserve a student room, and all fellows receive a certificate of excellence when they finish. The fellowship cannot be combined with other substantial scholarships. Anyone applying to an EPFL master's programme can be considered. People who already hold a master's degree, or who are already enrolled in an EPFL master's, are not eligible, and each student may apply to only one master's programme per year. Students who come from a foreign university apply through EPFL's online master's application and tick the box to be considered for a fellowship. No extra documents are needed beyond those required for admission. For external candidates, the application must be paid for and validated by 15 December 2026 to be considered for a fellowship. Master's applications open in mid-November. Reference letters are uploaded one week after the deadline, on a date given in the validation email. Selected candidates are told in late March. To keep the fellowship for a second year, fellows need a weighted average of at least 5.0 on EPFL's 6-point scale and at least 50 credits, not counting the internship. EPFL says there are no exceptions. This page was last checked against the EPFL master's admission and Excellence Fellowships pages on 17 October 2026.