Switzerland · Universities and federal institutes of technology
University of Geneva
Université de Genève · University (UNIGE) · canton of Geneva · Geneva
unige.ch →Students, 2025/26
17,944
Educated abroad
34.9%
6,271 students
Largest field
Social sciences
26.7% 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
21.7%
1,865 of 8,601 students
Master's
38.6%
2,063 of 5,345 students
Doctorate
64.1%
1,398 of 2,182 students
Students, 2006/07–2025/26
| 2025/26 | 17,944 |
| 2024/25 | 17,594 |
| 2023/24 | 17,399 |
| 2022/23 | 17,939 |
| 2021/22 | 18,560 |
| 2020/21 | 18,772 |
| 2019/20 | 17,441 |
| 2018/19 | 16,985 |
| 2017/18 | 16,595 |
| 2016/17 | 17,059 |
| 2015/16 | 16,389 |
| 2014/15 | 15,781 |
| 2013/14 | 15,776 |
| 2012/13 | 15,514 |
| 2011/12 | 15,359 |
| 2010/11 | 15,666 |
| 2009/10 | 15,014 |
| 2008/09 | 13,830 |
| 2007/08 | 13,665 |
| 2006/07 | 13,893 |
Fields of study, 2025/26
Field names translated by CollegeMatcher.
- Social sciences4,793 · 26.7%
- Law1,935 · 10.8%
- Economics and business1,795 · 10.0%
- Human medicine1,755 · 9.8%
- Natural sciences1,196 · 6.7%
- Languages and literature1,082 · 6.0%
- Exact sciences1,056 · 5.9%
- Humanities and social sciences, interdisciplinary and other907 · 5.1%
- Interdisciplinary and other861 · 4.8%
- Pharmacy739 · 4.1%
- Medicine and pharmacy, interdisciplinary and other680 · 3.8%
- History and cultural studies427 · 2.4%
- Dentistry338 · 1.9%
- Exact and natural sciences, interdisciplinary and other231 · 1.3%
- Theology149 · 0.8%
Level of study, 2025/26
- Bachelor's8,601 · 47.9%
- Master's5,345 · 29.8%
- Doctorate2,182 · 12.2%
- Continuing education, advanced studies and other1,463 · 8.2%
- Licence or diploma353 · 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 and federal institutes of technology: University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, University of Bern, 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.