Lake Zurich at golden hour with the Swiss Alps in the background and trees on the shoreline.

Switzerland Check current round

Webster Geneva Scholars Program and Merit Awards

Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world for a Sri Lankan family to fund, and Webster University's Geneva campus is a private American institution, so the headline cost is high. What makes it worth considering is that the aid is automatic, transparent and renewable, which is unusual in Swiss higher education. Academically strong undergraduates receive a merit-based academic scholarship award worth a 30 per cent tuition discount each year. A limited number of incoming first-year students are additionally selected for the Scholars Program, which carries merit awards of up to CHF 10,000 a year — about LKR 3.7 million — and continuing students who are invited into the programme may receive partial-tuition awards of up to CHF 5,000 a year, subject to available funds. Students with demonstrated financial need may qualify for need-based aid of up to 30 per cent off tuition on bachelor's programmes. Merit and need-based awards can be held individually or combined, but there is a ceiling: the total is capped at CHF 10,000 a year. That cap is the number to plan around. No separate scholarship form is required — merit awards are made automatically on admission and renew each year provided your academic performance continues to meet the standard. Be realistic about the remainder. Even at the ceiling, tuition, Geneva accommodation, health insurance and living costs leave a very large balance, and the Swiss student residence permit requires you to evidence sufficient funds for the whole year before you arrive. Webster Geneva suits a family that can fund most of the cost and wants the award to close a gap, not a family relying on the scholarship to make Switzerland possible.

Merit awards are made on admission for each intake and renew annually on academic performance. Scholars Program selection is made from incoming first-year applicants — contact the Geneva admissions office for the current cycle

Webster University Geneva Campus

University-funded

emoji_events Award Overview

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Merit Academic Award

30% tuition discount, renewable annually

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Scholars Program

Up to CHF 10,000 a year (LKR ~3.7M) for selected freshmen

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Combined Ceiling

CHF 10,000 a year across merit and need-based aid

info How this award actually works

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Who awards it

Webster University Geneva Campus — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.

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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.

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What it covers

30% Merit Tuition Discount, or up to CHF 10,000 a Year (LKR ~3.7 Million) Under the Scholars Program. 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.

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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

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Strong Academic Record

The merit award goes to undergraduate applicants with strong prior academic performance. For Sri Lankan applicants that means good A/L results or a strong international qualification such as Cambridge A Levels, Edexcel or the IB.

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Automatic on Admission

Merit-based scholarships are awarded automatically when you are admitted. There is no separate application form, so the quality and completeness of your admission file is what decides the outcome.

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Renewable, But Conditional

Awards renew each year provided your academic performance continues to meet the standard. Losing the discount partway through a degree in Geneva would be financially severe, so treat the renewal condition as real.

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The CHF 10,000 Cap Is Absolute

Merit and need-based awards are available individually or combined up to a maximum of CHF 10,000 a year. Do not model a scenario where a 30 per cent discount and a Scholars award stack beyond that ceiling.

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Scholars Program Is Limited and Freshman-Focused

The larger Scholars Program awards go to a limited number of selected incoming first-year students who will spend multiple years at the Geneva campus. Continuing-student awards are smaller and depend on available funds.

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Switzerland Is Expensive Regardless

Geneva has among the highest living costs in Europe, and the Swiss student residence permit requires evidence of sufficient funds for the year ahead. A CHF 10,000 award is meaningful but does not change the fundamental affordability question — do the full-year arithmetic at 370 rupees to the franc.

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Apply for admission to the Geneva campus specifically

Webster operates campuses in several countries. Make sure your application is to the Geneva campus, since the scholarship structure and fees differ by location.

Submit a complete academic file

Because merit awards are automatic, transcripts, predicted or achieved results and English evidence decide the outcome. An incomplete file costs you money as well as time.

Request need-based aid if it applies

Need-based awards of up to 30 per cent require you to demonstrate financial need. Contact the Geneva admissions office about the process and provide honest, documented household figures.

Confirm the total award and the cap in writing

Ask admissions for the net annual tuition figure in Swiss francs after all awards, and confirm the renewal condition. Then convert to rupees before deciding.

Prepare the Swiss student residence permit application

Sri Lankan students apply for a national D visa through the Swiss representation responsible for Sri Lanka, with the admission letter, proof of sufficient funds for the year, accommodation and health insurance. Processing takes time — start early.

Budget Geneva living costs realistically

Rent, health insurance, food and transport in Geneva are high even by Western European standards. Build a full twelve-month budget in francs rather than assuming a student can live cheaply there.

Why Webster Geneva?

Webster's Geneva campus offers American-style undergraduate and graduate degrees in a city that hosts the United Nations Office at Geneva, the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross and dozens of other international organisations. For a Sri Lankan student aiming at international relations, humanitarian work, media or international business, that concentration of institutions is the real product — internships and networks that no campus elsewhere can replicate. Class sizes are small and the student body is highly international. The degree is US-accredited, which keeps American postgraduate study open as a next step.

CHF 10,000

Annual aid ceiling (LKR ~3.7M)

30%

Standard merit tuition discount

Geneva

Home of the UN, WTO, WHO and ICRC

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.

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