Financial Aid
Emergency assistance
- The Financial Aid Service welcomes students during its walk-in hours on Thursdays (2PM to 4PM) in the Campus Life information point, on Uni Dufour 1st floor.
- Our hotline shifts to a new schedule: Tuesdays 9AM-11AM and Thursdays 2PM-4PM (+41 22 379 77 79)
Various forms of temporary assistance are available to help students out of temporary and unexpected financial difficulties, such as a sudden and temporary loss of income or substantial unforeseen expenses that may not be covered by social insurances. Students can seek emergency assistance one time per semester for 1 to 3 months maximum depending on the type of aid.
Types of assistance available
Emergency assistance may be sought for the following motives:
- Loss of employment
- Food costs
- Housing expenses
- Cost of study materials
- Study fees (for HES-SO Geneva students only)
- Medical expenses in Switzerland not covered by health insurance
- Extra-academic activities offered by UNIGE (sports, cultural activities, health services, language courses)
It is important that you submit a complete file, under penalty of refusal (list of compulsory documents to produce for the submission of your request, in French).
Granting conditions
In order to be eligible for emergency assistance, students must:
- Be registered at the UNIGE or HES-SO Geneva in their first Bachelor or Master program
- Demonstrate temporary and unforeseen financial difficulties based on the types of needs listed above
- Not have savings and/or personal wealth allowing to provide for one’s needs for the next three months
All granting conditions are detailed in the directive (in French), which is the authoritative document.
Deadlines
Autumn semester: From August 1 to December 20
Spring semester: From January 15 to May 31
Helpful links and documents
- Directive of financial aid (in French)
- Funding your PhD thesis (in French)
- Work attestation (in French)
- Centre Universitaire de Médecine Dentaire (CUMD) (in French)
- How to open a Swiss bank account