Internal PhD applicants and students who had already opened an application in a previous year:
Be sure to use the same e-mail address/user ID and password as for your initial application.
You can reset your password, if needed. This may take 24 hours, so be sure to leave enough time before the deadline.
Applicants to the LLM in International Law (not the MA in International Law): please click here
Admission decisions are based on the quality of the overall application file.
Our selection committees give priority consideration to academic achievement and motivation. Academic achievement is documented using transcripts and recommendations. Motivation factors should be clarified in the cover letter/statement of purpose.
The evaluation committees will take into consideration the difficulties encountered by many students around the world in the spring 2020 semester, due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Academic achievement in that semester, and its impact on overall performance, will be evaluated in that context.
As our students come from more than 100 different education systems around the world, we do not set minimum grade point average requirements. All complete applications will be evaluated. However, our selection process is competitive: we admit about 40% of applicants, overall.
Please note the application deadlines carefully: incomplete applications will not be evaluated.
Please address all your application-related questions to the Admission Office at prospective@graduateinstitute.ch
Technical questions
If you encounter a technical difficulty with your online application, please e-mail IT support at servicedesk@graduateinstitute.ch
Many problems can be resolved simply by refreshing your web browser page and removing cookies from your browsing history
Complete the online application form
Click here to apply
You can toggle between the English and French versions of the application form by clicking the language at the top left corner of each page
Pay the application fee
15 November and 15 January deadlines: CHF 100
1 March deadline: CHF 200
Provide contact details for two or three academic referees
on the application form
Upload all your supporting documents before the deadline
Prepare your document files in pdf format
Please do not send any documents by e-mail or regular mail
Validate your application by clicking on "Submit"
After validating your application form, we invite you to join our Facebook group, created specially for our applicants. Our team will use this group to provide support and answer your questions, in addition to e-mail, phone and campus visits. Moreover, this group allows you to exchange with other applicants during the application process.
The application procedure requires a little time and effort. Please ensure that the Institute offers a programme that meets your aspirations, especially by examining the contents of the programme.
Your complete application will be assessed by a committee of professors who will evaluate, in particular, your academic performance, letters of recommendation and motivation letter. The committee’s decision is final.
Please note that you will be eligible to apply during the last year of your current study programme, provided you obtain your final degree by September 2022.
Only for PhD applicants seeking the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship
All master and PhD programmes
Only for master programmes
PhD applications will not be considered in the late round
Interdisciplinary master in international and development studies:
Specialisation tracks will be assigned as closely as possible to admitted students' preferences, per academic rank and spaces remaining after the regular admission round
* Referees will have an additional week to submit their reference letters.
** Confirmation (accepting an admission offer) requires payment of a CHF 1,000 pre-registration fee, deducted from the first tuition invoice.
Please note:
* Institutional accreditation by aaq.ch or the designated accreditation agency in the county of operation, subject to current policies
Knowledge of French is not required to enrol in our programmes but the Institute offers intensive French language courses to encourage bilingualism among its students. Speaking French is also an advantage when living in Geneva, as it is a multilingual environment.
The Institute has an English-French bilingual teaching policy. However, most of the classes are taught in English. Students can speak and write in either English or French.
The Institute values diversity and encourages students with no prior knowledge or only a basic knowledge of French to apply. We are happy to grant these students a place, if they take it upon themselves to attend a free French course. Knowledge of French is not an admission condition or a condition under which diplomas are awarded.
All students must have an excellent command of English. Students whose mother tongue is not English, who do not have secondary or post-secondary qualifications taught in English, or who have not spent a minimum of one year studying full-time at a university level in English, must provide a certificate to prove their mastery of English.
Recognised tests and scores
TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language)
Please have your TOEFL scores forwarded to us by indicating our institutional ETS code: 8909
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) : 7.0
CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English, Cambridge English, part of the University of Cambridge) : A-B-C
CAE (Cambridge Advanced English, Cambridge English, part of the University of Cambridge) : A-B
Students with weak or no prior knowledge of French must take an intensive French course, lasting three weeks before the start of the first semester. They must register for this course at the time of confirming their enrolment. This intensive course will be followed by a weekly course during the first year.
These courses are organised by the Institute and are free of charge.
At the start of the third semester, these students have to sit for a French test. In case of failure, they can retest at the start of their fourth semester.
Students with basic knowledge of French must register for a French test at the time confirming their enrolment. This test takes place during the first week of the academic year. Students who fail this test must take a French course, organised by the Institute, free of charge, during their first year of study. They can retest at the start of their third semester.
The above conditions do not apply to students whose mother tongue is French; or who have a secondary or post-secondary diploma taught entirely in French; or who have spent a minimum of one academic year studying at university level, full-time, entirely in French; or who can produce a French language certificate equivalent to a DELF B1 level.
