HES-SO Genève

Financial aid

In the event of financial difficulty, do not hesitate to assess your eligibility for the various forms of support available. You can check the conditions for these services below: 

Cantonal grants
If you need financial assistance to undertake or continue training after compulsory education or during your studies, check your eligibility for cantonal scholarships under the Law on Scholarships and Loans (LBPE) by consulting the conditions set by the government.

At the earliest, applications can be submitted during the summer preceding the start of the academic year and within six months after the start of your training.They must be submitted exclusively online.

HES-SO Genève scholarships

The HES-SO Genève is proud to support its student community. In collaboration with the University of Geneva, the institution offers a financial support system aimed at guaranteeing a minimum income for disadvantaged students, while taking into account the specific needs of HES students.

This system is based on two types of support: monthly aid granted each semester and one-time financial aid to cover essential needs, accessible throughout the academic year. Finally, mobility grants are also available under certain conditions.

Start of academic year 2023-24: Applications for monthly financial aid (both flat-rate or from private foundations) can be submitted from August 1st to September 30th, 2023 through the dedicated online form on the web pages of the Financial Service (Service des aides financières et emplois étudiants) of the University of Geneva. For the spring semester: from January 15 to February 28. Don't miss deadlines!

Having difficulty completing your request? Go to the new “Campus Life” information point available to students every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the 1st floor of Uni Dufour. The service can also be reached by email at aides-financieres@unige.ch

Monthly financial aid 
If you are not covered by the Law on Scholarships and Student Loans (LBPE), your application is being processed or you have received a refusal from the service in question, you may be eligible for monthly financial aid scheme made available by the HES-SO Genève in collaboration with the University of Geneva's Financial Service.

Before submitting an application, check your eligibility by consulting the grant criteria set out in the instruction “Financial aid for students". 

 

1.    Monthly financial aid from the Financial Service (from the 2nd year of study)

Monthly financial aid follows a flat-rate model (993 CHF or 627 CHF per month) according to two income ceilings, and is subject to two grant periods (at the start of each semester).

In addition, independent students in couples with or without children, or single-parent families may get a grant amounting to the difference between the Financial Service reference budget and their income. 

 

2.    Monthly financial aid granted by private funds 

Students in a social/financial emergency who do not meet all the grant criteria may also be referred to third-party funds by the Financial Service. Only requests submitted within the application deadlines are taken into account.

 

Process

Applications for monthly financial aid, whether fixed or granted by a private fund, should be submitted using the online form available on the University of Geneva’s Financial Service pages (using your AAI login) within the following deadlines:

  • Autumn semester: 1 August to 30 September
  • Spring semester: 15 January to 28 February

Only complete files submitted within the time limits are processed by the Financial

Response times from the Financial Service can be a few weeks or even months. Thus, if, at the start of the academic year, you are waiting for a response to your application for monthly financial aid and are having difficulty paying your HES tuition fees on time, note that you may request an extension by contacting the “Direction des Finances” of the HES-SO Genève at: facturation.hes@hesge.ch .

One-time financial aid (from the first year of study)
Several types of one-off aid are available. To be eligible, you need to be in a temporarily difficult financial situation. This service may be requested in addition to a monthly grant, but only once per semester. It is renewable for a maximum period of 3 months and dependent on six distinct criteria that cannot be combined : 
  1. Loss of employment
  2. Food aid
  3. Housing assistance
  4. Cost of study materials and HES study fees (for HES-SO Genève students only)
  5. Registration for extra-academic activities (sport, culture, psychological support, language courses offered at Maison des Langues)
  6. Assistance for medical costs not covered by health insurance, including urgent dental costs and expenses for sanitary health and contraception

Material costs are considered to be: material resources on presentation of supporting documents and a certificate signed by the school's Head of Teaching Coordination or by the Study Advisor (books, computers, printers, internet subscriptions, telephones, art materials, provided that access to these resources is not offered by the school). The study fees represent the amount of the HES study tax (although students cannot benefit from an exemption, one-off assistance may be granted in the event of unforeseen proven financial difficulty).

Process

Applications should be submitted using the online form available on the University of Geneva’s Financial Service pages (using your AAI login) within the following time limits :

  • Autumn semester: 1 August to 20 December
  • Spring semester: 15 January to 31 May

Only complete files submitted within the time limits are processed by the Financial Aid Service.

Mobility grants
The purpose of the mobility grant is to enable students, who could not otherwise afford it, to carry out their study project abroad or within the framework of national mobility. This support is complementary to any grants awarded under the Swiss European Mobility Programme (SEMP) by your school.
 

Process

The registration period begins on 1 August for the following academic year. Applications should be submitted one month before your departure at the latest, via the online form available on the University of Geneva’s Financial Service pages (using your AAI login).

 
Retraining
In the event of professional retraining or additional training, first check whether you are eligible for cantonal scholarships for retraining under the Law on Scholarships and Student Loans (LBPE). If you are not eligible, contact Student Affairs by emailing etu.hes@hesge.ch to be referred for other types of assistance. 
 
Ehrahrdt-Hornung Fund Grants
The purpose of this fund is to provide assistance to deserving students up to master’s level, but whose financial situation is insufficient to undertake or continue studies in Switzerland or abroad.

It is intended for:

  • Geneva and Confederate students who are regularly domiciled in Geneva;
  • Students whose parents have been domiciled or taxpayers in the canton of Geneva for at least one year;
  • Foreign students who, over the age of 18, have been domiciled and taxpayers in Geneva for three years before undertaking the training for which they are requesting assistance, provided that during this period they have continuously been engaged in a minimum of part-time paid activity.

For more information, contact Student Affairs by email: etu.hes@hesge.ch.

Birkigt Fund scholarship (reserved for HEPIA students)
As part of implementing its Marc Birkigt Memorial Fund, the Philanthropia foundation is offering scholarships to deserving students who are enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s programme at HEPIA and who do not have the financial means necessary to complete their studies. These scholarships, which are awarded without preference to nationality, gender or religion, amount to a maximum of 16,000 CHF per academic year and may be awarded throughout the period of study. Applications are processed by the University of Geneva's Financial Service.

The eligibility criteria are as follows:

  • Successful completion of the Federal Certificate of Competence (CFC) and a vocational diploma in one of HEPIA's teaching areas, or successful completion of a first bachelor's degree year at HEPIA (conditional on the payment of the scholarship from the start of the first year or start of the second year respectively), or, for master’s degrees, completion of a bachelor's degree at HEPIA.
  • Minimum annual average of 4.5 out of 6 throughout the course of academic study.
  • Paid activities do not exceed fifteen hours per week during the first two years of study. Annual report provided of the experience and learning acquired during the year to the University of Geneva's Financial Aid Service in the form of a testimonial.

 

Applications should be submitted using the online form available on the University of Geneva’s Financial Service pages (using your AAI login), clearly indicating the scholarship concerned and according to the following deadlines:

  • Autumn semester: 1 August to 30 September
  • Spring semester: 15 January to 28 February

For all academic questions related to your application, e-mail Ms. Anne-Catherine Rinckenberger, Head of Teaching Coordination at HEPIA: anne.rinckenberger@hesge.ch

 
Annual training cheque (Chèque annuel de formation - CAF)
As an HES student meeting certain conditions, you may be eligible to receive an annual training cheque up to a maximum of 750 CHF. The cheque may be used to finance all or part of a course that supports your training with a minimum duration of 40 hours (language or IT courses, for example). The grant conditions and process are available online: https://www.ge.ch/beneficier-cheque-annuel-formation