Switzerland · Universities and federal institutes of technology
ETH Zurich
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich · University (ETH) · canton of Zurich · Zurich
ethz.ch →Students, 2025/26
26,257
Educated abroad
37.8%
9,927 students
Largest field
Exact sciences
27.0% of 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. Students are everyone matriculated at a Swiss higher education institution in the autumn (winter) semester, as the Federal Statistical Office defines them.
Educated abroad, by level, 2025/26
Bachelor's
19.9%
2,293 of 11,517 students
Master's
42.8%
4,176 of 9,747 students
Doctorate
74.3%
3,163 of 4,259 students
Students, 2006/07–2025/26
| 2025/26 | 26,257 |
| 2024/25 | 25,533 |
| 2023/24 | 24,751 |
| 2022/23 | 24,386 |
| 2021/22 | 23,886 |
| 2020/21 | 22,903 |
| 2019/20 | 21,609 |
| 2018/19 | 20,806 |
| 2017/18 | 20,031 |
| 2016/17 | 19,302 |
| 2015/16 | 18,744 |
| 2014/15 | 18,185 |
| 2013/14 | 17,682 |
| 2012/13 | 17,309 |
| 2011/12 | 16,747 |
| 2010/11 | 15,984 |
| 2009/10 | 15,071 |
| 2008/09 | 14,051 |
| 2007/08 | 13,197 |
| 2006/07 | 12,792 |
Fields of study, 2025/26
Field names translated by CollegeMatcher.
- Exact sciences7,081 · 27.0%
- Mechanical and electrical engineering6,653 · 25.3%
- Civil engineering and geodesy3,924 · 14.9%
- Technical sciences, interdisciplinary and other3,088 · 11.8%
- Natural sciences2,546 · 9.7%
- Exact and natural sciences, interdisciplinary and other1,056 · 4.0%
- Agricultural and forest sciences618 · 2.4%
- Pharmacy549 · 2.1%
- Human medicine314 · 1.2%
- Social sciences146 · 0.6%
- Interdisciplinary and other130 · 0.5%
- Humanities and social sciences, interdisciplinary and other112 · 0.4%
- History and cultural studies40 · 0.2%
Level of study, 2025/26
- Bachelor's11,517 · 43.9%
- Master's9,747 · 37.1%
- Doctorate4,259 · 16.2%
- Continuing education, advanced studies and other470 · 1.8%
- Licence or diploma264 · 1.0%
Fees
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.
Other universities and federal institutes of technology: University of Zurich, University of Bern, University of Geneva, University of Lausanne, EPFL, University of Basel, University of St. Gallen, University of Fribourg, Università della Svizzera italiana, University of Neuchâtel, University of Lucerne, UniDistance Suisse, Geneva Graduate Institute, Theological University Chur
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.