Scholarship
Deadline in 3 days
Deadline: October 26, 2026
Application is open for Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada Scholarship for Afghan women to pursue their master’s degree at the esteemed Geneva Graduate Institute in Switzerland to enhance their knowledge in international relations and development . The postgraduate scholarship in memory of Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada (18.03.1954 – 02.02.2022) has been established to help talented Afghan women with a university degree to improve their knowledge in international relations and development. Successful applicants will enrol in a two-year master programme from the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Requirements: Applicants should submit these supporting application documents: A motivation letter indicating the following information: The reason they are applying for the Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada scholarship Which Geneva Graduate Institute master’s program would they like to apply? Why did they choose the Institute? What are their financial needs, and what their post-graduation plans are? A curriculum vitae.
Benefits: The duration of the Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada Scholarship for Afghan Women is two years, with an annual amount of 25,000 Swiss francs. Beneficiaries must prepare a report at the end of their first year of studies to prove their success for the next year.
How to apply: The Swiss Postgraduate Scholarship for Afghan Women application procedure has two successive stages: Submit the applications documents mentioned by filling the application form linked below and submitting to the Committee of the Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada Scholarship for Afghan Women, which initially screens the applications and decides to grant the scholarship
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Application is open for Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada Scholarship for Afghan women to pursue their master’s degree at the esteemed Geneva Graduate Institute in Switzerland to enhance their knowledge in international relations and development. The postgraduate scholarship in memory of Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada (18.03.1954 – 02.02.2022) has been established to help talented Afghan women with a university degree to improve their knowledge in international relations and development. Successful applicants will enrol in a two-year master programme from the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Considering the current situation in Afghanistan and strong restrictions to women’s higher education, the master’s degree programs at the Geneva Graduate Institute aim to extend the reach of Afghan women’s university education abroad. This program gives them a competitive advantage in the global community, and by completing their degrees, they will access an academic and diplomatic career, a job in non-governmental and international organizations, or international corporate companies.
Maria Rosario was a high school literature and history teacher who graduated Magna Cum Laude from the State University of Milan, Italy. She graduated from the University with a degree in the History of Christianity.
Maria focused on the woman’s situation, and her thesis on witchcraft grew into a book by two other historians (S. Abbiati, A. Agnoletto, M. R. Lazzati, La Stregoneria, Mondadori, 1984).
In 2005, Maria Rosario established a charity in Afghanistan focusing on women’s education: the Comitato Arghosha Faraway Schools. Since that time, the organization has funded the construction of 15 schools for 8,000 students from grades 1 to 12. The majority of these schools’ students (5,500) are girls. The organization constructed ten (10) schools to host exclusively girls with little to no educational structure access.
The organization has also provided 28 university scholarships for talented girls in different universities in Kabul and supported literacy courses for 500 adult women in Kabul.
Until 2019, when Covid paralyzed international mobility, Maria Rosario visited Afghanistan yearly to assess the project’s implementation nationwide and plan future initiatives.
Application Deadline for Scholarship: 26 October 2026
Application deadline for Graduate Program: January 2027
Application start for Master program: 10 October
Host University: Graduate Institute of Geneva
Location: Geneva, Swiss
Eligible Nations: Afghanistan
Target Groups: Afghan Women
Duration: two years
Fields of study available at Geneva Graduate Institute:
Note: the above list is a program available in Geneva Graduate Institute. Applicants should Ensure that the program they select is eligible for Scholarship.
The Steering Committee will evaluate the submitted applications, and the Committee will be comprised of the following people:
The Committee reviews the applications and contacts the applicants in late November to inform them of their decision regarding the scholarship. The Steering Committee will help prepare the application file for the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Also, check these opportunities:
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DAAD Postgraduate Scholarships in Fine Art, Design, Visual Communication, and Film in Germany
For any inquiries regarding study programs or admissions, please contact: [email protected] or visit the Geneva Graduate Institute website for detailed information about the Swiss Postgraduate Scholarship for Afghan Women.
A curriculum vitae.
Copy of university diplomas from a university accredited by the Swiss authorities: https://aaq.ch)
Official academic transcripts indicating all coursework and grades and their value (credits)
Afghan women can apply for the Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada Scholarship for Afghan women who meet the following criteria:
The scholarship is open to all Afghan women, regardless of social class, ethnic and regional origin, or religion.
Applicants should be Afghan women residing in Afghanistan or have close ties with Afghanistan.
They should meet the Geneva Graduate Institute’s admission requirements. It means applicants should have a bachelor’s degree or a degree deemed equivalent in a discipline relevant to the program.
Candidates should also fulfill the Institute’s language requirements.
Applicants should send their applications to the Steering Committee (see procedure below). Then, the selected applicants should apply for one of the Institute’s master’s programs. Applicants who receive an admission offer will receive the scholarship.
The duration of the Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada Scholarship for Afghan Women is two years, with an annual amount of 25,000 Swiss francs. Beneficiaries must prepare a report at the end of their first year of studies to prove their success for the next year. Based on this report, the Institute will renew the scholarship.
Note: The tuition fee for Swiss residents is CHF 5000, and For non-residents is CHF 8000 and the living cost is between CHF 1460-2700 per month.
Erasmus Mundus Scholarships 2025-27 for Master in Childrens Literature, Media, and Cultural Entrepreneurship (CLMCE)
The Swiss Postgraduate Scholarship for Afghan Women application procedure has two successive stages:
Submit the applications documents mentioned by filling the application form linked below and submitting to the Committee of the Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada Scholarship for Afghan Women, which initially screens the applications and decides to grant the scholarship
Apply to one of the Geneva Graduate Institute’s master programs and be admitted.
two procedures are independent.
NB: Please note that an English proficiency certificate and two academic references are requested at this stage to apply
The Steering Committee is composed of two members of the Association Arghosha appointed by the Association; two
members of the Institute, including at least one professor, appointed by the Geneva Graduate Institute; and at least two
persons of Afghan origin or with very close ties to Afghanistan appointed by the members of the Steering Committee.
The Committee reviews the applications and contacts the candidates in late November to inform them of their decision
regarding the scholarship.
The Steering Committee will help prepare the application file for the Geneva Graduate Institute.
You may join the webinar about International Relations and development studies program for Prospective students 29 on September 2026, 13:00 – 14:00 . Here is the link to join.
The Steering Committee’s candidate in the second stage should apply to the Geneva Graduate Institute by 15 January 2027.
Please note that applicants should provide an English proficiency certificate and two academic references at this stage.
Professional experience and extracurricular activities are not compulsory but can be an asset to your application.
Language proficiency: TOEFL iBT 100, PBT 600, CBT 250, IELTS , IELTS online 7.0 , Cambridge 80, CEFR C1.
Native English speakers, having used English as their primary language both at home and throughout their educational history
Students who can document at least one year of full-time university level studies, using English exclusively as the medium of instruction, with a good academic achievement level.
A degree in English Literature or English as a Foreign Language, taught at a non-anglophone university with the local language as the primary medium of instruction does not qualify.
Apply for Master program at Graduate Insititute (Not open yet, opens in October and you need to apply by January 15, 2027 if you are selected by Scholarship selection committee)
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