We list 8 scholarships for Nigerian Students in Switzerland, with the deadline, study level and eligibility of each one taken from the award's own terms. 8 of them are fully funded. 6 state eligibility that includes Nigerian applicants. Awards with a known closing date are listed soonest first.
United Kingdom
40
United States
37
Australia
27
Canada
20
China
12
Italy
10
Sweden
10
Germany
9
United Arab Emirates
9
Belgium
8
Japan
8
Switzerland
Netherlands
6
Russia
6
Thailand
6
Denmark
5
New Zealand
5
Saudi Arabia
5
Singapore
5
Austria
4
Brazil
4
Ireland
4
Turkey
4
France
3
Norway
3
Qatar
3
Spain
2
Written from the 8 awards on this page — every figure below is counted from what the awards themselves state. 5 min read.
This page collects 8 scholarships in Switzerland that are open to Nigerian students. Every one of the 8 is labelled fully funded by the award itself, so there is no partially funded option to weigh against a self-funded one here. The awards sit at four study levels: 7 are master's awards, 2 are fellowships, 1 is a PhD award and 1 is postdoctoral. Some awards appear at more than one level, which is why those figures add up to more than 8.
Switzerland is a small country with a short list of federal and university-funded awards. That is what makes this page narrow rather than long. If you are looking for a taught master's with tuition covered and a monthly stipend attached, this is the right list to work through. If you are looking for undergraduate funding, this is not it.
The providers named on this page are the Swiss Government and Swiss universities, ETH Zurich, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), the University of Lausanne, IMD and IRP. Six providers, 8 awards.
The pattern matters for how you apply. Some of these are government awards, which means a formal application route that may sit outside the university's own admissions portal. Others are institutional awards, which means you are usually applying to the university and indicating interest in the scholarship in the same process. Read the individual award page before you assume which one you are dealing with, because the two routes have different closing dates and different documents.
Because all 8 are labelled fully funded, the useful question is not whether they cover costs but what the award text actually names. Of the 8, 3 name tuition in their own description, 2 name accommodation, and 1 each names living costs, travel and health insurance.
That gap is worth understanding rather than worrying about. "Fully funded" is a label the award applies to itself; the itemised benefits are what the award spells out in writing. Where a benefit is not named, the award page is the place to check the detail, not this summary. Do not assume a stipend amount, a housing allowance or a flight is included because the label says fully funded. Check the page for the award you are actually applying to.
Of the 8 awards on this page, 6 are open to Nigerian applicants. Within that group, none names Nigeria or a specific region as a condition, and all 6 carry no nationality restriction. The remaining 2 awards do not state an eligibility position on the award itself.
That is a straightforward picture for a Nigerian applicant. There is no award here that names Nigeria as a requirement, and there is no award here that excludes Nigerian nationals in its stated text. Where eligibility is not stated, treat it as an open question to resolve with the provider rather than as either a yes or a no.
For context on the scale of the Nigerian presence in Switzerland: the UNESCO Institute for Statistics recorded 110 Nigerian students in Switzerland in 2024, ranking the country 57th as a destination for Nigerian students. Switzerland is not a high-volume destination. That cuts both ways. The community is small, and the competition for these particular awards is not the same crowd you meet on a UK or Canadian application.
The subject spread is wide for a list of 8. Business and Management appears on 2 awards. Arts and Humanities, Computer Science and IT, Energy and Environment, Engineering, Law, Natural Sciences, Public Policy and Development, and Social Sciences each appear on 1.
If you hold a B.Sc or HND and you are aiming at a taught master's, the master's-heavy shape of this list works in your favour: 7 of the 8 awards sit at that level. If you are coming out of an M.Sc and looking at doctoral work, the list is thinner. One PhD award and one postdoctoral award, and the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships is the entry that spans master's, PhD and postdoctoral study.
The stated requirements across these awards are worth planning around, because they are the parts of a Nigerian application that take the longest to assemble.
Two of those four are the practical bottlenecks. An English test means booking a date, paying the fee and waiting for the result to reach you, and then for the score to be sent on. Letters of recommendation mean giving your referees enough notice that they are not writing under pressure the week the portal closes. If a research proposal is required, that is not a document you draft in an afternoon; it needs a supervisor's eye and at least one round of revision.
Start with the transcript. In Nigeria, transcript requests from your institution, plus verification and courier, run on their own timeline, and no scholarship deadline moves for it. Request early, confirm the destination address the provider wants, and keep the tracking details.
Of the 8 awards, 3 carry a stated date, 3 are marked as still open, 5 are undated on the page and 3 are recurring, meaning the deadline repeats on an annual cycle rather than closing for good. The busiest months across this list are November with 2 deadlines and October with 1.
Three awards close soonest, and these are the ones to open first:
The recurring awards are worth noting separately, because a missed cycle is not a lost opportunity. The EPFL Excellence Fellowships 2027 Switzerland | Fully Funded runs on an annual cycle with dates of 31 March or 15 December. The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2026–2027 (Fully Funded) covers master's, PhD and postdoctoral study, and its deadline sits on the award page rather than in this summary. The University of Geneva Excellence Masters Fellowships 2026 is also undated here, so the page is where you confirm the current cycle.
Where a duration is stated, it is a master's-length commitment: 3 or 4 semesters on one award, 1.5-year or 2-year master's programmes on another, 2 years on two more. Plan your funding for the full period, not the first year.
Work in this order. Open the three dated awards first, since they close soonest, and confirm on each page whether you apply through the university or through a separate government route. Then check the eligibility wording on the two awards that do not state a position, and email the provider if it is unclear. Then settle your documents: transcript request lodged, English test booked if the award asks for one, referees briefed with the deadline and the link.
Read the award page for anything this summary does not state. Where a benefit, a deadline or an eligibility condition is not named here, it is because the brief does not carry it, and the award's own page is the authority. Eight awards is a short list, which means each one deserves a proper read rather than a skim.
Looking to study in one of Europe’s most advanced and beautiful countries—without the burden of high tuition fees? Switzerland offers fully funded scholarships for Nigerian students in the academic year 2025-2026, making it an ideal destination for those seeking world-class education, cutting-edge research, and a high quality of life.
Known for its top-ranked universities like ETH Zurich, University of Geneva, EPFL, and University of Lausanne, Switzerland welcomes talented students from around the world through generous government-funded and university-specific scholarships. These prestigious awards cover full tuition fees, monthly living stipends, health insurance, housing, and travel costs—providing financial relief while allowing students to focus on academic excellence.
Whether you’re aiming for a master’s degree, PhD, or postdoctoral research, scholarships such as the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships, ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarships, and EPFL Fellowships offer a fully funded path to studying in Switzerland.
In this detailed guide, we’ll explore the top fully funded scholarships in Switzerland for international students 2025-2026, complete with benefits, application requirements, and step-by-step instructions to help you succeed.
Dreaming of studying in one of Europe’s most scenic, innovative, and academically renowned countries? Sw...
*UNESCO Institute for Statistics, inbound internationally mobile students from Nigeria, 2024.
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