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.