Why study in Switzerland?

Switzerland is one of the richest, happiest and most prosperous countries in the world, divided into 26 cantons, each with autonomous governance and culture. Every year a huge number of foreign students from all over the world come here, wishing to get a high quality education in the heart of Europe. Today we will tell you about studying in this amazing country, the peculiarities of admission to Switzerland, scholarships, opportunities after graduation, as well as share a few smart tricks that will facilitate the process of admission and choice of universities.

Education features

1. The average duration of studies at universities is 3-4 years for the bachelor degree and 1-2 years for the master degree, but students can, if they wish, cut their study period nearly in half by giving up vacations. At the same time it is possible to study longer than declared, if the student has not passed any exam.

2. The most prestigious professions in Switzerland are the hotel business, natural sciences and finance.

3. There are 4 state languages in Switzerland - German, French, Italian and Rhaeto-Romanic; depending on the location, each canton establishes a main language. Geneva, for example, is the center of the French part of Switzerland, and Zurich is the center of the German part. Thanks to its multilingualism, university programs here are often taught in English or in several languages at once, both at the master's and bachelor's levels.

4. There are three types of universities in Switzerland:

   • Traditional universities are the most prestigious and respected, with an emphasis on research and theoretical training of students.

   • Higher Applied Schools (Fachhochschule) - provide the same quality of education, but with an emphasis on practice. The program usually includes an internship in the company and participation in applied projects.

   • Pedagogical Universities - specialize exclusively in the training of school teachers and educators for people with special educational needs.

5. Despite the high cost of living, the cost of education in Switzerland for international students is quite low and ranges from 1,300 to 4,000 euros per year at public universities.

How to enroll

There is no single admission system in Switzerland; each canton decides for itself about the admission procedure and the required documents.It is considered easier to apply to universities in the French part of Switzerland, the universities in the German part have higher requirements.

• for the fall semester – by April 30

• for the spring semester – by November 30.

Baccalaureate

You can apply to some universities in the French part of Switzerland for a bachelor's degree immediately after high school, but for most it is only after two years of university study in your home country or completion of the IB (International Baccalaureate) program. Exceptions are private universities, which are accepted immediately after school.

In some cases, candidates will also have to take an additional ECUS exam - it is an admission to universities in Switzerland for foreigners whose educational qualifications do not match the local one. The exam takes place in Geneva and Zurich in August each year. Candidates usually must pass 3 compulsory subjects - mathematics, a foreign language and history, and two optional subjects. Which subjects each prospective student must take, the university determines after receiving documents. Often, after two years at the university in your home country the exams are not required, unless you want to change the specialty.

The following documents are required for admission:

• copy of passport

• certificate with grades

• report of completion of the IB program or academic transcripts from the university with grades for two years

• language certificate: IELTS, TOEFL - English, TestDaf - German, DELF - French

• motivation letter and CV.

Master's degree

The Master's degree program in Switzerland is open to applicants who have completed a Bachelor's degree at an accredited university in any country. The competition is large, but the procedure is quite simple, admission is based on previous grades.

The following documents must be prepared for admission:

• Copy of passport;

• Bachelor's degree with grades

• Language certificate: IELTS, TOEFL - English, TestDaf - German, DELF - French)

• Motivation letter and CV;

• Recommendation letters (to some universities).

Top universities in Switzerland

Study in Switzerland is available at both public and private universities, both of which provide an excellent education. Here you can study a variety of areas, from cooking to philosophy.

Public universities

The most prestigious universities in the country are considered state universities; they are more difficult to enter:

1. ETH Zurich is one of the most prestigious technical universities in the world, ranked 14th in the QS 2021 world ranking.

2. École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL is the most international university in Switzerland, almost half the students are foreigners. It specializes in natural sciences and engineering.

3. University of Zurich is the largest university in Switzerland, all master's programs are taught in English.

4. University of Basel is the oldest university in Switzerland, founded in 1460. A quarter of the students here are foreigners, and programs are taught in several languages at once.

   The University of Basel

5. SEG Swiss Education Group  an organization of several very prestigious private universities in hospitality, management and culinary arts at once:

   • César Ritz Colleges Switzerland

   • SHMS Swiss Hotel Management School

   • Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland

   • HIM Hotel Institute Montreux

   • IHTTI – School of Hotel & Design Management - Caux and Leysin

SEG students have the unique opportunity to take advantage of paid internships at prestigious international and Swiss companies during their studies.

Even though all universities are private, the organization offers scholarships for talented students.

Swiss Scholarships

• Excellence Master Fellowships are scholarships from the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Geneva. Funding of 10,000-15,000 francs per year is available to Master Fellows who enroll in one of the disciplines covered by the Faculty.

• Alfred Werner Master's Student Scholarships is a scholarship fund that funds future graduate students in chemistry or biochemistry at a federal technical university. The scholarship amount is 30,000 francs. Deadline: March 31, 2021.

• EPFL Excellence Scholarship is an EPFL University scholarship for graduate students in the amount of 8,000 francs per semester. As a bonus, the university also reserves a room in the student residence for the candidate, but housing costs are not covered.

Prospects after graduation

Graduates of Swiss universities have the right to extend their residence permit for another 6 months after graduation in order to find a job. In order to do so they would have to prove their means of livelihood and accommodation, as well as provide the authorities with their graduation certificate. After these conditions have been met, the graduate will receive a one-time work permit in Switzerland (category B), which entitles him/her to work only 15 hours per week. If you manage to find a permanent job after six months, you can apply for a standard work visa and will soon receive a permanent residence permit. However, it is quite difficult for foreigners to find a job in Switzerland, the labor market is very competitive, so the winner is the technical professions that are in demand in the country.

Lifephacks

Finally, we have gathered for you some tips and tricks to look out for when you want to go to study in Switzerland.

We have gathered for you some tips and tricks to look out for when you want to go to Switzerland.

1. To gain admission without losing two years at your home university you can take the IB Diploma program after high school. This two-year program for students aged 16-19 years old that gives them direct access to universities not only in Switzerland, but almost all over the world. The program works on the basis of schools in 140 countries, including Russia.

2. In addition to the world rankings, there are also internal rankings, for example in Switzerland, it pays to study economics in St. Gallen, law in Fribourg, Lausanne or Neuchâtel, history in Neuchâtel and philology in Geneva!

3. While tuition fees at private universities in Switzerland tend to be quite high, many of the universities offer generous scholarships that cover up to the full cost of tuition.

   Even though tuition fees at private universities in Switzerland are usually quite high, many of the universities offer generous scholarships that cover up to the full cost of tuition.

We hope that our material has been useful, now all that remains is to choose a university and send your application! And if you need help with your paperwork or choosing programs, contact our team of StudyQA.