Switzerland · Universities of applied sciences
University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland
Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz · University of applied sciences (FHNW) · canton of Aargau · Brugg-Windisch
fhnw.ch →Students, 2025/26
15,671
Educated abroad
13.3%
1,929 of 14,527 diploma, bachelor's and master's students
Largest field
Business, Management and Services
25.6% of students
Of its 15,671 students, 3,915 are in teacher education or therapy — School of Education (PH FHNW), 3,915 — which the Federal Statistical Office also lists with the universities of teacher education. 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.
“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.
Students, 2006/07–2025/26
| 2025/26 | 15,671 |
| 2024/25 | 15,104 |
| 2023/24 | 14,774 |
| 2022/23 | 14,562 |
| 2021/22 | 14,545 |
| 2020/21 | 14,387 |
| 2019/20 | 13,809 |
| 2018/19 | 13,636 |
| 2017/18 | 13,468 |
| 2016/17 | 13,136 |
| 2015/16 | 12,527 |
| 2014/15 | 11,833 |
| 2013/14 | 11,278 |
| 2012/13 | 10,722 |
| 2011/12 | 10,113 |
| 2010/11 | 9,938 |
| 2009/10 | 9,404 |
| 2008/09 | 8,722 |
| 2007/08 | 8,326 |
| 2006/07 | 7,692 |
Fields of study, 2025/26
The Federal Statistical Office's own English field names.
- Business, Management and Services4,013 · 25.6%
- Teacher education3,915 · 25.0%
- Engineering and IT1,985 · 12.7%
- Social Work1,731 · 11.0%
- Music, Theatre and Other Arts1,029 · 6.6%
- Applied Psychology986 · 6.3%
- Chemistry and Life Sciences867 · 5.5%
- Design600 · 3.8%
- Architecture, Construction and Planning545 · 3.5%
Level of study, 2025/26
- Bachelor's11,264 · 71.9%
- Master's2,955 · 18.9%
- Continuing education1,144 · 7.3%
- Diploma308 · 2.0%
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 of applied sciences: University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Bern University of Applied Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons, Zurich University of the Arts, Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences, HWZ University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration Zurich, SBS Swiss Business School, Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen, César Ritz Colleges Switzerland
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.