As Swiss universities are beginning their academic year in September, some international students are in for a shock: their fees will rise significantly.
Some public universities in Switzerland have been charging students from abroad higher tuition fees for years.
For instance, universities of Neuchâtel charge 1,400 francs per year for foreigners versus 850 francs for the Swiss; in Fribourg it is 1,740 vs 1,440; in Zurich (between 1,640 and 2,440 vs 1,440), in Lucerne (2,050 vs 1,450), in Bern (1,900 vs 1,500), in Lugano (6,200 vs 2,200), and in St. Gallen (6,000 on average vs just over 2,000).
On the other hand, universities of Geneva, Lausanne, and Basel charge all their students the same fees, regardless of their nationality.
The same used to be true as well for Switzerland’s two top universities: the polytechnic institutes of Zurich (ETH) and Lausanne (EPFL).
Both have a large proportion of foreign students: at the ETH Zurich, about 35 percent of the 21,000-strong student body are foreigners.
At the EPFL this share is even higher — about half of the total of 13,000 students come from abroad.
But the equal tuition system in now changing.
What is happening?
When the new academic year begins at the EPFL on September 8th, and at its sister institution ETH in Zurich on September 18th, international students will see their tuition triple.
This means their fees will go up from 1,460 francs a year currently to 4,380 francs.
The increase will apply only to new students, however; those who are already enrolled at the two universities can complete their studies at old rates.
These hikes are meant to compensate for lower federal contributions because from 2025, the government’s financial aid to the two public institutes have been sharply reduced.
However, the universities said that “accompanying measures,” (meaning financial aid of some type) will still enable “highly talented but financially weak international students” to study at one or the other institution.
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Will Swiss students be impacted by this measure as well?
No, the cost of their tuition will not rise.
The reason for what may appear as unequal treatment is that public higher education institutions in Switzerland are funded mostly by taxpayers, so it is logical that Swiss students would have a ‘preferential’ treatment in this regard over those coming from abroad.
Cantons provide the main share of public education funding for the cantonal universities and universities of applied sciences on their territories, while the federal government makes financial contributions.