Switzerland · Universities and federal institutes of technology
University of Lausanne
Université de Lausanne · University (UNIL) · canton of Vaud · Lausanne
unil.ch →Students, 2025/26
17,646
Educated abroad
18.6%
3,286 students
Largest field
Social sciences
21.5% 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
7.5%
637 of 8,539 students
Master's
18.7%
1,048 of 5,602 students
Doctorate
45.9%
1,166 of 2,538 students
Students, 2006/07–2025/26
| 2025/26 | 17,646 |
| 2024/25 | 17,182 |
| 2023/24 | 16,937 |
| 2022/23 | 16,901 |
| 2021/22 | 17,134 |
| 2020/21 | 16,908 |
| 2019/20 | 15,860 |
| 2018/19 | 15,325 |
| 2017/18 | 14,975 |
| 2016/17 | 14,452 |
| 2015/16 | 14,103 |
| 2014/15 | 14,089 |
| 2013/14 | 13,624 |
| 2012/13 | 12,947 |
| 2011/12 | 12,249 |
| 2010/11 | 12,066 |
| 2009/10 | 11,581 |
| 2008/09 | 11,468 |
| 2007/08 | 11,032 |
| 2006/07 | 10,647 |
Fields of study, 2025/26
Field names translated by CollegeMatcher.
- Social sciences3,797 · 21.5%
- Economics and business3,616 · 20.5%
- Human medicine2,700 · 15.3%
- Natural sciences2,064 · 11.7%
- Law1,664 · 9.4%
- Humanities and social sciences, interdisciplinary and other1,106 · 6.3%
- Exact and natural sciences, interdisciplinary and other716 · 4.1%
- Interdisciplinary and other659 · 3.7%
- Languages and literature597 · 3.4%
- History and cultural studies379 · 2.1%
- Medicine and pharmacy, interdisciplinary and other171 · 1.0%
- Pharmacy101 · 0.6%
- Theology76 · 0.4%
Level of study, 2025/26
- Bachelor's8,539 · 48.4%
- Master's5,602 · 31.7%
- Doctorate2,538 · 14.4%
- Continuing education, advanced studies and other815 · 4.6%
- Licence or diploma152 · 0.9%
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 Geneva, 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.