Swiss Government Scholarship Program 2010/2011

The Swiss Government through the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS) grants a limited number of scholarships to developing countries, among which Indonesia is included.

These scholarships are offered to Indonesian POSTGRADUATE students wishing to study at a Swiss university. The aim of the scholarship is to enable grantees either to further their education or to undertake research work in the fields in which the universities are particularly active. The intended study should be useful for the development in Indonesia. In principle, the scholarship holders can study at any national Swiss university or Federal Institute of Technology as registered on the page 4. A candidate should take into account the possibilities offered by Swiss universities. Following programmes are not included in this scholarship:
1. Fine arts and music
2. Undergraduate studies
3. Hotel management studies
4. Student exchange programmes
5. Part-time studies
6. On-the-job studies
7. Correspondence courses

The duration of grant is for the nine-month academic year. Under certain conditions, which are justified by FCS and the related university, the scholarship may be renewed for a second year maximum. Conditions

1. Indonesian citizen (priority: applicants reside and have professional career in Indonesia)
2. University degree (min. Sarjana Strata-1/bachelor degree or equivalent)
3. Candidates must be under 35 years old when applying (birth date after December 31, 1974)
4. Sufficient knowledge of one of the official languages in Switzerland (i.e. German, French or Italian), depending on the location of chosen university, and English for some studies. Each candidates will have to undergo a language test at the Swiss Embassy in Jakarta in order to determine the oral and written language ability.
   • Note: The proficient knowledge of one of the official languages spoken in Switzerland is a main priority of the scholarship selection, especially if the intended master programme is held in one of the languages. More over a scholarship holder should fully benefit from the offered scholarship. Without knowledge of one of the national languages it will be difficult to handle daily situations (foreign police, post office, bank, university life, etc). A qualified applicant who only has English proficiency could be considered as long as the master courses are fully conducted in English. This, however, will be subject to the applicant’s attendance of a special three months’ intensive language course in Fribourg or Lugano. The FCS will also cover the expenses for these courses, which usually start in July.
5. Acceptance letter from the chosen university. Before applying the applicants need to contact the professor or direction of the postgraduate programme at the chosen educational institution in order to get a written confirmation of acceptance which must be submitted when filing the application. The requirements to obtain the letter have to be seen in the web site of each universities. Generally the request of the acceptance letter must be completed with a detailed and precise plan of the intended postgraduate study programme, curriculum vitae and certified copies of the university diplomas including academic transcripts. A certified translation is required if the originals are not issued in English, German, French or Italian.
6. Detailed study/research plan and motivation describing clearly and precisely the aim of study. The possibilities offered by the Swiss universities should be taken into account, also the possibilities of professional reintegration when returning to Indonesia

Application Procedure

Please note that only applicants who fulfil the above mentioned requirements can obtain scholarship application forms which are available until October 16, 2009. To obtain the forms, the applicants should send a brief request letter or an e-mail which includes this following data and document:

1. Complete name
2. Date of birth
3. Language. Please mention one the official languages in Switzerland which you speak fluently (German, French or Italian, depending on the location of the chosen university).
4. Intended study field and university in Switzerland
5. Written confirmation from professor/university in Switzerland (by e-mail or fax) stating that your study plan is accepted and that you meet requirements and own a suitable academic background to be accepted as a student.
6. Copy of research/study plan
7. Copy of motivation letter
8. Curriculum vitae
9. E-mail address

Please send the request by post or e-mail to the address below:

Embassy of Switzerland
Cultural Section
Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, Kav. X 3/2
Kuningan, Jakarta 12950
E-mail: jak.vertretung@eda.admin.ch
Web site: http://www.eda.admin.ch/jakarta

The application will be sent only by e-mail. It must be completed and returned together with
supporting documents before October 30, 2009.

All documents must be submitted in 3 sets of copies. Every document set must be prepared in following order:

1. Application form
2. Copies of secondary school certificates
3. Translation of secondary certificates
4. Copies of certificate of bachelor degree from university
5. Translation of the certificate of bachelor degree
6. Academic transcript
7. Translation of the academic transcript
8. Letters of recommendation from 2 professors/lecturers in English
9. Precise and detailed plan outlining the programme of the intended study or research in Switzerland
10. Motivation letter
11. Curriculum vitae
12. Acceptance/confirmation letter of a university or a professor of the chosen master programme stating that your study plan is accepted and that you meet requirements and own a suitable academic background to be accepted as a student.
13. Medical certificate (on form supplied by the Embassy)
14. Other documents (language certificates, etc.)

Photocopies of any documents such as general certificates of secondary education, university diplomas and transcripts, language certificates, etc. have to be certified as true copies. Certified translations into either English, German, French or Italian have to be attached to those documents which are not originally issued in one of these languages. Please note that only complete and orderly prepared application files will be taken into consideration. If all requirements are fulfilled, the applicants will be selected to be invited by the Embassy in order to take a written and oral language test, as well as a short personal interview. Therefore not all applicants will be invited to have the further selection procedure. In May 2010 the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS) will announce the accepted candidatures.

Further info please visit here

Related Scholarships:

1. Fulbright Master’s Degree Program 2011