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STUDYING IN SWITZERLAND

Geneva’s private universities charge high fees for unrecognised diplomas, probe reveals

An investigation has revealed Geneva's private universities are changing big money for courses that are not even officially recognised, but will the Swiss government tighten the screw?

Published: 9 August 2022 11:49 CEST
Updated: 10 August 2022 09:59 CEST
Geneva's private universities charge high fees for unrecognised diplomas, probe reveals
Private universities market their location near international institutions to attract students to Geneva. (Image by 495756 from Pixabay)

When it comes to public education, Switzerland is known for its schools and universities, many of which appear high on international rankings. There is another side to this, though, as private institutions are left without much supervision, creating an industry of “universities” with high tuition and low quality of teaching, an investigation by broadcaster RTS has revealed.

In Geneva, in particular, 13 institutions charge thousands of francs per semester and capitalise on their proximity to international bodies such as the UN and WHO offices to sell the dream of Swiss education.

However, the RTS investigation showed that only one of these 13 universities is actually accredited and recognised by Swiss universities.

READ ALSO: Why are Geneva and Zurich high among the world’s ‘most liveable’ cities?

Many have not even applied for Swiss Accreditation Council approval.

High fees and low educational standards

The main issue is that these “universities” end up charging something like CHR 90,000 for a bachelor’s degree that Swiss universities do not recognise – and classes are not even of a high standard, with students reporting cancelled classes and low quality of teaching.

A recent Geneva Observer report has shown how these private institutions are “shamelessly exploiting the global south”. With aggressive marketing campaigns targeting Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa (despite the difficulties in obtaining Swiss visas for students from these regions), they seek to attract students and use the “Geneva aura” to sell their products abiding by free-market laws.

READ ALSO: Swiss universities still highly ranked but slip in ratings

“Most Western countries regulate. Switzerland is pretty much the only one that does not practice some form of control over these private schools,” says Craig E. Klafter, former rector of The American University of Myanmar and researcher at The National Association of Scholars.

“Though I am sympathetic with the notion of a free market, we are talking about the Swiss higher education brand here. The profit-driven private schools abroad are the face of higher education in Switzerland worldwide. Swiss authorities are doing a major disservice to their quality institutions by allowing this to go on.”, he added.

Changes set for 2023

Even though Switzerland will remain unregulated regarding private higher education, some changes are set to come in 2023.

The Higher Education Act, which came into effect in 2015, reserves several designations, including “university” and “tier-one college”, to higher education establishments accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Council.

READ ALSO: Which jobs are in demand in Switzerland right now – and how much can you earn?

Public and private institutions have until January 1st 2023, to clarify their status. After that, those without accreditation “will not be able to continue their activities by usurping the title of ‘university'”, said Jean-Marc Rapp, president of the accreditation council.

“Consulting the list of accredited institutions in Switzerland is the number one guarantee that you are studying at a serious institution,” he told students.

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For members

STUDYING IN SWITZERLAND

Why does Switzerland subsidise fees only for some international students?

While international students must pay higher tuition fees than their Swiss counterparts in most of the country’s public universities, this is not the case in two polytechnic institutes.

Published: 6 May 2024 11:17 CEST
Updated: 9 May 2024 08:44 CEST
Why does Switzerland subsidise fees only for some international students?

At the two federal institutes, the ETH in Zurich and EPFL in Lausanne, nearly half of the student body comes from abroad — the highest proportion of all Swiss universities.

In fact, both institutions said they can no longer accommodate more international students on their premises, and EPFL is now seeking to limit the number of foreigners it admits each year.

READ ALSO: Why a top Swiss university wants to limit number of foreign students 

Why do so many foreign students come to study at these two universities?

Both have a global reputation for top-notch education and research in fields such as engineering, sciences, marhematics, and technology in general, with ETH scoring consistently high in international rankings. 

But there is also another factor: cost.

Both schools are much cheaper than highly-ranked universities elsewhere in the world.

Studying at top universities in the United States or the UK, for instance, costs tens of thousands (dollars or pounds) each year. 

What is the situation in Switzerland?

Public universities 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.

For this reason, foreign students pay higher tuition in universities across Switzerland (though only a fraction of what it would cost to study in the US or the UK).

For instance, foreign students at the University of Italian Switzerland in Ticino currently pay 3,100 francs per semester, while the Swiss pay 1,100 francs.

At the University of St. Gallen, tuition is 2,900 for an international student, versus 1,000 for a Swiss.

These are the highest public university tuitions in Switzerland; in others, the fees are below 1,000 francs, though there too, foreigners pay more than the Swiss.

You can see the latest prices for all Swiss universities here. 

There are, however, exceptions to this rule: the ETH and EPFL charge the same fee for all students — 730 francs per semester — regardless of their nationality.

As both these institutions are financed mostly by the federal government, it means that, unlike other Swiss universities, public funds are used to pay for foreign students.

Why is this?

Both universities consider this as an investment in Switzerland’s future, since a significant number of ETH and EPFL graduates from abroad are expected to “remain after graduation and contribute to the country’s prosperity.”

In fact, in March, the ETH Board rejected the proposal of higher tuition for foreign students.

“Given the shortage of qualified labour, this decision also takes into account the interests of the Swiss economy,” the Board said. 

But while a number of foreign graduates do remain in the country, many must leave.

That is mostly the case of those from outside the EU or EFTA (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), who are subject to quotas, the number of which is restricted, and set on annual basis depending on the needs of Switzerland’s economy.

In 2023, MPs voted to allow these foreign students to stay on in Switzerland and work after they graduate, provided they obtain their degrees in fields that are needed — but are in short supply — in the labour market.  

But the project had hit a roadblock in September, when MPs realised no legal basis exists to allow foreigners subject to quotas to live in Switzerland indefinitely, on the same basis as their EU /EFTA counterparts.

Therefore, exemption clauses for third country nationals who graduate from Swiss universities with in-demand skills must be created before progress can be made on this issue.

So far, this is still stalled in the parliament.

READ ALSO: Will non-EU graduates ever get green-light to stay in Switzerland? 

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