SFI PhD Program in Finance

The program promotes the pursuit of academic excellence providing an intellectual environment and a curriculum comparable with the top PhD programs in Europe and North America. The PhD program operates at the five Swiss Finance Institute campuses: Basel (the University of Basel), Léman (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the University of Geneva, and the University of Lausanne), Lugano (Università della Svizzera italiana), St. Gallen (the University of St. Gallen), and Zurich (the University of Zurich).

Campuses

• Zurich: University of Zurich
• Léman: EPFL / University of Geneva / University of Lausanne
• Lugano: Università della Svizzera italiana (USI)
• St. Gallen: University of St. Gallen (HSG)
• Basel: University of Basel

Admissions

The program is internationally oriented and aims at attracting the best students from Switzerland and abroad. Applicants need to have a Master of Science in Finance or Economics or a degree deemed to be equivalent by the Admission Committee.
Please click on the "Apply Now" link given at the bottom of this page to apply to the SFI PhD program in Finance. This will bring applicants to an online application platform. With this application, the students are applying to all the five campuses unless indicated. The platform will be published on September 1st each year for new students to apply.

During the online application process, applicants will be asked to enter their personal data, enter the details of their academic background, answer a few questions, attach required (list given below) documents, and send a request to a minimum of two referee(s) to submit the recommendation letters. Applicants need to ensure that the following information and documents are ready with them, as once the applicant has reviewed and submitted the application in the last step, the application process is completed and the applicant will no longer have the possibility to modify the submitted data or the possibility to revisit the submitted application.

1. Personal Data:

• Title
• Gender
• First Name
• Last Name
• Marital status
• Birthday
• Nationality
• Phone
• Email
• Address

2. Academic background details:

• Highest degree and previous degrees
• Institution / University
• Country
• Enrolled (years)
• Grade
• Best possible grade
• Worst possible grade
• Degree date
• Major subject(s)

3. Documents and Attachments:

Mandatory:

1. Curriculum vitae
2. Degree certificates
3. Transcript of records
4. Proof of payment of application fee

Optional:

1. The GMAT or GRE is not mandatory to apply. However, any good GMAT or GRE score will be noted and may increase your chance of admission to our PhD program. There are two exceptions: First, EPFL requires GMAT or GRE scores for applicants to their program, with a strong preference for the GRE. Second, for the Zurich campus, it is mandatory for students with degrees from institutions outside the Bologna-treaty area and for students with a degree from outside our core areas (Economics, Finance, Business studies) to submit GMAT / GRE scores. The GMAT institution code for the University of Zurich, Doctoral Program in Finance is: 7382. The GRE institution code is 7136. Please find more details here.
2. Additional documents like relevant certifications
3. Master thesis or research article (required for Basel, optional for others)
4. Proof of English proficiency (required for St. Gallen, optional for others)
   Please refer here.

4. Project and Questionnaire:

• How did your academic path lead you to apply to a PhD program in Finance?
• What are your main research interests? If already defined, briefly describe the research project you propose to undertake and the subject of the thesis.
• What are your long-term professional goals? How do you think a doctoral program can contribute achieving career objectives?
• Which faculty members' research is of most interest to you? (required for Basel, St. Gallen and Zurich, optional for others)
  Please refer here for the faculty list. Please enter only the names of the professors with whom you will like to work.
• What is your level of fluency in English – reading, writing, and speaking?

5. Referees:

• Please name two referee(s) who will be contacted and asked to upload a letter of recommendation. Please make sure that you indicate the correct contact details. Referee(s) may have access to your submitted documents and profile information.
• Once you have submitted your application, you will get a login to the PhD recruiting tool in order to monitor the status of your reference requests. You will be able to name additional referees if referees decline the request to submit a letter of recommendation. Submitted letters are kept confidential; they are not made available to you.

An official translation in English must be attached to all documents written in a language other than English (except French for Léman, German for Zurich and St. Gallen, and Italian for Lugano).

Applications are reviewed by the Admission Committee, composed of finance professors from the Swiss Finance Institute. Admissions will be decided on a competitive basis. Applicants will, generally, receive a response to their application within four weeks after closure of the application deadline. There are two rounds of candidate selections. Complete application files via the online platform should be received by January 15th and March 31st. Courses start in September.

The number of yearly admissions will typically not exceed forty students over the five campuses so as to keep the program small and guarantee personal interactions between students and faculty. If you are admitted to the program, you will further have to register at the local University.

Financing

Students are required to register as a PhD student at the university to which they have been admitted. They are also required to pay university PhD tuition fees wherever applicable (see the partner university websites for more information). All students in the Swiss Finance Institute PhD program are offered either fellowships or teaching or research assistantships by partner universities.