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STUDYING IN SWITZERLAND

Two Swiss universities ranked among Europe’s top 10

In a new ranking of Europe’s higher education institutions, two of Switzerland’s universities received high scores.

Published: 21 September 2023 15:10 CEST
Two Swiss universities ranked among Europe's top 10
Lausanne's EPFL is ranked among best universities in Europe. Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

In its new evaluation of Europe’s universities, London-based education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), found two of Switzerland’s top universities — the polytechnic institutes of Zurich and Lausanne — to be among the best.

The criteria for ranking 688 universities across 42 countries, including 106 universities that have never before been ranked by the QS, are  based  on “global recognition, research prowess, teaching resources, internationalisation, and employment outcomes,” the QS said in a press release.   

Let’s have a closer look at why the two Swiss institutions got such high marks.

Number 2: Federal Polytechnic Institute of Technology, Zurich (ETH)

The public research university focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, received the overall score of 99.4 (out of 100). 

It also performed very well in individual categories: 100 for academic reputation; 99 for its reputation as employer; 99.8 for academic citations; 94.7 for international research; 99.4 for employment outcomes; 96.9 for international student diversity; and 100 for international faculty ratio.

The ETH is not a stranger to accolades: it has been ranked by QS and other institutions among the best not only in Europe, but globally as well. 

Established in 1855, the ETH, which has around 20,000 students, can boast famous graduates, including Albert Einstein and numerous other Nobel Prize winners.

Number 9: Federal Polytechnic Institute of Lausanne (EPFL)

Known as ETH’s sister institution, the EPFL, which is also a public research university, specialises primarily in engineering and natural science. 

Its overall score in the QS ranking is 93.2. It received 97.9 in the academic reputation category; 95.5 in employer reputation; 99.9 in academic citations; 74 for international research; 96.8 for faculty-student ratio; and 100 for both international student diversity, and international faculty diversity.

A few years ago, the EPFL, which has just over 11,000 students, was recognised for its ‘internationalism’ in a prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) ranking.

READ ALSO: Lausanne’s EPFL named ‘most international university’ in the world

What about other Swiss universities?

While not as highly ranked as the ETH and EPFL, three other educational institutions rank among the top 100 (which is not a bad score, considering that 688 universities were rated by the QS: the University of Geneva is in the 60th place, Basel in the 74th, and Bern in the 76th
 
 
 

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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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