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Sep-Jul Academic Year
33 Listed Institutes
11 Ranked Universities
50,000 Int. Students
235,000 Students
8,454,083 Population

Study in Switzerland

If you are a student who loves chocolate, high-end things, and gorgeous landscapes, Switzerland was tailor-made for you.

A great plus is the kind population, the great shops and economy, and the international atmosphere, where students and people from all over the world come in search of great education and living conditions.

We cannot stress enough how great your decision of studying in Switzerland is, but we can elaborate on some details and break some of the stereotypes of yodelling and shady banks where mobsters keep their money.

Why Study in Switzerland?

Switzerland seems the type of country that excels at everything: from great psychologists like Jung and Piaget, to sportsmen and women, like Federer and Hingis, and even ground-breaking physicists like Einstein - the degrees and fields are top notch.

Also, Switzerland is located in the heart of Europe, and, considering all the jokes about how compact the countries are, there’s no wonder you could visit 3 countries in only one afternoon, experiencing the true international experience to the maximum.

What to study in Switzerland

Switzerland is famous for the neutral, yet special position it holds in the EU. Seeing as they produce the best bankers and the best lawyers, it comes as no surprise that the best and most sought-after degrees in Switzerland are in fields such as:

Major cities in Switzerland

Switzerland doesn’t have a de jure capital, meaning that no city is recognised as the capital. However, the de facto city recognised as the governmental seat is Bern.

And, because Switzerland won’t make things easier for us, the largest city in the country is Zurich.

There’s not just only one good location. You can take your pick from the list below:

Which universities to attend in Switzerland

Switzerland has some amazing universities, with its education system being ranked very high, and international students flocking to its programmes like it’s the promised land.

In case you don’t know where to start, you could always check out these universities we recommend wholeheartedly:

Practical Information

How to apply to universities in Switzerland
Switzerland, unlike other countries, doesn’t have a special website or application centre that can manage your documents and apply on your behalf.
As it stands, you simply have to check the website of the programme you chose and:
Complete the online application;
Pay the application fee;
Upload all the necessary documents before the deadline expires.
Because each degree and university has its own requirements, you have to pay attention and check the list of documents carefully.
Usually, the documents required are:
A printed and signed copy of your application form;
Two passport photos;
A copy of your I.D.;
Official academic transcripts, from each university you attended;
High school diploma or your Bachelor’s degree;
Language proficiency certificates for German, French, or English;
CV;
Evidence you paid the application fee;
Personal essay or motivation letter.
You can also make sure you’re accepted to a university if you:
Show how you performed as a student, and be sure to know what your Grade Point Average (GPA) was during your studies.
Can increase your chances of going to Switzerland by being sure to apply to more than one university!

Helpful ways to make sure you qualify for a Swiss university

Take Preparation Courses: These kinds of courses enable degree-seeking students to get an extra educational boost just before they start their Master’s degree or other post-graduate degree programmes. Try a pre-M.B.A., pre-Law, or pre-Medicine programme, as well as any other foundation or preparation courses that will allow you to study in the degree programme of your choice.

Improve your English through an English-language prep course: If you’re attending a degree programme in Switzerland, you will need to prove that your language skills are good enough to participate in the classes and understand the lectures; some schools will require German, Italian, or French, while others will require strong English skills. These courses will also prepare you for any of the English-language tests that universities require

English-language tests

Switzerland has three official languages: German, French, and Italian.

The language in which your degree will be taught depends on where you wish to apply to. In addition, most universities also offer a wide range of programmes taught in English.

The certificates of proficiency you will need to provide, depending on the language you wish to study, are:

For German: DSH, TestDaF, OSD, telc, and others;
For French: DELF or DALF;
For English: IELTS or TOEFL.

If you don’t hold a language certificate, you can take a language test at the university and they can decide if your level is sufficient for you to complete your studies.

This option is not available in all universities, so always check with the institution!

Living in Switzerland

What is it like to study in Switzerland?
You will feel like home in Switzerland. Seeing as I’m not sure what your country of origin is, that’s a great assumption on my part, but I’m backed up by the international environment.
Students who share their studying abroad experience always applaud the people and the diverse market of nationalities the universities accommodate.
Also, the distances between the university, campus, library, and so forth, can be really small, considering the country and cities are tiny, but the spaces are beautiful and fit for students.
Another point in favour of Switzerland is that the universities here focus more on papers and thesis, the grade being awarded after considering your whole learning process, not just what courses you crammed in the night before.

Tuition fees in Switzerland

Switzerland, not being in the EU, doesn’t discriminate between tuitions costs of European and non-European students. That’s why both categories pay the same tuition fees, which average 1.600 EUR / year, for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

In comparison, PhD degrees can cost around 100 or 200 EUR / year.

Still, the price may depend and rise based on the field you wish to study in. For instance, Medicine can cost up to 16.000 EUR / year.

Students who come to Switzerland on an exchange programme don’t pay any tuition fee, while universities from Fribourg, Lucerne, Neuchatel, St. Gallen, Zurich, and Lugano charge extra tuition fees for foreign students.

Accommodation, housing, food and other expenses

Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, but every penny is worth it, due to how high the standard of living is and how high an average salary can go up to. To live there as a student you need to budget at least 1,200 EUR/month.

But, for this description’s sake, we can tell you some of the standard prices you will find in the shops, and how much the accommodation and transportation will cost you.

For instance:

1 litre of milk can be 1.30 EUR;
A loaf of bread of 500g is 2.30 EUR;
A meal at an inexpensive restaurant can be around 20 EUR;
A monthly pass for your transportation can go up to 65 EUR;
The rent per month in a one-bedroom apartment outside the centre can cost up to 1.000 EUR;

An average monthly NET salary can be at around 4.000 EUR, but it will depend on your field of study, how old you occupied the post, and if you’re an intern or a permanent employee.

About Switzerland

Facts about Switzerland

Switzerland, also known as Confoederatio Helvetica (CH) in Latin, is famous for its neutral position throughout history. In the immortal words of Frank Liebkind, from “The Producers”: “I had nothing to do with the war! I didn't even know there was a war on! We lived at the back, near Switzerland. All we heard was yodelling.” The history behind that joke is the almost 500 years of independence of the Swiss; aside from Napoleon’s occupation, at the beginning of the 19th century, Switzerland was independent since 1499.

That’s one of the reasons why the Vatican is protected by the Swiss Guards, these men being the only ones allowed to serve foreign armies. That can be a very good thing, too, seeing how the Swiss are rather bad at the whole “military” thing: let’s not forget that, in 2007, Switzerland accidentally invaded Lichtenstein. Makes the time you forgot the milk on the stove feel rather small, when put into perspective.

Now, getting back to praising Switzerland.

Everybody can tell you that it’s really famous for its chocolate, cheese, banking system, watches, alpine areas, and, let’s not forget, that the flag is, also, a huge plus. Heh!

Also, Switzerland is the quintessence of a perfect destination for students. For instance:

The first convenience food was invented here, by Julius Maggi and Carl Knorr, in 1886. By convenience food, we mean the famous “just add water” cup of soup. So you could say the Swiss invented the broke student’s menu;
The APPP was founded here, APPP standing for the Anti-PowerPoint Party. It is exactly what you imagine: a bunch of politicians working to decrease the number of PowerPoints used in professional presentations, claiming that “Microsoft PowerPoint and its other software products are economically harmful”. Also, their motto? “Finally do something!”
Finally, the Swiss government mandated a program to provide every Swiss citizen a bomb shelter, making it one of the safest and readily equipped countries in the world.

Before we go, you should also know that Switzerland has a law that makes owning only one guinea pig illegal, so they wouldn’t get lonely. If this fact doesn’t make you happy, nothing will.

Universities, colleges and schools in Switzerland

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