At the University of Lausanne, it is possible to pursue a PhD while being funded by a scholarship.
Important: receiving a doctoral scholarship does not mean that you have an employment contract with the University. To distinguish between the two, an employment contract is a document issued by Human Resources that specifies a workload percentage. As a scholarship holder, you will be considered by UNIL as a student.
Among the most common scholarships for researchers coming from outside Switzerland are:
- Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship
- China Scholarship Council
- Scholarship from the Republic of Indonesia
The amounts granted under these three scholarships are unfortunately insufficient to live on in Switzerland, especially in cities with a high cost of living such as Lausanne. It is generally estimated that a minimum income of CHF 2,500 per month is needed to live decently in Switzerland.
To supplement your scholarship, your supervisor may offer you a PAT contract of up to 20%. You may also apply independently for a complementary scholarship from UNIL. Please note that it is not possible to hold both a PAT contract and receive the supplementary grant at the same time.
For Swiss Government scholarship holders, your health insurance provider is Swiss Advisor. Details regarding the coverage of your medical costs can be found here. Please note that the annual deductible is 300 francs, which means that the insurance will only cover your medical expenses once they exceed 300 francs each year.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us!