“Although I always wanted to be humanitarian worker getting the opportunity to study the scholarship on the MAS program on humanitarian action turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. It allowed me to benefit from many major opportunities and demonstrated that there is more than one path in the humanitarian life, that I did not know while working as a humanitarian, but this scholarship opened up my eyes to the ways that the humanitarian world works today. For the past six years, I was seeing myself as a person committed on working to alleviate human suffering and maintain human dignity. However, this program has overwhelmed me with the work I have done. While attending the program I have even been asking myself whether to give up on my dream of working as a humanitarian. However, completing the program helped me realize that at the end I will be in a better position to provide leadership and support in the development and implementation of humanitarian programs. Now I am deeply motivated and have demonstrated a commitment to be a humanitarian worker. With the skills and knowledge that I will acquire I am certain that I will be best prepared for a future career in the field of humanitarian world even beyond my home country. I would say I am ready for the New Humanitarian Horizon”. Scholarship recipient, 2022

At the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies, we strongly believe in promoting diversity and inclusiveness.

Our scholarship programme for our Executive Master in Humanitarian Action removes barriers so humanitarian professionals can benefit from our training.

Thanks to our scholarships, we have a diverse mix of students in the classroom to ensure their experience reflects the diversity of their working environments. Such diversity creates a great opportunity to hone negotiation and listening skills, which are key to a successful project and people management.

Who can apply 

Our MAS scholarships are open only to students from ‘least developed’, ‘low income’ and ‘lower-middle income’ countries, according to the DAC list of ODA Recipients. (Please note the 4th column of the document is excluded from applying for grants: upper-middle-income countries and territories). 

Each year, thanks to the financial support of the Service de la solidarité internationale of the State of Geneva and the Fondation Hans Wilsdorf, we offer full and partial scholarships for our Executive Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Action (MAS).

When applying, scholarship applicants will have to choose the length of their stay in Geneva, bearing in mind Term 1 is residential and Term 2 is online:

  • Four months (from September to December) = Term 1 (Residential in Geneva)
  • Seven months (from September to March) = Term 1 (Residential) and Term 2 (Online)

We offer two options of scholarships:

FULL SCHOLARSHIP:

Covers CHF 13,000 of the tuition fees and living expenses in Geneva (CHF 2,000/month for a duration of 4 or 7 months)

PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIP:

Covers only the living expenses in Geneva (CHF 2,000/month) – this is only available for Term 1 covering September-December.

Please be aware that all MAS scholarship holders must contribute to the tuition fees with a minimum payment of CHF 2,000 (including a CHF 1,000 deposit).

“Throughout my humanitarian missions with Médecins Sans Frontières over the past five years, I had been wondering if there could be a chance that would allow me to study the humanitarian programme to enrich my ambitions. Nevertheless, it had never been more than a hope and a dream until I received the fabulous news from the school in this year March that I was granted for a scholarship. The scholarship has now given me a wonderful experience of learning humanitarian action in this international Geneva. I wish to express my gratitude and thank the donors that make my years-long dreams come true.”

Master student, 2022

Application process

Remember to apply by the 1st February registration deadline and follow the application requirements.

Candidates should check their eligibility for a scholarship before applying.

After checking, candidates can apply for a scholarship by filling in the online application form.

Please remember to tick the button “I would like to apply for a scholarship” that you will find as part of the selected programme application form and fill in all the financial information required.

All scholarships are allocated and administered by the Centre. We expect all students to contribute towards the cost of their education. The scholarship selection committee takes into account individuals’ financial contributions. We therefore strongly advise candidates to look for other financial support options.

Other funding options

There is an additional funding option for those who pay Geneva taxes for at least one year. Candidates can apply for a “chèque annuel de formation” (training subsidy), which amounts to a maximum of CHF 2,250. A request should be made to the OFPC (office pour l’orientation, la formation professionnelle et continue) before the start of the course. For more information, please visit this page. A video (in French) with information on this process is available here.

We also encourage candidates to check with their employer to see if training grants are available and with their local or national government education and training programmes.

We are aware that the cost of living in Geneva is high. We provide advice and information to our students on how to live on a student budget, including a list of suitable student accommodations.