🇨🇭 45 institutions · 288,097 students · 2025/26
Switzerland's universities — 28.8% of their students were educated abroad.
Every university, university of applied sciences and university of teacher education the Federal Statistical Office counts: students since 2006/07, the share who gained their entrance qualification abroad, fields and levels of study.
Students at universities, 2025/26
176,332
At universities of applied sciences and teacher education
111,765
Educated abroad, universities
28.8%
50,820 students
Educated abroad, applied sciences and teacher education
13.2%
diploma, bachelor's and master's students
“Educated abroad” (Bildungsausländer) means the student gained their university entrance qualification outside Switzerland. It is not nationality: a foreign national who went to school in Switzerland counts as educated in Switzerland. For universities of applied sciences the Office publishes it for diploma, bachelor's and master's students only, so continuing-education students are left out of that share.
What it costs, and what isn't here
Each institution sets its own tuition — for ETH Zurich and EPFL the ETH Board does, by ordinance — and many charge students from abroad more. Fees are not published as open data, and swissuniversities' fee tables may not be reused, so no fees are shown here: check each institution's website.
No entry requirements, application numbers, fees or graduate outcomes are published per institution as open data, so this is a directory, not a matcher.
All 45 institutions
Students are everyone matriculated at a Swiss higher education institution in the autumn (winter) semester, as the Federal Statistical Office defines them. The Federal Statistical Office counts three types of institution separately. Teacher-education schools that belong to a university of applied sciences — such as the FHNW's School of Education — are counted here with that university, as the Office's combined table counts them; the independent universities of teacher education are listed on their own.
Universities and federal institutes of technology (15)
| Institution | Students, 2025/26 | Educated abroad |
|---|---|---|
| University of ZurichUniversität Zürich · Zurich · Zurich | 29,695 | 18.4% |
| ETH ZurichEidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich · Zurich · Zurich | 26,257 | 37.8% |
| University of BernUniversität Bern · Bern · Bern | 18,243 | 17.5% |
| University of GenevaUniversité de Genève · Geneva · Geneva | 17,944 | 34.9% |
| University of LausanneUniversité de Lausanne · Vaud · Lausanne | 17,646 | 18.6% |
| EPFLÉcole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne · Vaud · Lausanne | 14,234 | 56.4% |
| University of BaselUniversität Basel · Basel-Stadt · Basel | 14,077 | 27.1% |
| University of St. GallenUniversität St.Gallen · St. Gallen · St. Gallen | 10,847 | 27.8% |
| University of FribourgUniversité de Fribourg / Universität Freiburg · Fribourg · Fribourg | 10,329 | 14.0% |
| Università della Svizzera italianaTicino · Lugano | 4,747 | 66.8% |
| University of NeuchâtelUniversité de Neuchâtel · Neuchâtel · Neuchâtel | 4,476 | 23.1% |
| University of LucerneUniversität Luzern · Lucerne · Lucerne | 4,245 | 14.8% |
| UniDistance SuisseFernuni Schweiz / UniDistance Suisse · Valais · Brig | 2,484 | 25.4% |
| Geneva Graduate InstituteInstitut de hautes études internationales et du développement · Geneva · Geneva | 1,079 | 85.8% |
| Theological University ChurTheologische Hochschule Chur · Graubünden · Chur | 29 | 13.8% |
Universities of applied sciences (14)
| Institution | Students, 2025/26 | Educated abroad |
|---|---|---|
| University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western SwitzerlandHaute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale · Jura · Delémont | 21,184 | 19.0% |
| Zurich University of Applied SciencesZürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften · Zurich · Winterthur | 16,799 | 6.4% |
| University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern SwitzerlandFachhochschule Nordwestschweiz · Aargau · Brugg-Windisch | 15,671 | 13.3% |
| Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and ArtsHochschule Luzern · Lucerne · Lucerne | 9,231 | 15.4% |
| Bern University of Applied SciencesBerner Fachhochschule · Bern · Bern | 7,967 | 13.0% |
| University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern SwitzerlandScuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana · Ticino | 7,146 | 28.3% |
| OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied SciencesOST – Ostschweizer Fachhochschule · St. Gallen | 4,409 | 7.5% |
| University of Applied Sciences of the GrisonsFachhochschule Graubünden · Graubünden · Chur | 2,259 | 11.8% |
| Zurich University of the ArtsZürcher Hochschule der Künste · Zurich · Zurich | 2,258 | 38.0% |
| Kalaidos University of Applied SciencesKalaidos Fachhochschule Schweiz · Zurich · Zurich | 2,120 | 8.8% |
| HWZ University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration ZurichHWZ Hochschule für Wirtschaft Zürich · Zurich · Zurich | 1,742 | 0.3% |
| SBS Swiss Business SchoolZurich | 242 | 41.9% |
| Swiss Federal Institute of Sport MagglingenEidgenössische Hochschule für Sport Magglingen · Bern · Magglingen | 208 | 1.4% |
| César Ritz Colleges SwitzerlandValais | 77 | 94.8% |
Universities of teacher education (16)
| Institution | Students, 2025/26 | Foreign nationals |
|---|---|---|
| Zurich University of Teacher EducationPädagogische Hochschule Zürich · Zurich · Zurich | 4,149 | 9.5% |
| Bern University of Teacher EducationPädagogische Hochschule Bern · Bern · Bern | 2,984 | 6.4% |
| University of Teacher Education, VaudHaute école pédagogique du canton de Vaud · Vaud · Lausanne | 2,793 | 16.9% |
| Lucerne University of Teacher EducationPädagogische Hochschule Luzern · Lucerne · Lucerne | 2,479 | 6.8% |
| University of Teacher Education in Special NeedsInterkantonale Hochschule für Heilpädagogik · Zurich · Zurich | 2,044 | 11.6% |
| St.Gallen University of Teacher EducationPädagogische Hochschule St.Gallen · St. Gallen · St. Gallen | 1,346 | 12.6% |
| Thurgau University of Teacher EducationPädagogische Hochschule Thurgau · Thurgau · Kreuzlingen | 835 | 21.1% |
| Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and TrainingEidgenössische Hochschule für Berufsbildung · Bern · Zollikofen | 714 | 9.7% |
| Zug University of Teacher EducationPädagogische Hochschule Zug · Zug · Zug | 567 | 7.8% |
| University of Teacher Education BEJUNEHaute école pédagogique BEJUNE · Several cantons | 561 | 9.4% |
| University of Teacher Education, ValaisHaute école pédagogique du Valais / Pädagogische Hochschule Wallis · Valais | 551 | 12.3% |
| Graubünden University of Teacher EducationPädagogische Hochschule Graubünden · Graubünden · Chur | 520 | 7.9% |
| Schwyz University of Teacher EducationPädagogische Hochschule Schwyz · Schwyz · Goldau | 351 | 6.6% |
| Institute of Teacher Education NMS BernPädagogisches Hochschulinstitut NMS Bern · Bern · Bern | 318 | 4.1% |
| Schaffhausen University of Teacher EducationPädagogische Hochschule Schaffhausen · Schaffhausen · Schaffhausen | 159 | 18.2% |
| University of Speech and Language Therapy, Eastern SwitzerlandHochschule für Logopädie Ostschweiz · St. Gallen · Rorschach | 81 | 9.9% |
For the universities of teacher education the Office publishes only nationality per institution, not where students were educated, so their figure is the share of foreign nationals — not comparable with the educated-abroad share shown for the other two types.
By canton
Where each institution has its seat. Many teach on several campuses.
- Aargau
- FHNW
- Basel-Stadt
- Unibas
- Fribourg
- UNIFR
- Jura
- HES-SO
- Neuchâtel
- UniNE
- Schaffhausen
- PHSH
- Schwyz
- PHSZ
- Thurgau
- PHTG
- Valais
- UniDistance, HEP Valais, CRCS
- Zug
- PH Zug
- Several cantons
- HEP-BEJUNE
Students, 2006/07–2025/26
The three types added together by CollegeMatcher.
Liechtenstein's institutions, including the University of Liechtenstein, are not in the Swiss statistics. For the University of Liechtenstein, see studying in Liechtenstein.
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Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), Students and Degrees in Higher Education (SHIS-studex) — tables “Studierende an den universitären Hochschulen nach Jahr, Fachbereich, Studienstufe, Bildungsherkunft und Hochschule” (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/px-x-1502040100_108); “Studierende an den Fachhochschulen und pädagogischen Hochschulen nach Jahr, Fachbereich, Studienstufe, Geschlecht und Hochschule” (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/px-x-1502040400_136); “Studierende an den Fachhochschulen und pädagogischen Hochschulen nach Jahr, Fachbereich, Bildungsherkunft und Hochschule, nur Studierende auf Stufen Diplom, Bachelor und Master (ohne Weiterbildung)” (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/px-x-1502040400_138); “Studierende an den Fachhochschulen (ohne PH) nach Jahr, Fachbereich, Studienstufe, Geschlecht und Hochschule” (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/px-x-1502040200_170); “Studierende an den pädagogischen Hochschulen (ohne FH) nach Jahr, Fachrichtung, Geschlecht und Hochschule” (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/px-x-1502040300_191); “Studierende an den pädagogischen Hochschulen (ohne FH) nach Jahr, Fachrichtung, Staatsangehörigkeit (Kategorie) und Hochschule” (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/px-x-1502040300_192). Terms of use: opendata.swiss “Open use. Must provide the source” (https://opendata.swiss/en/terms-of-use). Sums and shares, English names, the English names of university and teacher-education fields, cantons, cities and websites are CollegeMatcher's additions, not the FSO's.