Many Countries in Europe are known for their high-quality education, top-notch institutions, and globally recognised degrees. Switzerland is also one of the countries renowned among international students for its high-quality education, high standard of living, extensive worldwide networking, multiculturalism, and variety of English-taught programs. It is no surprise that, according to the QS world ranking, several renowned universities have found their place in the top 200 universities of the world, such as ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne or EPFL, University of Bern, University of Geneva, and University of Basel.
Switzerland has been attracting international students for a long time. As far as the current statistics are concerned, there are more than 75,000 international students pursuing their higher education in Swiss universities, and the number is increasing. To dig deeper into the numbers, around 58,000 are studying in universities & institutes of technology, whereas around 2,000 are completing their programs in universities of applied sciences. There are many solid reasons why the students are willing to enrol in these Swiss universities.
Why Student Choose to Study in Switzerland?
- Quality Education – Swiss universities are heavily funded by the government; hence, every year the government makes huge investments in research and development, plus follow the high standards in faculty and facilities. Switzerland also comes under the top 5 most innovative countries worldwide; that’s why ETH Zurich and EPFL are consistently ranked among the top 20 universities in the world every year.
- Safe Peaceful Environment and High Standard of Life – Switzerland comes in the top 5 countries worldwide for safety and social security. As far as the Global Peace Index is concerned, it comes in at number 6 globally. The crime rate is quite low in Switzerland, which makes it an interesting study destination amongst international students. As per the recent human development index, Switzerland also comes in the top 3 countries when it comes to standard of life, a long and healthy life, and knowledge.
- Visa Success Rate – Switzerland is also known for its extraordinary visa success rate.. Since it is a friendly and multicultural country, the visa approval rate is always more than 90% for international students. If you receive an offer letter from a public university, then there are high chances that your profile will be approved.
- Strong Industry Tie-Ups and Higher Minimum Wage – Switzerland has the headquarters of some of the finest companies, such as Nestlé, Novartis, UBS, and Logitech. These companies collaborate with several Swiss institutions for sponsored research initiatives and programmes for internships and innovation labs. These collaborations allow international students to experience technology and business in the real world while they are still completing their studies.
- Home to some of the finest international organisations and strong economic stability – Switzerland is home to some of the amazing international organisations like the Bureau of International Settlements, the World Health Organisation, the World Trade Organisation, the International Labour Organisation, the International Committee of the Red Cross and so on, which makes it an interesting place to study. These organisations proactively offer training and internship programs to overseas students, and even students can interact with professionals and world leaders through regular conferences, open forums, and career fairs organised by these reputed names. Switzerland also comes in the list of the top countries with strong economic stability.
Top 5 Affordable Switzerland Universities for International Students Offering English-Taught Programs
Usually the international students make the wrong assumption about switzerland that it is a very expensive study destination, but as mentioned above, the education system in Switzerland is highly supported by the government, so there is a cheat code. Every international student should be aware that there are many public universities that offer not only quality education but also an affordable fee structure with English-taught programs.
- University of Geneva
Location – Geneva
QS Ranking – 155
Popular programs – Biology, Chemistry, Global health, Earth Sciences, Business Analytics.
Fee Structure – CHF 500 per semester
- University of Lausanne
Location – Lausanne
QS Ranking – 224
Popular programs – Actuarial Science, Law, Economics, Management, Medical Biology.
Fee Structure – CHF 580 per semester
- University of Basel
Location – Basel
QS Ranking – 131
Popular programs – Business & Technology, Computer Science, Physics, Biomedical Engineering.
Fee Structure – CHF 850 per semester
- University of Bern
Location – Bern
QS Ranking – 161
Popular programs – Medicine, Physics, Molecular Life Science, world literature.
Fee Structure – CHF 950 per semester
- University of Neuchâtel
Location – Neuchâtel
QS Ranking – N/A
Popular programs – Biology, Finance, Computer Science, Statistics.
Fee Structure – CHF 1580 per semester
Apart from these reputed institutions, some other universities in Switzerland also ask for an affordable fee structure, such as the University of Fribourg and the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland. After completion of the programmes, Switzerland also allows international students to stay in the country for six months to gain work experience, and after six months, if the student’s occupation comes under the high-demand job list, it can be easily converted to a work permit. because of its geographical location, as in Central Europe, it offers so many job opportunities in different sectors such as pharma, finance & banking, hospitality, tech and engineering, luxury, and so on. Plus, the unemployment rate in switzerland is also very low. If you are looking for the database of study programmes shared by the swiss higher education institution, then this link is for you to understand each piece of information and knowledge about the program, study duration, fee structure and eligibility criteria.
