If you are a student who loves chocolate, high-end things, and gorgeous landscapes, Switzerland was tailor-made for you.
A great plus is the kind population, the great shops and economy, and the international atmosphere, where students and people from all over the world come in search of great education and living conditions.
We cannot stress enough how great your decision of studying in Switzerland is, but we can elaborate on some details and break some of the stereotypes of yodelling and shady banks where mobsters keep their money.
Given the fact that Switzerland has one of the most advanced free market economies, it's quite surprising that tuition fees are relatively affordable. Both EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA students usually pay between 400 and 3,700 EUR per academic year.
Not spending a lot on your education is a great advantage because living costs in Switzerland are well above the European average.
Institutions like Times Higher Education, TopUniversities, and US News release their global university rankings every year. And every year Swiss universities earn their places among the best educational institutions out there.
Swiss universities stand out by providing some of the best study programmes in Business, Tourism and Hospitality, Culinary Arts, and Engineering.
If you dream of becoming a polyglot one day and knowing a little bit about as many cultures as possible, Switzerland can help you fulfil this dream.
There are 4 official languages — German, French, Italian, and Romansh — and the Swiss society and people are very welcoming towards internationals from all over the world.
High livings standards go hand in hand with high salaries — and this is so true in Switzerland. The country has a healthy economy, a stable society, and one of the best healthcare systems out there. Unemployment rates are also very low.
All in all, Switzerland is a great place to settle, especially after your graduation. You'll already be familiar with the language(s), lifestyle, and locals, which will make it so much easier to find your place and build a life you're proud of.
Living in Switzerland isn't only about hard study, work, and a lot of money. It's also about travel, nature, and enjoying yourself. And there are certainly enough places where you can do that.
These are only a few of the popular destinations that attract tourists from all over the world, although, we must confess, the iconic mountains and peaks have already won our hearts: the Matterhorn, Interlaken, Lucerne, Lake Geneva, Chillon Castle, Lake Lugano and Ticino, the Rhine Falls, the Swiss National Park, etc.
Switzerland has some amazing universities, with its education system being ranked very high, and international students flocking to its programmes like it’s the promised land.
In case you don’t know where to start, you could always check out these universities we recommend wholeheartedly:
You will feel like home in Switzerland. Seeing as I’m not sure what your country of origin is, that’s a great assumption on my part, but I’m backed up by the international environment.
Students who share their studying abroad experience always applaud the people and the diverse market of nationalities the universities accommodate.
Also, the distances between the university, campus, library, and so forth, can be really small, considering the country and cities are tiny, but the spaces are beautiful and fit for students.
Another point in favour of Switzerland is that the universities here focus more on papers and thesis, the grade being awarded after considering your whole learning process, not just what courses you crammed in the night before.
Switzerland is famous for the neutral, yet special position it holds in the EU. Seeing as they produce the best bankers and the best lawyers, it comes as no surprise that the best and most sought-after degrees in Switzerland are in fields such as:
Switzerland doesn’t have a de jure capital, meaning that no city is recognised as the capital. However, the de facto city recognised as the governmental seat is Bern.
And, because Switzerland won’t make things easier for us, the largest city in the country is Zurich.
There’s not just only one good location. You can take your pick from the list below:
Switzerland, unlike other countries, doesn’t have a special website or application centre that can manage your documents and apply on your behalf.
As it stands, you simply have to check the website of the programme you chose and:
Because each degree and university has its own requirements, you have to pay attention and check the list of documents carefully.
Usually, the documents required are:
You can also make sure you’re accepted to a university if you:
These kinds of courses enable degree-seeking students to get an extra educational boost just before they start their Master’s degree or other post-graduate degree programmes.
Try a pre-M.B.A., pre-Law, or pre-Medicine programme, as well as any other foundation or preparation courses that will allow you to study in the degree programme of your choice.
If you’re attending a degree programme in Switzerland, you will need to prove that your language skills are good enough to participate in the classes and understand the lectures. These courses will also prepare you for any of the English-language tests that universities require.
Switzerland has three official languages: German, French, and Italian.
The language in which your degree will be taught depends on where you wish to apply to. In addition, most universities also offer a wide range of programmes taught in English.
The certificates of proficiency you will need to provide, depending on the language you wish to study, are:
If you don’t hold a language certificate, you can take a language test at the university and they can decide if your level is sufficient for you to complete your studies.
This option is not available in all universities, so always check with the institution!
Let's take a closer look at tuition and living expenses in Switzerland:
In Switzerland, both EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA students pay the same tuition fees at most public universities (with a few exceptions listed further below). For Bachelor's and Master's degrees, students pay between 400–3,700 EUR per year.
Private universities are much more expensive. Their tuition can go over 40,000 EUR per academic year. But not all study programmes cost that much; it depends on the discipline and the university.
Students who come to Switzerland on an exchange programme don’t pay any tuition fee. At universities from Fribourg, Lucerne, Neuchatel, St. Gallen, Zurich, and Lugano, you can encounter 2 different situations:
Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, but every penny is worth it, thanks to the high standard of living and the high average salaries. To live there as a student you need to budget around 1,300–1,700 EUR per month.
Here's a breakdown of the average living costs in Switzerland:
Switzerland, also known as Confoederatio Helvetica (CH) in Latin, is famous for its neutral position throughout history. In the immortal words of Frank Liebkind, from “The Producers”: “I had nothing to do with the war! I didn't even know there was a war on! We lived at the back, near Switzerland. All we heard was yodelling.” The history behind that joke is the almost 500 years of independence of the Swiss; aside from Napoleon’s occupation, at the beginning of the 19th century, Switzerland was independent since 1499.
That’s one of the reasons why the Vatican is protected by the Swiss Guards, these men being the only ones allowed to serve foreign armies. That can be a very good thing, too, seeing how the Swiss are rather bad at the whole “military” thing: let’s not forget that, in 2007, Switzerland accidentally invaded Lichtenstein. Makes the time you forgot the milk on the stove feel rather small, when put into perspective.
Now, getting back to praising Switzerland.
Everybody can tell you that it’s really famous for its chocolate, cheese, banking system, watches, alpine areas, and, let’s not forget, that the flag is, also, a huge plus. Heh!
Also, Switzerland is the quintessence of a perfect destination for students. For instance:
Before we go, you should also know that Switzerland has a law that makes owning only one guinea pig illegal, so they wouldn’t get lonely. If this fact doesn’t make you happy, nothing will.
Numerous education initiatives in the world were formed to promote international cooperation and academic exchange between universities as well as attract students and staff worldwide. This focus on international student education provides high quality programmes in various fields of study and prepares students for future careers anywhere in the world.
Studying, for instance, in Australia, Asia, Europe or America represents a wide range of opportunities to see the world and interact with other students from different countries. Different study options allow students to hold a job during their study years in order to pay for their education, if they wish to do so. Online programmes help you get an international education without having to leave home.
The number of English-taught short courses in Asia, Australia, Europe and The United States are continuously rising in popularity in the last few years. Many countries offer English-taught study programmes, including: Australia, China, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States and more. Other English short courses may be found in the rest of the European countries as well.
Short courses offer a great variety of subjects for a short and fixed period. This period can vary between a week to six weeks, depending on country, institution and course. This is an excellent opportunity to gain academic, cultural and social experience if you are not able to access long-term study opportunities. A wide variety of countries and institutions offer summer and short courses in all kinds of subject areas. It is a great opportunity to get some background information for your own research, to learn a language or to gain knowledge on a related topic.
Sometimes summer and short courses provide students with short-term housing. Therefore, it is useful to find out if housing is included in the fee of the summer or short course you wish to apply for.
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