Purpose of This Document

This document is provided to help applicants clearly understand the tuition structure options available at Monarch Switzerland. Applicants select their periodic tuition rate and minimum registration period through their choice of the standard or extended study pathway. This clarification ensures transparency and informed decision-making. Monarch Switzerland follows a unified and transparent tuition model across the master’s, doctoral, and post-doctoral programs covered in this guide. As a Swiss doctoral institute specializing in research-based and professionally oriented degrees, Monarch uses a consistent tuition framework that supports both academic rigor and the needs of working professionals. This approach ensures that candidates pursuing advanced study—whether a PhD, DBA, DOM, MPhil, or post-doctoral qualification—understand the full cost structure associated with their education.

Timing is an Important Consideration for Working Professionals

At Monarch, time is not a penalty—it is a configurable academic resource. Monarch is purpose-built for practicing managers and senior professionals who pursue advanced research while remaining active in leadership roles. We recognize that professional life does not pause for academic deadlines, and that high-quality research often benefits from periods of professional engagement and reflection. Accordingly, Monarch treats study duration as a flexible design element—allowing candidates to distribute effort and focus in a way that supports both academic rigor and professional reality. Each study pathway has a minimum registration period, and tuition remains payable at the applicable periodic rate throughout active registration.

A Core Principle at Monarch – Professional Balance

Monarch Switzerland operates on a research-realistic and professionally aligned academic model, recognizing that doctoral and advanced research candidates often balance substantial professional responsibilities, family commitments, international travel or mobility, and periods of intensive work interspersed with slower phases of research development. In response to these realities, Monarch offers two structured tuition pathways that are academically equivalent and designed to accommodate differing time and workload profiles without compromising academic rigor.

Your Choice: Two Tuition Pathways

The table below is intended to clarify that the Pathways are academically equivalent in all respects.

There is no academic difference between pathways. The distinction lies solely in minimum registration periods and periodic tuition rates.

The table highlights differences solely in study duration and periodic tuition distribution, allowing candidates to select the pathway that best aligns with their time availability and professional commitments. Academic standards, supervision, and degree outcomes remain unchanged regardless of pathway selection.

What Does “Extended” Actually Mean?

The Extended Tuition Pathway offers a lower monthly or quarterly tuition rate with a longer minimum registration period, thereby reducing periodic financial pressure while maintaining full academic equivalence. Tuition remains payable at the applicable periodic rate throughout active registration, including beyond the minimum registration period. This pathway supports a sustainable research pace that aligns with the realities of professional life, enabling candidates to balance scholarly progress with ongoing managerial, leadership, and personal commitments without compromising academic rigor or research quality.

Academic Equivalence Guarantee

Regardless of the tuition pathway selected, all candidates are held to identical academic requirements. The degree title, research standards, supervisory expectations, and assessment and defense processes remain fully consistent across pathways. The final degree award does not disclose or distinguish between study duration, tuition pathway, or pacing choice, ensuring that all Monarch degrees reflect academic merit alone.

A Flexible Approach at Monarch

Monarch Switzerland treats study duration as a structural element of the academic design rather than as a deviation requiring correction. Candidates select a pathway with a defined minimum registration period, while their actual progress may vary according to professional and personal circumstances. Where additional time is required, tuition continues at the same applicable periodic rate throughout active registration. This approach is designed to support rigorous research and align doctoral study with the professional realities of practicing managers and senior leaders. This flexibility is a deliberate institutional design choice, not an exception, concession, or workaround.

Extended Registration Tuition

Candidates who continue beyond the standard or minimum registration period remain responsible for tuition throughout their active registration. Tuition during the extended registration period is payable at the same applicable periodic rate in effect for the candidate immediately prior to entering the extended registration period. This applicable periodic rate includes an approved scholarship rate where applicable. Completion requires fulfilment of the minimum registration period and all academic requirements; it is not a guaranteed completion time or tuition cap.

Making Your Selection

Applicants may select either the Standard Tuition Pathway or the Extended Tuition Pathway at the time of application submission, invoice issuance, or through consultation with the Admissions Office. Should personal or professional circumstances change, adjustments may be discussed within the framework of Monarch Switzerland’s established policies. Candidates who are uncertain which option best aligns with their situation are encouraged to consult Admissions, where guidance is provided transparently and without pressure.

Monthly Payment Options for Working Professionals

Because many Monarch candidates maintain full-time professional roles while completing their graduate or doctoral studies, the School offers the option to request a monthly payment arrangement after covering the first quarterly period of tuition. This flexibility supports financial planning and enables candidates to balance periodic tuition payments with their professional and personal commitments. Monthly tuition payments are made in advance and remain payable throughout active registration.

Comprehensive Academic and Research Services Included

Tuition includes access to Monarch’s complete academic and research infrastructure. This comprises supervisor interaction, digital platforms, online library resources, research tools, academic mentoring, and administrative guidance throughout active registration. The inclusive model ensures that candidates receive the full academic support expected of a Swiss private higher-education institution offering advanced research degrees. Separate doctoral thesis reading and optional in-person room rental fees are detailed below.

Tuition Applicability and Active Registration

For clarity, tuition at Monarch Switzerland is applied for all periods during which a candidate is actively registered within the program. The periods indicated under the Standard and Extended Tuition Pathways, such as 36 or 60 months for PhD programs, represent minimum registration periods before eligibility for graduation, subject to completion of all academic requirements. They are not guaranteed completion times or caps on tuition payable. As advanced research is inherently individual, some candidates may require additional time based on personal, professional, or research-related circumstances. In such cases, tuition continues at the same applicable periodic rate, and active registration maintains access to supervision and institutional resources.

Additional Fees

Doctoral Thesis Reading Fee

All doctoral programs are subject to a €2,000 thesis reading fee, payable at the end of the program and prior to the doctoral defence.

This applies to doctoral programs requiring a doctoral thesis and defence, not to post-doctoral or article-publication awards that do not require a formal doctoral defence.

Online Doctoral Defence

Online doctoral defence is available for all doctoral programs. No room rental fee applies to an online defence.

The doctoral thesis reading fee remains payable for an online defence.

Optional In-Person Doctoral Defence

Candidates may elect to attend an in-person doctoral defence when available. Candidates selecting an in-person defence are responsible for a €500 room rental fee.

All current Monarch doctoral programs may be completed fully online, including the doctoral defence. No relocation is required. Candidates may select an in-person doctoral defence when offered by Monarch. Workshop attendance is not a prerequisite for online defence.

Payment & Billing Information

Tuition for all programs is normally invoiced on a quarterly basis, prior to the start of each academic quarter. Candidates may, however, request a monthly payment arrangement to assist with personal financial planning, particularly when balancing professional responsibilities with advanced study. At the beginning of the program, all candidates must cover the first quarterly period of tuition before being converted to monthly payment. Payments may be made by bank transfer to Monarch’s designated institutional account, with full details provided in the admission and enrollment documentation. Credit-card payments are also accepted through Stripe’s secure payment system. Invoices are issued electronically, and receipts are provided for all payments received. Specific information regarding billing cycles, due dates, and any applicable administrative charges is included in the official Application and Information Package available to prospective candidates.

Supplementary Tuition Information

Periodic tuition payments are made in advance and are non-refundable. Candidates may withdraw from the program at any time, with withdrawal taking effect at the end of the current paid billing period. There is no commitment to pay tuition for the full minimum registration period if a candidate withdraws before completion. Candidates may request to pause their studies; however, tuition fees normally remain applicable for as long as the candidate holds an active registration in the program. In the case of a pause for medical reasons, tuition may be paused provided supporting medical evidence is supplied by a licensed physician. Candidates should contact Admissions to arrange and confirm any pause or change to their registration. If a candidate requires additional time beyond the minimum registration period, tuition continues at the same applicable monthly or quarterly rate throughout active registration. Tuition covers research proposal review, academic feedback, and supervisory services throughout active registration. The separate doctoral thesis reading and optional in-person room rental fees are detailed in the Additional Fees section.

Official Tuition Information and Reference Source

For clarity and completeness, the tuition information presented in this document is to be read in conjunction with the official tuition webpage published on Monarch Switzerland’s website (https://umonarch.ch/tuition-fees/). The webpage and the tuition table together form an integral part of this explanatory document. In the event of any discrepancy between the information contained herein and that appearing on the Monarch Switzerland website, the website shall be considered the most recent and authoritative source of tuition-related information.

How to Read the Tuition Table

The tuition table outlines the Standard and Extended study pathways available for each program. The Minimum registration column indicates the minimum registration period under each pathway before eligibility for graduation, subject to completion of all academic requirements. The Monthly and Quarterly figures reflect the tuition payable per active registration period, depending on the billing option selected. Both pathways lead to the same degree award and involve identical academic standards, supervision, and assessment requirements. Differences between pathways relate solely to minimum registration periods and periodic tuition rates, allowing candidates to select the option that best aligns with their professional availability and financial planning. Should additional time be required beyond the minimum registration period, tuition continues at the same applicable periodic rate throughout active registration. The minimum registration period is neither a guaranteed completion time nor a cap on tuition payable.