ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship Switzerland 2027 | Fully Funded Master’s
The ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship Switzerland & Opportunity Programme (ESOP) has one application window for autumn 2027, from November 1 to November 30, 2026, and the deadline is 12:00 noon Central European Time, not midnight. As of October 23, 2026, the window opens in nine days. ESOP pays a tuition fee waiver plus a living allowance for the regular length of a Master’s degree, and ETH plans about 60 awards for 2027/28. You cannot apply for it on its own, because it is part of the Master’s application.
ETH’s ESOP page names no countries, so Pakistani graduates are not excluded. They must meet the same strict conditions as everyone else: a Bachelor’s result in the top 10 percent of the programme, a place in an ETH Master’s programme, and a pre-proposal for the Master’s thesis. This guide explains the money, the noon deadline, the English-language rule that rejects applications on formal grounds, and the points where an ESOP application is only as strong as the admission file behind it.
ETH Excellence Scholarship Switzerland at a Glance
| Programme | Excellence Scholarship Switzerland & Opportunity Programme (ESOP) at ETH Zurich |
| Level | Master’s degree programmes (not MAS) |
| Entry | Autumn semester 2027 (HS27) |
| Value | A tuition fee waiver plus CHF 13,500 per semester from HS27 (it was CHF 12,000 per semester before) |
| Length | The regular duration of the Master’s programme, three or four semesters, including the tuition waiver |
| Awards | About 60 for the 2027/28 academic year. The exact number depends on available funds |
| Application window | November 1, 2026 to November 30, 2026, 12:00 noon CET |
| Possible interview | February 2027, by phone or video |
| Decision | End of March 2027, made by the Rector of ETH Zurich |
| Extra support | Mentorship and a network through the ETH Foundation |
| Contact | Financial Aid Office, +41 44 632 20 23 or +41 44 632 20 88 |
As our own arithmetic, the living allowance alone comes to CHF 40,500 over three semesters (3 × 13,500) or CHF 54,000 over four. These totals leave out the tuition waiver, and they are not official ETH figures.
Who Qualifies
- Bachelor’s result: a very good result, meaning the top 10 percent of your Bachelor’s programme, which ETH describes as grade A. ETH says this is based on your own self-assessment.
- Master’s admission: you must also be admitted to an ETH Master’s programme, so you must meet that programme’s own requirements.
- First window only: you must apply between November 1 and November 30. ESOP is not open in the later round.
- Not for current ETH Master’s students: if you are already enrolled in an ETH Master’s degree or hold a Master’s degree, you are not eligible.
- Phone availability: the selection process may include a phone or video interview in February, so keep the phone number in your CV reachable.
The Master’s admission rules are separate and tough. Your Bachelor’s must be from a university recognised in its own country and cover at least three years of full-time study or 180 ECTS credits. You do not need the degree certificate on the day you apply, but you must show proof by the start of the semester. ETH says meeting the prerequisites does not guarantee admission. The committee also weighs your grades, the ranking of your university, your background in the field, standardized tests such as the GRE where required, your motivation letter and your recommendation letters.
ETH also publishes minimum overall average grades for some programmes, mainly for countries that send many applications. The country names did not show in the text version of that page, so check it directly. ETH adds that applicants from countries without a listed minimum are still expected to be among the best of their cohort.
An ESOP application depends on two decisions made by different people. The Master’s Admissions Committee evaluates your application, and the Rector then decides the scholarship Switzerland . If the programme does not admit you, the scholarship Switzerland cannot follow. That makes the pre-proposal, the grades and the interview carry more weight than the scholarship Switzerland form itself, because ETH says your pre-proposal will be discussed with a professor or scientist during the interview. Spend your effort on a strong admission file first, then on the pre-proposal.
Key Dates for the 2027 Round
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Master’s application window opens | November 1, 2026, 00:00 CET |
| Application deadline (and ESOP window closes) | November 30, 2026, 12:00 noon CET |
| Possible phone or video interview | February 2027 |
| ESOP decisions announced | End of March 2027 |
| Start of studies | Autumn semester 2027 |
ETH is not fully consistent in how it writes the deadline. Its ESOP page says 11.59h MEZ, its dates page says 11:59 AM CET, and its eApply portal says 12:00 CET (noon). All three point to the middle of the day, not midnight. As our own calculation, 12:00 CET (UTC+1) on November 30 is about 16:00 in Pakistan (UTC+5). The ESOP page’s metadata still mentions the 2022/23 academic year and a December 15 deadline, which is outdated, and we follow the body text and the dates page.
Late or incomplete applications cannot be processed, and ETH does not allow a language certificate to be added after the deadline. An invalid, insufficient or missing language certificate leads to rejection on formal grounds, before any department looks at your file. Plan to submit at least a day before the noon deadline, not on the last evening.
How to Apply, Step by Step
- Choose your programme and read its profile of requirements first. ETH says the profiles list the knowledge and skills it expects from a graduate of an equivalent ETH Bachelor’s.
- Register in eApply, ETH’s online application portal. ESOP is part of this Master’s application.
- Upload the documents that ETH lists for your programme. Documents not in German, French, Italian or English need both the original and an English translation, from the issuing university or an authorised professional translator.
- Provide a language certificate or a qualifying exemption by the deadline (next section).
- Add the ESOP pre-proposal. If your programme does not ask for references, you must also name two professors as references. The system emails them to upload a reference letter.
- Submit before the noon deadline on November 30.
ETH Zurich eApply application portal
English Language: The Rule That Rejects Applications
Most ETH Master’s programmes are taught in English, and you must prove your English by the deadline. ETH accepts a recognised certificate (TOEFL, IELTS, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency appear in its list), and TOEFL, IELTS and C1 Advanced certificates must be no more than two years old. For TOEFL, ETH’s institution code is 9038, and for IELTS you enter the test date and your TRF number in the online form. The page does not show the minimum scores in the text version we could read, so check your programme’s requirement before you book a test.
You can skip the test only if your whole Bachelor’s degree was taught in English and your university confirms it officially. The confirmation must come from the central administration, such as the Registrar’s Office, with an official stamp and signature. Letters from teachers or professors are not accepted. No confirmation is needed for Bachelor’s degrees from Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States. ETH says that if you have any doubt, you should take a language test.
Writing the Pre-Proposal
The pre-proposal is a short outline of a possible Master’s thesis, in no more than 500 words, with references not counted. ETH says the committee uses it to judge whether you can think through a scientific topic on your own and design a research project. A suggested structure is a title, an introduction, objectives, methods, background and prior work, a timetable with milestones, and references.
Keep the plan realistic. ETH says a Master’s thesis takes four to six months depending on the programme, so your milestones must fit that time. You must write the pre-proposal yourself and cite sources in the usual scientific way. ETH says plagiarism or false information leads to exclusion from admission, or to withdrawal of the admission and any scholarship Switzerland if found later.
Notes for Pakistani Applicants
ETH’s pages describe no Pakistan-specific route and name no countries for ESOP. Two points deserve a check. First, your Bachelor’s must be from a university recognised in its home country and must run at least three years or 180 ECTS, so confirm your own degree length against that rule. Second, Pakistan is not on the list of countries whose English-taught Bachelor’s degrees need no confirmation, so an English-medium degree needs the official confirmation from your university’s central administration, or a test. ETH says that if the confirmation does not meet its rules, the application is rejected directly. Questions about ESOP go to the Financial Aid Office, and questions about admission go to the Admissions Office.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. ETH says you must apply in the first application window, November 1 to 30, 2026, to be considered for ESOP. The April round is only for candidates with a Swiss Bachelor’s degree.
ESOP applications go through eApply, as part of the Master’s application. In addition to the admission documents, you upload the pre-proposal, and you name two professors as references if your programme does not already ask for references.
ETH awards ESOP for the regular duration of the Master’s programme, which is three or four semesters. The tuition fee waiver runs for the same period.
You are not eligible for ESOP if you hold a Master’s degree or are already enrolled in a Master’s degree programme at ETH Zurich.
Official Sources
- ETH Zurich: Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (value, eligibility, window, decisions)
- ETH Zurich: Application Dates, Autumn Semester 2027 (the two Master’s windows)
- ETH Zurich: Master’s admission prerequisites (formal, academic and performance prerequisites)
- ETH Zurich: Language requirements (recognised certificates, exemptions)
- ETH Zurich: Required application documents (translations, institution codes)
- ETH Zurich: Minimum overall average grades (programmes and countries with minimums)
- ETH Zurich: Pre-proposal guidelines (PDF) (word limit and structure)
- ETH Zurich eApply application portal (application period and login)
Information in this guide was checked against the official pages above on October 23, 2026.
Scholarship requirements, deadlines, and funding details can change. Always verify current information directly with the official provider before applying.
ScholarshipOrbit is an independent guidance resource and is not affiliated with ETH Zurich, the ETH Foundation, or any organization mentioned above.
