Conservatorio della
Svizzera italiana
via Soldino 9
CH-6900 Lugano

Student Grants Service

The University of Music offers assistance through the Student Grants Service of the Student Office to students who, being in serious financial difficulty and in genuine need of support, intend to submit a request for a student grant.

There is no right to or guarantee of receipt of a grant, and any financial support obtained will in no case cover the full cost of study.


Financial support

Financial support is provided by a variety of funding sources, in particular by foundations, credit institutions and private donors, as well as by the Swiss Confederation, which, through a committee called ESKAS (Eidgenössische Stipendienkommission ausländischen Studierenden Universitätsstipendien), awards grants to foreign students from a list of countries established by the Confederation. It also provides opportunities to study for at least a year at a Swiss University. Applications must be submitted to the Swiss embassy in the student’s country of origin.


How to apply

Students wishing to apply for a grant must submit the following documentation to the Student Office of the Student Grants Service:

• a chronological CV, accompanied by a photograph of the applicant with his/her instrument
• a budget (form available from the Student Office)
• one or more references from present or former teachers
• copies of the applicant’s most important diplomas
• certificate of matriculation at the Conservatorio
• a letter outlining the reasons for the application

The application may be made:

• before arriving in Switzerland
• in the first months of the academic year (September/October), once the student has already begun his/her studies in Switzerland

Applications received after this time will not be considered.

As a rule financial support is given only to students who have attended the University for more than a year.

Assessment of an application will take into consideration not only the applicant’s financial needs but also the enthusiasm, interest, involvement and commitment shown in relation to the everyday life of and activities promoted by the University.

As well as helping students to prepare the appropriate documentation, the Student Grant Service is responsible for forwarding an application to a potential source of funding, taking care to select a suitable source for the student in question. Decisions as to which grant applications should be forwarded are made by the directorate of the University, once all cases have been considered. If an application is successful, funds are paid directly by the funding source into the student’s bank account.