EPFL Master Excellence Fellowships

The EPFL Master Excellence Fellowships support outstanding students beginning a Master’s degree. For the 2027 cycle, the important practical point is that fellowship consideration depends on applying within the first Master’s application window. A later application may still be considered for admission, but it will not qualify for the fellowship.

If you are applying from Nigeria, students from institutions outside EPFL are included in the stated applicant pool. However, this does not explicitly confirm Nigerian citizenship or residence eligibility. Verify those points before committing substantial time or money to your application.

Opportunity Summary

About the Opportunity

EPFL awards a limited number of fellowships to candidates with remarkable academic results and achievements beyond their studies. Academic background is a crucial part of the assessment, but EPFL also considers research, entrepreneurship and societal commitment. Examples include publications, prizes, patent applications, start-up creation, civic activities and organising events. Sporting and artistic achievements are also mentioned.

These examples describe the range of accomplishments EPFL considers; they are not a checklist requiring you to have achievements in every category. Your preparation should focus on presenting your strongest relevant work accurately, rather than trying to manufacture a broader profile.

The confirmed financial support is CHF 10,000 per semester, alongside guaranteed housing. Guaranteed housing is not stated to mean free accommodation. The information also does not establish that tuition, travel and all living expenses are covered, so this should not be treated as a confirmed fully funded award.

The total award duration is not specified in the supplied information. Renewal for a second year requires at least 50 ECTS credits and an overall average of 5.0/6. You should therefore distinguish the initial award from continued funding: second-year support is conditional on academic performance.

Funding and Benefits

• Financial support of CHF 10,000 per semester. The supplied information does not establish that this covers all study and living expenses.
• Guaranteed housing alongside the fellowship. Free housing is not confirmed; verify accommodation costs and conditions.
• Second-year renewal is possible subject to obtaining at least 50 ECTS credits and an overall average of 5.0/6.

Who Can Apply?

• The fellowship is intended for outstanding students beginning their Master’s studies at EPFL.
• The stated applicant pool includes students who obtained their Bachelor’s degree at EPFL and those who began university studies at another institution.
• Selection considers remarkable academic results and achievements beyond academic study. EPFL offers only a limited number of awards.
• Applicants must meet the relevant first-window deadline to receive fellowship consideration. Applications submitted afterwards may still be considered for Master’s admission, but not for the fellowship.
• Programme-specific admission conditions and explicit Nigerian citizenship or residence eligibility are not established by the supplied information and need verification.

What Nigerian Applicants Should Know

• Citizenship: applicants from other institutions are included, but Nigerian citizenship eligibility is not explicitly confirmed. Verify this before treating yourself as eligible.
• Residence: permission to apply while living in Nigeria is not expressly stated. Check whether any residence-related conditions apply to your circumstances.
• Academic and professional recognition: the supplied information does not explain how Nigerian qualifications are assessed or establish any professional recognition outcome. Confirm academic admission requirements for your chosen programme separately.
• Immigration and work permission: visa sponsorship, relocation support and work rights are not stated. Do not infer them from the fellowship award.
• Study location and remote participation: Lausanne is identified as the location, but remote study from Nigeria is not confirmed. Verify attendance and relocation expectations before planning.

Required Documents

• The requested application file. Its individual contents are not listed in the supplied information; check the official application instructions before preparing or submitting documents.

How to Apply

1. 1. Identify your Master’s programme and check its admission requirements. Fellowship consideration does not remove the need to qualify for the degree. Confirm how your Nigerian academic qualifications will be assessed.
2. 2. Establish your application route. The notice gives December 15 for applications submitted through IS-Academia and January 31 for EPFL students applying for a consecutive Master’s degree. Internal candidates continuing in the same field submit directly to their section.
3. 3. Verify the calendar year attached to your deadline. Although the notice concerns the 2027 fellowship, it does not explicitly give the year for either listed date. Do not assume both deadlines fall in the same calendar year or use one date for every applicant category.
4. 4. Check the official instructions for the requested application file. Prepare the specified material and follow the requirements for your route; the supplied information does not provide an itemised document list or file-format rules.
5. 5. For the Master’s application-form route, select the corresponding fellowship box and provide the requested application file. If you are an internal candidate continuing in the same field, follow the direct-to-section route instead.
6. 6. Submit within the applicable first application window. Do not rely on a later admission window for funding consideration: the notice explicitly separates continued admission consideration from fellowship eligibility after the deadline.

Visit the official application page

Application Tips

Optional preparation advice: build a concise record of your academic and extracurricular achievements before completing the application. For each achievement, note what you did, your individual contribution and the outcome. This is a preparation exercise, not an additional document requirement.

Hypothetical example: if you helped organise a community science event, explain your responsibility and what the event achieved. Do not describe yourself as its founder if you only volunteered. Similarly, distinguish a submitted research paper from an accepted publication. Accurate descriptions help you present a credible profile without overstating your record.

Prepare a funding-gap budget separately from your application. Check accommodation charges, tuition and other expected expenses against the confirmed fellowship support. Do not assume that guaranteed housing removes rent from your budget, and do not rely on second-year renewal as unconditional income.

Final submission check: confirm your applicant category, the full deadline date and applicable time zone, the requested application-file contents and the correct submission route. For the Master’s-form route, check that you have selected fellowship consideration. Review names, academic details and achievement descriptions for consistency, then retain any submission confirmation made available. These are practical checks, not additional EPFL requirements.

Information checked 10 November 2026.