Universities in Switzerland

At university level, Switzerland has worldwide recognition for its academic excellence and high quality teachers.

At university level, Switzerland has worldwide recognition for its academic excellence and high quality teachers. The country is home to some of the world’s best ranked academic institutions such as Zurich’s Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (which ranks 7th in Engineering, Science and Technology and has hosted 31 Nobel Laureates), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, University of Geneva and the University of Zurich.

The tranquillity, scenery and fresh mountain air provide a perfect environment for study, paired with the country’s location in the centre of Western Europe. Switzerland borders five countries and has four national languages, English is also widely spoken throughout making the country impressively multilingual and internationally appealing. As a result 21% of university students come from abroad.

Its geographical advantage is enhanced because of the public transport system. Reliable, punctual and comfortable, students are enticed by the idea of easy access to major cities such as Berne, Basel, Geneva and Zurich as well as parts of Europe. Even though Switzerland is not a member of the EU, many students can travel across Europe without needing a visa.

Despite being a relatively expensive place to live, the cost of a public university education in Switzerland is much lower than many other European countries. Not only are tuition fees remarkably less, but there are generous government and university sponsored scholarships available. Private universities cost significantly more.

Increasing its appeal to prospective students is the natural surroundings and the activities they allow. Skiing and snowboarding are top of the list and students at university are eligible for an inexpensive year-long ski pass to some of the world’s best slopes. Meanwhile the summer months bring water sports and clear lake swimming and an abundance of walks and hikes up in the mountains and surrounding areas.

Collège du Léman provides our students with opportunities to attend their top choice university anywhere in the world. Main destinations for our 2017 Graduating Class included the UK (34%), Switzerland (23%), North America (16%) and other countries (13%), including France, Spain, Japan, Korea and Sweden. Fourteen percent took a gap year and will attend university in 2018.