Find all our FAQ to the following topics:
General Central Bankers Courses
Advanced Courses in Economics / Law and Economics Courses
Participants stay at the Study Center’s hotel in single or double-shared rooms. For details see FAQs of each program.
No, accommodation is provided at the Study Center's hotel.
The restaurant provides a variety of meal options, including meat, fish, vegetarian, and special dietary meals.
No, health and accident insurance is the responsibility of the participant.
Intercity trains run from Zurich, Basel and Geneva airports to Bern. From Bern, local train services run regularly (every 30 Minutes) to Münsingen and Wichtrach which are both located close to the Study Center. Free bus shuttle services are organized for each event from one of these train stations (for Central Bankers Courses and Conferences & Events only). Gerzensee can also be reach by public bus service, although these services are less frequent.
You can find the timetable and tickets for Swiss public transport services here: www.sbb.ch/en
Yes. Participants are responsible for obtaining all necessary visas, including those for transit destinations. After admission, the Study Center may issue an invitation letter upon request.
The courses provide continuing education for central bank economists, combining academic rigor with practical central banking experience. Topics range from macroeconomics and monetary economics to financial economics and international finance.
The Study Center begins the application process by sending an official invitation via e-mail to monetary authorities, asking them to nominate candidates. Each authority can nominate no more than one candidate per course and is responsible for informing the nominees of their selection. Nominees must then create an account or log in to the online portal to complete the course-specific application form. Finally, monetary authorities must confirm their nominations with the Study Center, with the confirmation link being available in early August.
Courses are open to central bank staff nominated by their institutions. Participants must be fluent in English, proficient in mathematics at least at the high school level, and hold a degree (BA, MA, or PhD) in economics or a related field. Their job responsibilities should be relevant to the course topic.
Important: No admission without an official nomination
No, each central bank may nominate only one candidate per course.
No, individuals who have previously attended a Central Bankers Course at the Study Center cannot be considered again.
Courses are free of charge. The Study Center covers accommodation in a single room, full board, and the cost of organized excursions.
The sponsoring central bank must pay for the participant's travel to and from Switzerland and ensure that the participant has adequate insurance covering all medical and hospital expenses during their stay.
Yes, the sponsoring institution must confirm that the nominee: - Will receive leave of absence with regular pay. - Will not be assigned duties that interfere with course participation.- Is required to attend the full course. - Has adequate insurance and will cover travel costs.
No, laptops are provided for use during the course.
The Study Center offers two types of courses: Introductory to intermediate level courses for mid-level managers covering a wide range of central banking topics. Intermediate to advanced level courses for analysts and research economists focusing on specialized topics.
A typical course day includes classroom lectures of three hours and exercise review sessions. Participants collaborate in small groups, benefiting from the Center’s excellent infrastructure and the diverse background of their peers. Guest speakers from the Swiss National Bank or the Bank for International Settlements as well as weekend excursions to nearby tourist attractions complement the academic program.
No, the courses are conducted in English. The participant must be fluent in English.
Participants stay in the Study Center's hotel in single rooms.
Yes, the program includes weekend excursions to nearby tourist attractions and other informal opportunities for exchange among participants.
No, accompanying persons are not admitted during the course.
Yes. The monetary authority sponsoring the participant organizes and covers travel expenses to and from Switzerland (Bern). There are Intercity trains from Zurich, Basel and Geneva airports to Bern. Free transport will be organised from Bern to Gerzensee. You can find the timetable and tickets here: www.sbb.ch/en
The Study Center invites PhD students and faculty members from Swiss and non-Swiss universities, as well as staff members of the Swiss National Bank, to apply. Applications from individuals who are not affiliated with a Swiss university or the Swiss National Bank are also welcome.
Yes. Applicants must either be enrolled in a doctoral program or have already completed their PhD.
Yes, applicants may apply to multiple courses.
No. Due to limited space, not all qualified applicants can be admitted.
Advanced Economics Courses: Yes. Please upload a short motivation letter in English (maximum 100 words) in the documents section titled “For ADP application Motivation letter” of the application form. Before submitting, please ensure that your application is complete.
Law & Economics Courses: No. No documents are required for the application.
The fee covers tuition as well as accommodation in single or double-shared rooms with full board.
Each course day includes:
Three hours of classroom lectures
Exercise review sessions or office hours for thesis project discussions
Courses typically start on Monday at 10:00 a.m. and end on Friday at noon.
Yes. Participants receive a certificate upon completing the course.
Yes. An optional exam is available upon request.
Participants are responsible for arranging credit recognition with their home universities with the awarded certificate (includes exam grade).
The Study Center invites Swiss universities to nominate candidates. As space is limited, not all nominated candidates can be admitted. Repeat nominations are possible. The call for applications is issued in January and the application deadline is end of April.
Participants are doctoral students enrolled at a Swiss university, who generally hold (or will soon complete) a Master’s degree. Applicants without an MA may exceptionally be fast-tracked.
Candidates affiliated with a Swiss university should indicate their interest to the representative at their home institution (university representatives). The representative can provide the online application link to the candidates.
Students travel individually to Gerzensee. Intercity trains run from Zurich, Basel and Geneva airports to Bern. From Bern, local train services run regularly (every 30 Minutes) to Münsingen and Wichtrach which are both located close to the Study Center. Gerzensee can be reached by public bus service. Timetable and tickets for Swiss public transport services here: www.sbb.ch/en
Online application, Recent GRE Scores, Statement of Purpose (in English), Academic Transcripts, and (optinal) Letter of Recommendation from the supervisor.
Yes, a full GRE general test is required. The score of quantitative analysis must be at least of 160. The test should not be older than two years.
For information about the GRE including how and where to take the test, see the website of Educational Testing Service; of most relevance are the scores for the quantitative and verbal reasoning parts. Applicants should have Educational Testing Service send their GRE results to the Study Center directly. The Study Center’s GRE Graduate Code is 7381. The GRE general test at home is identical to a test taken at a test center.
The program is heavily subsidized. The full program fee is CHF 2,000, which includes tuition plus accommodation (single or shared double room) and full board at the hotel on site. If the full programme is successfully completed within one year, CHF 1,000 is refunded. The fee for one sequence amounts to CHF 500; and the fee for two sequences to CHF 1'000. Preference is given to those applying for the full programme rather than individual sequences.
The program consists of an optional mathematics review as well as sequences in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics. In each sequence, leading international academics teach four week-long courses. The program runs from August to June of the following year and ends with the second exams in the fall. The dates for the current year can be found on the website.
A typical course day includes classroom lectures of three hours per day as well as exercise review sessions. Course weeks start on Monday at 10:30 and end on Friday at noon. Returning to their home institutions in the periods between the course weeks, participants review and prepare the material covered in class, solve mandatory take-home problem sets, and study for the exams.
There are two exams for each sequence. The first exam covers the material of weeks 1 and 2. The second exam covers the material of weeks 3 and 4. Further participants must submit solutions to the take-home problem sets after the course week.
Upon successful completion, participants are awarded a certificate. The participant is responsible for arranging with their home institution to obtain any formal academic credit.
We host a variety of research conferences which are co-organized with different academic partners. There is therefore no standard application process. Please check the information button for a specific conference to obtain further information on submissions and logistics. Should you not find the requested information please contact us at forum@szgerzensee.ch.
This conference is dedicated to PhD students who have completed the Swiss Program for Beginning Doctoral Students and is by invitation only. Due to capacity constraints we can offer only limited participation to other PhD students and early career researchers. If you would like to receive an invitation, please contact us at forum@szgerzensee.ch.
The Study Center does not charge submission or registration fees. However, submission fees or registration fees may be charged by our academic partners as organizers of the research conference or policy event. Additionally, as the host of a research conference or policy event, the Study Center typically covers the cost of accommodation and meals at our adjacent seminar hotel. Details on corresponding conditions are provided to participants via the organizers of the conference / event.
If you are interested in using our facilities for a research retreat, contact us at forum@szgerzensee.ch. Please specify briefly:
Please also indicate your preferred timing and duration of the research retreat.
We have limited capacity to accommodate research retreats each year. For those research groups invited, we cover accommodation, food and seminar facilities for up to 5 days and up to 10 people. We expect researchers to cover their own travel expenses.