Financial Aid

Complementary exchange assistance

Publics:  unige hesge

You meet the requirements to apply for a cantonal grant? Submit your application now for faster processing.

The Financial Aid Service is open to students, at Campus Life information point, on Wednesdays from 10am to 12pm and Thursdays from 2pm to 4pm. ​​​​​

Incomplete applications cannot be processed. The application will be returned to the student for review and resubmission.

The aim of the additional exchange aid is to enable students, who due to financial constraints, could not carry out their study project abroad or within the framework of national exchange. Before any request, an exchange agreement must first be validated by the academic advisor and the UNIGE Academic Exchange Office or by the international relations office of the relevant institution within HES-SO Genève.

This assistance is possible within the framework of international and national (outside French-speaking Switzerland) exchanges.

Criteria for submitting an application
  • Be enrolled at UNIGE or HES-SO Geneva and have paid the study fees up to the semester preceding the request;
  • Be enrolled in a first Bachelor’s or Master's program in a coherent academic path;
  • Have validated at least one year of studies in a recognized higher education institution in Switzerland in the same curriculum;
  • Have validated the required credits during the past year, in accordance with the modalities specified by the study regulations of the training. A certificate from the study advisor may be required;
  • For national exchange, the destination must be outside French-speaking Switzerland and the language of the host institution must not be the student’s mother tongue;
  • Prove an occupation of at least 4 months in the year preceding the request until departure;
  • Have a detailed budget of expenses on site provided by the host institution.

Granting criteria are detailed in the directive (French only), which is authoritative. The aid from our service is complementary to other grants available to help students with the most financial difficulties.

Steps to submit an application
  • Complete the online form;
  • Attach all mandatory documents;
  • Submit the complete file online.
Submission deadlines

The application can be submitted from August 1 of each year for the following academic year. It is not possible to make a retroactive request for the previous academic year.

The request for additional exchange aid must be submitted at the latest one month before departure, but in no case before August 1. If the student leaves during the summer to start the academic year, they must inform the Financial Aid Service of their intention to submit a request for an exchange already underway.

The submission of an application does not guarantee its granting, each file is evaluated on the basis of numerous criteria. Applications will be processed in chronological order of submission to ensure fair treatment.

It is the student’s responsibility to submit a complete file within the deadlines. In case of difficulties in obtaining documents, filling out the form, or for general questions, please contact our service by phone, by email or during our walk-in hours.

An evaluation will be made and a decision will be communicated. The Financial Aid Service reserves the right to request additional documents for the evaluation of the situation.

Other exchange scholarships

Other resources

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