Study in Switzerland: Admission, Cost, Visa and Scholarships (2027)

Switzerland's higher education system follows the Bologna three-cycle structure across three kinds of institution: ten cantonal universities, two federal institutes of technology (ETH Zurich and EPFL), and a separate network of universities of applied sciences that is not covered in this file. A bachelor's degree runs 180 ECTS credits over three years, a master's degree 90 to 120 ECTS over three to four semesters, and a doctorate is awarded only by the universities and the two federal institutes. All three levels sit inside the Swiss Qualifications Framework for Higher Education, which mirrors the Bologna framework used across Europe, and Switzerland's own accreditation and coordination body for the university sector is swissuniversities.

Teaching language depends on the canton: German at Zurich, Basel, Bern, St Gallen and Lucerne; French at Lausanne, Geneva and Neuchatel; both German and French at Fribourg; Italian at Universita della Svizzera italiana. Bachelor's degrees are almost never taught in English. Both federal institutes of technology teach most of their master's degrees in English while keeping bachelor's teaching in French (EPFL) or German (ETH Zurich), and a growing number of master's programmes at the cantonal universities, especially in the sciences, engineering, economics and international affairs, are taught fully in English.

Admission works differently by level. Bachelor applicants with a non-Swiss school certificate go through country-specific recognition rules that swissuniversities publishes; where a certificate is not automatically recognised, a university may require an entrance examination (ETH Zurich runs a reduced or comprehensive exam depending on the certificate) or, at the University of St Gallen, a university-wide selection procedure with an aptitude test and interview that applies to every bachelor applicant regardless of nationality. Master applicants apply directly to the university with a relevant bachelor's degree, transcripts and, for an English-taught programme, an English test score. Most universities set a general application window from around 1 February to 30 April for the autumn semester, which starts in September, and a smaller window around September to November for the spring semester, which starts in February; a candidate who needs a Swiss entry visa commonly faces an earlier cutoff, often the end of February for the autumn semester, so the university has time to issue an admission letter before the visa application.

Tuition is charged per semester, not per year, and the amount an international student pays now varies sharply by institution. Some universities, including the University of Geneva and the University of Lausanne, still charge every student, Swiss or foreign, the same flat semester fee. Others add a defined surcharge for students who were not resident in Switzerland or Liechtenstein when they obtained their entry qualification. Since the 2025 and 2026 autumn semesters, ETH Zurich, EPFL and the University of Bern have introduced or raised a much higher rate for foreign students, close to three times the domestic fee, and the University of St Gallen and Universita della Svizzera italiana charge international students more again. English test minimums are set by each university rather than nationally; IELTS 6.5 to 7.0 and TOEFL iBT 85 to 100, at the CEFR C1 level, is the common band among the universities checked for this file.

A non-EU/EFTA student needs a national type D visa issued by the Swiss representation in their country of residence before travelling, then registers with the cantonal migration office after arrival for a residence permit for studies (permit B), which is renewed each year against fresh proof of funds. Students may work up to 15 hours a week during term once their permit has been in force for six months, full time during university holidays, and a graduate of a recognised Swiss higher education institution can get a six-month permit to look for qualified work after finishing their degree.