How easy is it for foreign students to study in Swiss universities?

The Muslim Times

Swiss universities are increasingly popular with foreign students, especially at PhD level. As more students come to study here, Switzerland still makes it hard for many of them to stay and contribute to Swiss society.

This content was published on March 10, 2020 –

Isobel Leybold-Johnson

Philip Schaufelberger (illustration)

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The number of foreign students in Switzerland’s ten universities and two prestigious institutes of technology is on the rise: they made up just over 30% of students in 2019/2020 – compared with 19% in 1990/1, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

“Generally, master rather than bachelor degrees are more appealing to foreign nationals who come to study in Switzerland,” observes the stats office. But what foreign students really like are PhDs: they made up 56% of doctoral graduates in 2019/2020. This compares to an average of 25% across OECD countries.