Switzerland has been increasingly becoming the most preferred study abroad destination, but it is yet to come in the top ten study abroad destinations. The charm of Switzerland is becoming more enticing to students, with an increased number of students getting enrolled in the country. According to reports by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), over 78,558 international students are studying at Swiss universities this academic year.
There are three pillars that define Switzerland’s higher education system, including:
- Universities (UNIs) are the traditional higher education institutions.
- Universities of Teacher Education (UTEs) are institutions providing practice-oriented training.
- Universities of Applied Sciences (UASAs) combine university education with professional-oriented programmes.
Most of the students studying in the country are from Europe (43,376). Out of this, 38,247 students are from European Union countries, and 4,621 are from other parts of Europe.
Countries sending international students to Switzerland include the following:
- Germany: 11,974
- France- 9,449
- Asian countries: 8,464
- Italy: 6,451
- America- 3,106
- Africa- 2,965
The findings reveal that most of the international students attending UITs pursue bachelor’s degrees (18,668). Of this number, around 12,000 students already have a prior foreign school education. Moreover, of the students enrolled at universities of applied sciences (UAS), most are from Germany and Italy, with 4,047 and 3,049, respectively.
However, 12,852 international students are enrolled in bachelor’s programmes and 6,113 in master’s programmes. Apart from these figures, another tens of thousands of students in Switzerland are enrolled in chosen universities of teacher education (23,654).
As per the data, 9.7 percent of international students at these institutions pursue bachelor’s degrees, and 11.9 percent pursue master’s degrees. A year ago, during the 2022–23 academic year, there were 76,257 international students in Switzerland. With college becoming increasingly unaffordable in many countries, the rise in international students flocking to Switzerland can be attributed mostly to low tuition prices at Swiss universities and the schools’ global rankings.
