Full Program Details
Every November, some of the strongest bachelor's graduates in the world make ETH Zurich the same quiet bet: that their grades, a short research idea and two professors' letters are enough to earn a master's degree in Zurich without paying for it. Only about 60 of them win.
That bet is the Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme, or ESOP. It waives your tuition, pays a living grant every semester, and adds mentoring and access to the ETH Foundation network. For the 2027/28 intake the window is short: it opens on 1 November 2026 and closes on 30 November 2026.
ESOP scholars pay no tuition and receive a living and study grant of CHF 12,000 per semester, which ETH says rises to CHF 13,500 per semester from autumn 2027, the semester this intake starts.
Details at a glance:
- Host: ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Switzerland
- Level: Master's degree (not MAS programmes)
- Awards: about 60 scholarships for 2027/28, depending on available funds
- Value: tuition fee waiver plus a grant for living and study costs each semester
- Duration: the regular length of your master's, which is three or four semesters
- Application window: 1 to 30 November 2026
- Decisions: end of March 2027
- Programme start: autumn semester 2027 (HS27)
What the Scholarship Covers
- A full tuition fee waiver for the regular length of your master's programme
- A grant for living and study costs: CHF 12,000 per semester on the current page, with CHF 13,500 per semester from HS27 onwards
- Mentorship and access to the network of the ETH Foundation
Zurich is one of the most expensive cities in Europe, so treat the grant as a solid base for rent and food rather than a cushion. Budget carefully before you accept.
Who Can Apply
- Students applying for a master's programme at ETH Zurich. ETH's page lists no nationality limit, so applicants from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, India, the US and anywhere else can apply.
- You must have a very good bachelor's result: roughly the top 10% of your bachelor's programme (grade A), based on your own assessment.
- You must also meet the normal admission requirements of the master's programme you choose.
- You must be reachable by phone at the number on your CV, because a phone or video interview may take place in February 2027.
You cannot apply if you already hold a master's degree or are already enrolled in an ETH master's programme. Only ETH's own bachelor students may start ESOP with a leave of absence.
How to Apply
There is no separate scholarship portal. You apply for your master's place and for ESOP together, in the first application window only.
- Choose your master's programme and check its admission requirements on the ETH website.
- Open eApply, ETH's online master's application, between 1 and 30 November 2026.
- Upload the standard admission documents for your programme.
- Add a self-written pre-proposal for your master's thesis, following ETH's guidelines. Cite your sources properly: plagiarism or false information leads to exclusion, or to the award being withdrawn later.
- If your programme does not ask for references, name two professors. ETH emails them and they upload their letters directly.
- Submit early. ETH's page gives the cut-off on 30 November as 11.59h MEZ (Central European Time) in one place and 12.59 MEZ in another, so do not leave it to the last evening.
Selection Timeline
- Applications: 1 to 30 November 2026
- Possible phone or video interviews: February 2027
- Decisions communicated: end of March 2027
The admissions committee of each master's programme reviews the files, and the Rector of ETH Zurich makes the final decision.
GizPulse Verdict
Who this is for: Graduates in engineering, computer science, the natural sciences and related fields who finished near the very top of their class and want a world-class master's in Europe without tuition bills.
Who should pause: If you already hold a master's degree, or your bachelor's result is well outside the top 10%, this is not your scholarship. Look at the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for research stays, or the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship in France.
One tip to stand out: The thesis pre-proposal is where most strong applicants look the same. Name a specific ETH lab or professor whose work you want to build on, state one clear research question, and show the method you would use. Selectors are picking future researchers, not just good transcripts.
Read the full rules and apply through eApply on the official ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship page.
