ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP) 2027

Overview

Merit-based ETH Zurich scholarship for incoming Master's students: a full tuition fee waiver plus a CHF 12,000 per-semester stipend. About 60 awards for the 2027/28 intake; apply via eApply between 1–30 November 2026.

Application Process

The ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP) is a merit-based scholarship for outstanding students beginning a full-time Master’s degree at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. It combines a full tuition fee waiver with a CHF 12,000 per-semester stipend, and around 60 scholarships are awarded to incoming students for the 2027/28 academic year.

Opportunity

ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP) 2027/28

Type

Merit-Based Master’s Scholarship (Tuition Fee Waiver + Stipend)

University

ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich)

Country

Switzerland

Location

Zurich, Switzerland

Study Level

Master’s Degree (full-time, standard programme duration of three to four semesters)

Applicants who are already enrolled in an ETH Zurich Master’s programme, or who already hold a Master’s degree, are not eligible. ETH Bachelor’s students moving directly into a consecutive Master’s programme may still apply.

Who Can Apply

Applicants must:

• Hold, or be about to complete, a Bachelor’s degree with a very good academic record — broadly, ranking in the top 10% of their Bachelor’s programme (equivalent to grade “A”)
• Be applying for admission to a full-time ETH Zurich Master’s programme (excluding MAS programmes) starting in Autumn Semester 2027 (HS27)
• Not already be enrolled in an ETH Zurich Master’s programme or already hold a Master’s degree
• Be reachable for a possible telephone or video interview in February 2027

No nationality restriction is stated by ETH Zurich for this scholarship.

Fields of Study

Open to incoming Master’s students in all ETH Zurich departments — the scholarship is not restricted to a specific subject, as long as the applicant is admitted to an eligible full-time Master’s programme.

Funding

• Full tuition fee waiver for the standard duration of the Master’s programme (three to four semesters)
• CHF 12,000 stipend per semester
• Approximately 60 ESOP scholarships awarded for the 2027/28 intake

Required Documents

• Standard ETH Zurich Master’s admission documents
• A short pre-proposal for the intended Master’s thesis
• Two reference letters from professors, if not already required by the chosen Master’s programme

Application Deadline

November 30, 2026. The ESOP application window runs from November 1 to November 30, 2026, and applies to Master’s programmes starting in Autumn Semester 2027 (HS27). Applicants must submit their scholarship application within this window to be considered for ESOP.

Selection Timeline

Shortlisted applicants may be contacted for a telephone or video interview in February 2027. Final decisions are communicated by the end of March 2027.

How to Apply

Apply through ETH Zurich’s online eApply system as part of the regular Master’s admission application, submitting the ESOP scholarship request within the same process. Include the standard admission documents, a Master’s thesis pre-proposal, and reference letters where required, before the November 30, 2026 deadline.