- PARTIAL U.S. GRANTS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
- Preliminary information
Special application procedure for U.S. grants - Pre-selection
Information and documents for application preparation - Final selection
Application information - Medicus Student Exchange Program
Information - Fulbright Program
Information on the website of the U.S. Embassy Bern
- Preliminary information
- FURTHER FINANCIAL AID
- Information on the website of the U.S. Embassy Bern
- Funding for U.S. Study online
Extensive database of scholarships, fellowships and grants organized and maintained by the Institute of International Education (IIE)
- A Successful Start in the USA - A Guide for Swiss Students, Researchers and Engineers
PRELIMINARY INFORMATION
Special application procedure for U.S. grants
The Rectors' Conference of the Swiss Universities CRUS administers three partial grant programs for graduate and postgraduate students:
- Fulbright Foreign Student Program - partial grants of about US$ 20'000 each
8 Fulbright grants sponsored by the United States Department of State and
1 - 2 privately sponsored “Friends of Fulbright” grants (the exact number will be known in summer) - International Fulbright Science and Technology Award for Outstanding Foreign Students
The Science & Technology Award, funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), Department of State, allows recipients to obtain doctor’s degrees at top U.S. colleges and universities with programs of study in science, technology, or engineering. Selected grantees will be funded for up to three years and will receive the following: tuition and fee coverage / a monthly stipend / book and equipment allowance / research allowance / professional conference allowance / travel support / health and accident coverage and specially tailored enrichment activities. After three years, U.S. universities will be expected to cover the remaining expenses toward completion of a Ph.D. - Medicus Student Exchange Fund - partial grants of about US$ 5'000 each
The Swiss Benevolent Society of New York (SBS) administers 3 - 5 partial grants from a fund established by Dr. Heinrich Medicus to promote student exchange between Switzerland and the United States.
Application preparation for the Fulbright Foreign Student and the Foreign Fulbright Science and Technology Ph.D. programs is very time-consuming. CRUS therefore decided to introduce a pre-selection. This pre-selection is handled at the same time for all three programs. The candidates will then be designated to one of these programs depending on the characteristics of their application.
Eligibility
Qualifications for the application are an excellent graduate degree from a Swiss university or a Swiss university of applied sciences and good knowledge of English (for details please refer to the latest announcement).
Please note: Applications for studies in medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry and clinical psychology cannot be accepted due to U.S.-university requirements; however, the Master’s degree in Public Health does not fall in this category. Furthermore, contrary to other countries, grants for postdoc candidates are not offered to Switzerland within the Fulbright Program.
The application procedure is different from the remaining countries offering grants (in two steps starting off with the pre-selection more than one year ahead of taking up studies in the USA):
- pre-application at any time
- mailing of the first documents: in April
- Fulbright Foreign Student/Medicus Student Exchange Program:
- deadline for the pre-selection: May 29
- deadline for the final selection: August 7
- selection of the Fulbright Foreign Student grantees: around mid-September
- selection of the Medicus Student Exchange grantees: June or July (following the year of the application)
- International Fulbright Science and Technology Award:
- deadline for the pre-selection: April 22
- deadline for the final selection: June 22
- selection of the Fulbright Science and Technology Award holders:at the beginning of October
Pre-application form: Word
Latest announcement for the three above mentioned programs for general information (pdf)
PRE-SELECTION
Information and documents for application preparation
Please note that general information will be in English, whereas individual messages will be in either French or German. The documents for pre-selection must be in our office by May 29. It is possible to indicate three universities of your choice in the forms. In this case it should be verified with these universities whether they have departments offering the academic program leading to the desired degree. Ph.D. students would also have to get in touch with several departments that best suit their research needs and check with them if they can be accepted. In both cases, copies of the correspondence for this purpose must be attached to the application for final selection.
The TOEFL score report must be available at the time of application for final selection (minimum TOEFL scores: 100 for internet-based and 600 for paper-based testing). Candidates must designate IIE as their test score recipient as follows:
- for the TOEFL and GRE, candidates have to indicate IIE and code 2326 on the registration forms and/or the forms provided at the test.
- for the GMAT, candidates have to indicate IIE and Code: FOF-4J-28.
Towards the end of June, the application forms for the final selection and information materials will be sent to the pre-selected candidates:
- Application documents
- Information materials
- Extract of the Fulbright application form:
PDF - Information leaflet "Summary of Academic Record instead of Transcript":
PDF - A Successful Start in the USA - A Guide for Swiss Students, Researchers and Engineers
(on the website of the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington. D.C.)
FINAL SELECTION
Please be aware that the application procedure for the final selection is time-consuming!
1. Documents
Documents must be either in English or accompanied by certified English translations. All diplomas and academic records (transcripts) must be accompanied by certified English translations. Translations should be literal. The comparison of degrees and/or grades should be left to U.S. admissions officers. The forms and the supporting documents must be in our office by August 15.
2. Description of Academic Objectives
The application form provides space for the candidate to describe his/her study objectives. This information is extremely important. Each applicant should be specific in describing major study fields and specialized interests. The candidate's precise description of wishes and interests determines the university programs to which IIE submits applications. The study plan should focus clearly on a single major field and be as detailed, complete, and concise as possible. Not every applicant will use all the space available on the form.
Candidates applying for non-degree admission or for a visiting research affiliation (mentored pre-doctoral research-only program) should be especially clear about their study objectives and what they hope to accomplish in the United States, as policies dealing with non-degree admission or visiting research programs vary considerably from university to university, and often from one department to another within the same institution. Access to course work, faculty time, and university facilities may be defined differently in individual cases and priority may be given to degree candidates. A clear academic objectives statement from the applicant is especially important. It helps IIE to identify programs that will provide students the opportunity to fulfill specific goals.
Furthermore, U.S. schools normally expect that non-degree applicants will use the credits they obtain towards the completion of some other qualification overseas. U.S. schools therefore will look for this logical connection when reviewing applications. Normally, U.S. schools do not admit non-degree applicants when this connection is not demonstrated by the applicant.
3. Applicants for Doctoral Studies
It is possible to apply for the following degree objectives:
- "Non-degree" for coursework study
- "Visiting Researcher" for a mentored pre-doctoral research-only program
- "Doctorate" to complete a Ph.D. degree in the USA
Candidates should NOT indicate Ph.D. if they want to do U.S. coursework at that level or if research will be applied towards completion of a doctoral degree in Switzerland. However, applicants should clearly demonstrate the use of the credits they obtain towards the completion of the degree. For those who intend to obtain a Ph.D. degree in the USA, it is important to make sure that the previous studies in Switzerland will fit the Ph.D. program of the preferred university.
Please note that the Fulbright Foreign Student Program is understood to be for pre-doctoral students. Therefore, researchers who will conduct full-time advanced research at the postdoctoral level are technically ineligible for a Fulbright Foreign Student grant.
4. Application for Final Selection
The application form for the final selection and the supporting documentation are available online at http://foreign.fulbrightonline.org/fulbrightpage.html. For detailed information concerning the online application, please refer to either the "Instructions for Completing the Fulbright Foreign Student Program Application" or the "Instructions for Completing the International Fulbright Science and Technology Award Application".
MEDICUS STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM
General Information
Dr. Heinrich Medicus, a retired Swiss professor from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Albany) made an permanent gift of stock to the Swiss Benevolent Society of New York (SBS) to establish a student exchange program between Switzerland and the U.S. for qualified students.
This exchange program will be administered under the umbrella of the Scholarship Committee of the SBS. The SBS will select appropriate recipients in the U.S., and CRUS in Switzerland. Each year, the funds available for distribution are to be evenly divided between the two countries.
Qualifications
These scholarships are open to Swiss graduates and postgraduates of all fields of study (not recommended are medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry and clinical psychology). Those who are interested must fulfill the following minimum conditions:
- Swiss citizenship
- at time of application for final selection (August), excellent graduate degree from a Swiss university or a Swiss university of applied sciences
- good knowledge of English with a TOEFL Internet-based iBT score of 100 or higher (TOEFL score report available at time of application for the final selection)
Application and Selection
Applicants can obtain registration forms and information on studies in the U.S. at CRUS. CRUS selects the incoming applications in a two-stage process:
- Application deadline for pre-selection: May 29 (on CRUS-registration form)
- Application deadline for final selection: August 7 (with Fulbright application form and all supporting documents)
Our office also uses the Fulbright application forms for the Medicus grants. The procedure is less complicated, compared to the Fulbright application.
Medicus candidates do NOT have to:
- hand in transcripts
- translate the academic records and submit the letters of recommendation/reference in English (However, as most universities require these documents in English, we would still recommend their preparation in English.)
- designate IIE as a score recipient when taking exams
All candidates have to apply individually and in advance to the university of their choice.Upon receipt of a copy of the admission letter by the admission's office of the host university (and not by the professor or department), our office will consider the candidates for the final selection and a possible nomination for a grant.
The final selection and nomination of the grantees usually takes place during the summer following the year of the application, after the announcement of the total amount of financial support by the Swiss Benevolent Society of New York, which manages the Medicus Student Exchange Fund financially.
Grant Conditions
- Admission to a U.S. university must be confirmed before the grant candidates will be considered for the final selection.
- Grants amount to a minimum of US$ 5,000, depending on the funds available and the number of applicants.
- Depending on the cost of the U.S. university to which the grantee is accepted and the availability of tuition awards, the above mentioned partial grants might not cover study and living expenses. Therefore, the applicant may need additional funds.
Further Information
- For Swiss graduates and postgraduates wishing to study in the USA:
Rectors' Conference of the Swiss Universities CRUS
Service of Scholarships
P.O. Box 607
CH-3000 Berne 9
Tel. 0041 (0)31 306 60 56
Fax 0041 (0)31 306 60 50
e-mail: stip(at)crus.ch
For Swiss residents in the USA wishing to study in Switzerland:
Swiss Benevolent Society of New York SBS
500 Fifth Avenue, Room 1800
New York NY 10110
Tel. (212) 246-0655
Fax (212) 246-1366
No comments:
Post a Comment