SHMS Merit-Based Scholarship
Swiss Hotel Management School teaches hospitality and events management from two former grand hotels in the Swiss Alps — the Caux Palace above Montreux and a campus at Leysin — and is part of Swiss Education Group. Its programmes pair academic terms with paid Swiss internships, which is the model most Sri Lankan hospitality applicants are actually buying. SHMS lists four financial routes: a scholarship for Swiss citizens and permit holders, a partner scholarship tied to its network of partner schools around the world, a merit-based scholarship, and payment plans (with student loans available only to EU citizens). For a Sri Lankan applicant the merit-based scholarship is the relevant one, and possibly the partner scholarship if your school or college is in SHMS's partner network — worth asking about, because Sri Lankan hospitality diploma providers do sometimes hold such agreements. Be realistic about how this works. SHMS states plainly that each scholarship is assessed case by case, that a limited number are available every year on a first-come, first-served basis, that awards are calculated on tuition fees only, and that they cannot be stacked with any other fee reduction. Crucially, they are normally granted at the point of entry, so applying early in the admissions cycle matters more than it does at a public university. SHMS does not publish its fee schedule or scholarship values on its website — it distributes a downloadable fee and scholarship sheet — so ask your admissions contact for the current document in writing and convert the figures into rupees before committing. Switzerland is expensive: a Swiss hospitality school package including accommodation and meals runs into the tens of thousands of francs a year, and at 370 rupees to the franc the arithmetic is unforgiving.
Awarded on a rolling basis at the point of entry across SHMS's multiple annual intakes (commonly February and September, with further start dates on some programmes). Limited places each year, allocated first come, first served — apply early in the cycle
Swiss Hotel Management School (SHMS), Caux and Leysin
University-funded
emoji_events Award Overview
Basis
Academic merit at point of entry
Applied To
Tuition fees only, not board or extras
Allocation
Limited places, first come first served
info How this award actually works
Who awards it
Swiss Hotel Management School (SHMS), Caux and Leysin — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.
How you are considered
Through your admission application. Awards like this are usually assessed automatically from the application you already submit — there is typically no separate scholarship form to fill in.
What it covers
Merit Tuition Reduction — Assessed Case by Case, Applied to Tuition Only. This is a reduction in tuition, not a full ride. You still fund the remainder, plus living costs and the balance your visa requires you to show.
Where we come in
We make the admission application strong enough to be competitive — course choice, documents, references and deadlines. The funder makes the decision.
fact_check Eligibility Criteria
New Applicants Only
Merit scholarships are granted to new applicants with outstanding academic performance and are awarded when you enter the school. If you are already enrolled, this is not a route back to a fee reduction — raise it during admissions or not at all.
Sri Lankan Citizens Are Eligible
There is no nationality restriction on the merit route. The separate scholarship for Swiss citizens and permit holders does not apply to you, and the EU-only student loan facility does not either — so plan on funding the balance from family resources or a Sri Lankan education loan.
Check Whether Your School Is an SHMS Partner
SHMS holds academic partnerships with selected high schools and colleges worldwide and grants partner scholarships through them. If your Sri Lankan school or hospitality college has such an agreement, that can be a better route than the open merit award. Ask both institutions directly.
Cannot Be Combined with Other Discounts
SHMS states that scholarships are calculated on tuition fees only and cannot be combined with other fee reductions. If you already have an early-payment or sibling discount on the table, you will be choosing between them, not adding them together.
Values Are Not Published — Get Them in Writing
SHMS assesses each application case by case and does not publish scholarship amounts or fees on its public pages. Third-party sites quoting a fixed percentage are not authoritative. Request the official fee and scholarship sheet from admissions and hold on to it.
account_tree Application Process
Request the current fee and scholarship sheet
Before anything else, email SHMS admissions or an authorised representative for the downloadable document listing programme fees and the scholarships attached to each. You cannot budget a Swiss hospitality degree without it.
Apply early in the intake cycle
Submit your application well ahead of your target intake. Because scholarship places are limited and allocated first come, first served, a late but strong application can lose to an earlier one.
Submit academic evidence and English proof
Provide transcripts, school-leaving certificates and proof of English through IELTS, TOEFL or an accepted equivalent. SHMS does not publish a fixed minimum score, so confirm the level your programme requires rather than assuming.
Confirm the award in your offer letter
Make sure the reduction, the exact amount, what it applies to and any conditions are written into your offer. Verbal indications from an agent are not a scholarship.
Apply for your Swiss student visa
Sri Lankan citizens apply for a Swiss national (type D) study visa through the Swiss representation accredited to Sri Lanka. You will need the acceptance letter, proof of funds covering fees and living costs, and evidence you intend to leave at the end of studies. Allow 8 to 12 weeks, and note that Switzerland's post-study work rights for non-EU graduates are limited compared with the UK or Australia.
Why SHMS?
SHMS runs its hospitality programmes inside two historic Alpine hotel properties, which means students train in real operating environments rather than simulated ones. Its degrees are built around alternating academic semesters and paid industry internships in Switzerland — the internship stipend genuinely offsets part of the cost, and it is the reason Swiss hospitality schools remain popular with South Asian students despite the fee level. Programmes span bachelor's degrees in hospitality management and postgraduate routes in hospitality operations and events. Graduates typically go into international hotel groups, cruise lines, luxury events and food and beverage management.
2
Alpine campuses (Caux and Leysin)
Paid
Swiss industry internships built into degrees
Entry
When merit scholarships are awarded
Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?
Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.
Work out your real number
Tuition, living costs, visa funds and flights for your destination — so you know the gap you are actually trying to close.
Open the cost calculator arrow_forwardSort courses by lowest fee
The full catalogue, cheapest tuition first. Changing course or country saves far more than most awards are worth.
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Tuition, living costs and the total first-year figure for CH, in LKR as well as local currency.
See the cost breakdown arrow_forwardCheck your proof of funds
Every student visa requires you to show funds. Find out what you need before you commit to an application.
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