Switzerland’s two federal institutes — ETH in Zurich and EPFL in Lausanne — have decided to charge international students higher fees.
The decision was first announced by the Council of the Federal Institutes of Technology on July 12th, before being confirmed by the two chambers of the parliament.
“The ETH Board approved a threefold increase in tuition fees for foreign Bachelor's and Master's degree students who move to Switzerland to study at ETH Zurich or EPFL,” the Council said in a press release at the time.
Higher tuition — which will increase from the current 780 francs per semester — is set to be introduced as of autumn 2025.
Additionally, to avoid that revenue from tuition fees is further eroded by inflation, the ETH Board is also proposing that all fees be linked to the Swiss consumer price index.
“Under a transitional provision, students who are already enrolled will be able to complete their Bachelor’s or Master’s studies without any increase in tuition fees,” the Council said.
How many students will be affected by the new measure?
At ETH Zurich, about 35 percent of the 21,000-strong student body are foreigners.
At EPFL this proportion is higher — about half of the total of 13,000 students come from abroad.
However, the Council said that “accompanying measures,” (meaning financial aid of some type) will still enable “highly talented but financially weak international students” to continue their studies.
Why is this happening?
This increase is meant to compensate for lower federal contributions because from 2025, the government's financial aid to the two public institutes will be sharply reduced.
Centre party MP Marie-France Roth Pasquier, one of the deputies who voted in favour of the hike, pointed out that even with the increase, the fees at the two institutes will still be considerably lower than at similarly high-ranked universities abroad.
The ETH and EPFL are among a handful of Swiss universities where foreigners pay the same tuition as Swiss students.
At most, however, the fees are higher.
READ ALSO: How much universities in Switzerland charge foreigners compared to locals
Will Swiss students be impacted by this measure as well?
No.
The reason for what may appear as unequal treatment is that public higher education institutions in Switzerland are funded mostly by taxpayers, so it is logical that Swiss students would have a 'preferential' treatment in this regard over those coming from abroad.
Cantons provide the main share of public education funding for the cantonal universities and universities of applied sciences on their territories, while the federal government makes financial contributions.
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