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Higher education For Members

How much universities in Switzerland charge foreigners compared to locals

Helena Bachmann
Helena Bachmann - [email protected]
How much universities in Switzerland charge foreigners compared to locals
The law library at the University of Zurich. Photo by Mitya Ivanov on Unsplash

Foreign students pay a significantly higher tuition in Swiss universities than locals. There a reason why this is so.

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Overall, the cost of studying in Switzerland is much lower than at top universities in the UK or the United States, where tuition can cost tens of thousands each year.

Still, costs at Swiss schools vary.

For instance, foreign students at the University of Italian Switzerland in Ticino currently pay 3,100 francs per semester, which is significantly more than what the University of Geneva charges (435 francs).

In fact, Geneva's university is not only the 'cheapest' in the country, but also one of only five in Switzerland where international students pay the same rates as the Swiss.

The others are universities of Basel (850 francs), Lausanne (500), as well as the two federal institutes of technology — the one in Zurich (ETH) and in Lausanne (EPFL) — both of which charge 730 francs per semester of all students, regardless of nationality.

You can see latest (2023) prices for all Swiss universities here.

Interestingly, Ticino’s university, which has such high tuition fees, only occupies 273th place in the international QS World University Rankings.

The ETH Zurich, on the other hand, which, comes in eighth place worldwide, and even climbs to first place in continental Europe in The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022, only charges 730 francs per semester.

READ MORE: Why ETH Zurich has been ranked the ‘best university in continental Europe’

The finding is similar in the Swiss universities that train teachers (HEP).

The price for foreigners is highest in Valais (6,500 francs), versus 500 francs for their Swiss counterparts.

At the HEP in Fribourg, the second most expensive for foreigners, the tuition per semester is 4,200 francs, which is seven times more than Swiss students pay.

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Why do foreign students pay more in most Swiss universities?

The reason for this is simple: public higher education institutions in Switzerland are funded mostly by taxpayers, so it is logical that Swiss students (whose parents pay taxes) would have a preferential treatment in this regard over those coming from abroad.

Cantons  provide the main share of public education finding for the cantonal universities and universities of applied sciences in their territories, while the federal government makes financial contributions.

On the other hand, federal government is fully responsible for funding the two Federal Institutes of Technology, in Zurich and Lausanne.

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Can foreign students study in Switzerland for free?

Each year, the Swiss government earmarks money for scholarships specifically for this purpose.

However, this is aimed at young researchers from abroad who have completed a master’s degree or PhD.

You can find out more about this programme here.

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