Study abroad in Switzerland for students
Switzerland Covid Updates 2021
Are welcoming international students to study this year on campus
Switzerland is a place where every single person on this planet cherishes to visit. Studying abroad in Switzerland for Students can proof to be a very good decision depending upon what the student wants to get out of their studies and what they plan on to study.
Switzerland is the happiest country on this earth, the cities are culturally enriched, and this can enhance the overall experience of the students study abroad trip.
Study abroad in Switzerland for student
- For studying in Switzerland the international students must be cherished to know Universities of Switzerland have a very good reputation in the subcontinent.The Switzerland study cost from is comparatively cheaper as compared to the other country universities but the cost of living compensates that over, still the student can look for cheaper alternatives as there are option always available.
- The tuition free universities in Switzerland for international students are either German speaking or French speaking, there are courses that are taught in English but the student requires to do a bit research on that.
The regional language is not English therefore the student must put in certain amount of effort.
- If the student is looking forward to have a career outside of the region than Switzerland may not be the ideal choice to study abroad.
Best university in Switzerland for Students.
Swiss Higher Education Institutions have a great reputation around the world. Almost seven Swiss universities are featured in the top 200 of World Rankings. It is a country with a long known tradition of higher education. Switzerland’s first university was founded in 1460 at Basel. Due to the academic progress over the centuries, Switzerland is now home to some of well – known higher educational systems and top universities in Europe for masters of students.
Tuition Free Universities in Switzerland for International Students
At both types of universities public and private the tuition fee is affordable and is the same for European and Non Europeans.
The average tuition fee at the universities are as follows –
- Undergraduate and graduate program – 1,600 EUR per year
- PhD program – 200 EUR per year
There are universities that charge more students in Switzerland.
How Much International Student Can Earn in Switzerland
Biggest advantage of the studying in Switzerland is the flexibility allowing the internationals student work during their studies. The International student can earn about 20 – 26 CHF an hour that would cover all their living expenses. There are very few countries that allow the international students to work luckily Switzerland is an exception.
Study Abroad Switzerland Reviews by students
The various reviews received from the students who have studied bachelors, masters and PhD has been summarized as follows –
- Safety – Switzerland being the happiest and safest country in the world are ideal place to study. There are almost zero hate or other types of crimes in Switzerland that is a good news for the students to study in Switzerland.
- Internships while studying in Switzerland – Most of the courses at the Swiss Universities come with internship opportunity, thus enhancing the career prospects of the student. These internships are of all kinds simply trainings or paid internships. Since the international students are allowed to work in Switzerland from while studying therefore they can apply for as many internships they want during the whole time of their course.
- Switzerland University Rankings – About 4 universities from Switzerland have made their place in the top 100 universities of the world.
- Quality of Education – The innovation and education are the biggest driving forces for the education in Switzerland. Pursuing higher education in Switzerland can bring great career opportunities in the career of the students ahead. They help in introducing a global outlook in the student, and help in the students in coming across people from across the globe. Students can study in Switzerland without IELTS.
- Discounts on travelling – the international students are provided with huge discounts. The discount can be up to 50 % .The student discount is usually on Night travel, local transportation, some travels can be absolutely free of cost.
- Accommodation at ease – Accommodation is provided on the campus at ease and only low cost along with the food supplies. Student discount is valid if the student moves out of the university hostel.
- Innovation at the universities – the universities in Switzerland are a brewing innovation and research. And this research is not just being performed under university supervision but is being funded by many public and private sectors. Switzerland in the recent years have been seen to give tough competition to other countries in the field of innovation and technology. Switzerland University publish very high number of scientific papers each year that have laid great impact in the field. This is supported by the various initiatives by the various institution in collection of the various resources from across the world – CERN. Three field have seen huge investments coming in from the private sectors these are – chemical, engineering and pharmaceutical.
- Career opportunities after studying in Switzerland – The best part about studying abroad in Switzerland for student is the career opportunities that comes after the completion of the studies.
Work Permit After Study in Switzerland for Students
After completion of the study program in the university in Switzerland the students are allowed to study in the country 6 months after they have completed their education. During this period if the student finds a job they can apply for the work permit after their student visa expires.
Student Moving to Switzerland
There are a lot of pros and cons of student studying in Switzerland. This is the country for the most efficient and effective people. This place is beautiful and will have a good impact on the health of the person. Switzerland is a calm nation and the way of life is overwhelmingly positive. Switzerland is surrounded by Europe and it is made for the people to dwell and prosper.
Swiss Care Student Insurance
Healt care insurance is compulsory if you live in Switzerland for more then 3 months. You are free to choose the company for the health inusrance. Insurance must cover the Medical illness and the accident. Get the health insurance packages from here, if you want to study and live in Switzerland.
The Swiss brand is recognized globally. Swiss chocolate, cheese, watches, and the Swiss army knife. But, what’s lesser known is the prestigious place that the Swiss higher education system holds in the world. With several top-ranked universities, the Swiss higher education system offers students the opportunity to take their education and future careers further. Switzerland is one of an ideal choice for international students to study abroad.
Swiss Higher Education System
Swiss universities have an advisable reputation around the globe. Indeed, no less than 7 Swiss higher education institutions are featured in the top 200 of QS World Rankings (2019). Switzerland is country with a long tradition of higher education, its first university was founded in 1460 at Basel. As a result of sustained academic progress over the centuries, Switzerland is now home to some of the most renowned higher educational systems of Europe.
There are around 12 state-run universities in Switzerland. Out of those, 10 are cantonal, and 2 are federal institutes of technology. The differences between these two is that cantonal universities are operated and managed by individual cantons, and federal institutes of technology are run directly by the government of Switzerland. Canton is like an administrative area. The federal institutions are aligned in structure to international American universities, making it easier for foreign students to transfer there.
Apart from these twelve institutions, there are also two other types of institutions, 8 Universities of Applied Sciences and the Arts (UASAs), which provide scientific and professional education, and 20 Universities of Teacher Education (UTEs), which offer practice oriented teaching education.
Quality of Education
In terms of categories by which universities are measured, knowledge, teaching, research and international reputation, higher education institutions in Switzerland are ranked consistently high.
An International Network
According to Studies, in Switzerland nearly 25% of the student population is comprised of international students. Well, that’s a great news for a student who has newly arrived in Switzerland, meeting other international students will be the quickest way to make friends and grow both your professional and social network. It’s also the perfect way to open your mind to new traditions and customs and even to learn a new language.
Scholarships
Compared to other European countries, tuition fees in quite low. Making it one of the top choices for international students to study abroad. There are several scholarships that are offered through bilateral agreements between governments and/or universities, within the frame of a rules and regulations. Some of them are
- Swiss excellence scholarships for foreign students promotes international exchange and research co-operation between Switzerland and other 180 countries. Post graduate researchers can claim for this scholarship who are planning to pursue their research education in Switzerland.
- ETH Excellence scholarships supports students from both the ETH and from other universities (national and international) who wish to pursue a Master’s degree at ETH with a two year scholarship program.
- University of Lausanne Master’s Grants for foreign students are specifically for international students who wish to pursue their Master’s degree at Lausanne University.
- EPFL Excellence Fellowships offers a select few number of scholarships for students with a solid academic record and who wish to continue their Master degree studies in Switzerland.
- Graduate institute scholarships aim to support students with financial needs by offering a partial/complete financial assistance while completing their studies in Switzerland.
- IMD MBA Scholarships are offered to international students from different countries and backgrounds.
- University of Geneva Excellence Master Fellowships are offered in collaboration with several sponsors to support outstanding and highly motivated candidates who intend to pursue a Master’s of Science in any of the disciplines covered by the faculty.
Work While Study
After obtaining your residence permit and proving that you have sufficient funds to cover your studies expenses in Switzerland, you may be able to take a part-time job. In fact, the student residence permit definitely allows for a part-time job as long your university provides a statement confirming that your job will affect your studies. You can work up to 15 hours per week, but this is flexible depending on the canton (for example, in Geneva, you can work up to 30 hours per week). It is easier to find employment in the large urban centers like Geneva and Zurich. Each university has a job placement office that provides information to students over student employment.
Wages of an average part-time job vary between CHF 20 – 35 per hour according to the type of job and your skills.
Safe place to live
Switzerland is one of the safest countries in the world, students can be relaxed if they have any concern about their safety while studying abroad. Violent crime is almost non-existent and the risk of petty crimes, such as pickpocketing, are very low compared to other countries. Therefore, international students feel safe exploring Switzerland.
There is no doubt that Switzerland is one of the most beautiful countries in the Europe and home to more than eight million residents, the country’s world class higher education institutions and high standards and quality of education attracts countless prospective students looking for quality higher education.
Higher Education System in Switzerland
Switzerland has one the best higher education system in Europe. There are a lot of public sector and private higher education institutions in Switzerland, providing education to all level and study fields. The education system of Switzerland is divided into three levels, primary level, secondary level and tertiary level. Higher education is given under tertiary level in universities and higher technical institutes. Universities have two different categories, one is which give general education and other is universities in applied sciences. There are quite a lot of institutes providing both study system, general and technical education system. Most of the courses are offered in French, Italian or German language, very few courses are offered in English language. International students are required to provide a language proficiency certificate in any of these language.
Universities in Switzerland
There are around 70-80 technical school and colleges working under 8 universities of applied sciences, these universities are providing technical education in quite a lot of fields. In these universities of applied sciences, studies are research based. Swiss Universities of applied sciences are also providing applied vocational science based training. These kind of universities are quite popular in Switzerland and a lot of student prefer this kind of study system.
Also, there are a lot of private universities in Switzerland. Most of these universities offers courses in French, German or Italian language, and some of them offers courses in English too. These institutes are world famous for their high standards and world class education.
Admission Requirements
The Swiss higher education institutions offers a lot of study programs for both national and international students. Admission requirements of these higher education institutions vary from one institute to another institute. Following are the general requirements from Swiss higher education institutions but you may check the requirements from your desired institute for additional documents required.
Admission Requirement for Bachelor’s Program in Swiss Universities
For admission in bachelor degree program, following documents are required.
- Admission application form (filled and signed).
- CNIC.
- Recent passport size photos.
- Secondary school certificate or equivalent (intermediate or A level).
- University entrance exam passed (if any).
- All transcripts issued by past education institutions.
- Language proficiency certificate(French, Italian or Germen), and for English language proficiency ( TOEFL or IELTS).
Admission Requirement for Masters Program in Swiss Universities
For admission in Master’s degree program, following documents are required.
- Admission application form (filled and signed).
- CNIC.
- Passport size pictures.
- Bachelor’s degree (16 year of education) with a satisfactory CGPA.
- University entrance exam passed (if any).
- Good grades in required subject.
- Language proficiency certificate (French, Italian or Germen), and for English language proficiency ( TOEFL or IELTS).
Admission Requirements for Doctorate Degree Program (PhD.) in Swiss University
For admission in doctorate degree program (PhD.), following documents are required.
- Admission application form (filled and signed).
- Master’s degree (18 years of education) with satisfactory results.
- CNIC.
- Recent passport size photos.
- Good research work in relevant field.
- Impressive thesis.
- Good grades in required subject.
- Language proficiency certificate (French, Italian or Germen), and for English language proficiency ( TOEFL or IELTS).
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First of all, you have to apply for admissions in a Swiss University, of which all the applications are submitted online which is free of cost. After being accepted from a Swiss University you immediately have to apply for Swiss D Visa and application fee of Swiss D visa is around USD50 and if you are submitting your applications through visa application centres on behalf of embassy there must be definitely some other extra charges. In addition, there are also some other charges such as VFS service fee and courier charges which will be around USD 40 in total.
One of the major pre-departure expense is the air ticket ofcourse, the cost of an average round trip air ticket to Switzerland is around USD400-650 and one way USD 200 to USD 230.
There are also some other pre-departure expenses such as clothes and utilities.
Post-Departure Expenses
If you are studying in a European country, this definitely means that most of the part of your expense will be covered by the tuition fees. Compared to other European countries, tuition fees in Switzerland is a little bit lower.
Public Universities Tuition Fees
Public sector swiss universities receive significant funds which makes tuition fee comparatively lower compared to other American and European Universities providing same quality of education.
Average tuition fee at a public sector swiss university is around EUR 1,500 to EUR 1,700 per year for Bachelors and Masters program. On other hand, EUR 100 to EUR 250 for PhD. program.
Private Universities
Private universities in Switzerland have quite higher fees, which goes around EUR 8,000 to EUR 16,000.
Some of the good private universities and their fees are
Living Cost
All over the Switzerland, the living cost is quite expensive and managing your monthly budget without making any compromise will be definitely a tough job.
You should keep in mind an average budget of around EUR 1,300 to EUR 1,800/month to pay for accommodation, food, transportation, tuition, supplies and some few leisure activities. Geneve and Zurich are the most expensive cities that gives a budget exceeding EUR 1,800 to EUR 2,500/month.
There are some other extra costs too, such as, monthly health insurance which is around EUR 250 to 300/month, books and supplies which is EUR 100/month.
The average cost of living in some Swiss cities:
- Geneve, around EUR 1,800-2,500/month.
- Zurich, between EUR 1,800 and 2,200/month.
- Bern, around EUR 1,600/month.
- Basel, between EUR 1,400 and 2,000/month.
Student Accommodation Cost
Students who are earning through a part time job, out of the total average monthly earning of an international student studying in swiss universities, they usually pay around 33% of their monthly expense on accommodation, around 8% on tuition fees and 7% on transportation. Rates for accommodation in Switzerland are above the international range of 300 EUR/month, as the average for any housing option is around 600 EUR/month.
- Student halls of residence, between EUR 450 to 800/month.
- Rent/share an apartment, average price ranges between EUR 700 to 1,000/month for a one bedroom apartment.
Food Cost
Usually most of the students buy groceries from the local super market and cook food at their own, which will cost around EUR 300/month if you even eat out once in a while.
Average meal at and average inexpensive restaurant in Switzerland cost around EUR 15 to 20 per person. And in a university dining hall, it cost around EUR 7-10 per person.
Transportation Cost
A monthly cost through public transport will cost around EUR 60/month but most of the students chooses to walk instead or some travel through bicycle
Study In Switzerland Questions
What are the top five reasons to study in Switzerland?
There are following reasons to study in Switzerland
- High quality education
- At affordable cost
- Ranked as one of the most competitive and innovative in the world
- Quality of life is high
- A cross road of several cultures
How is life studying in Switzerland for International students?
Switzerland is the happiest country on this earth, the cities are culturally enriched, and this can enhance the overall experience of the students study abroad trip.
What are the general visa requirements for Switzerland study visa?
- Swiss student visa application form (filled and signed).
- 4 passport size photos.
- Valid passport.
- Letter of acceptance by Swiss school/university.
- Receipt of paid registration and tuition fees.
What are annual admission intakes for study in Switzerland?
Admission applications and its deadlines vary from university to university in Norway. Make sure to fulfill all the university admission requirements before the deadline.
How much it cost to study in Switzerland?
Average tuition fee at a public sector Swiss university is around EUR 1,500 to EUR 1,700 per year for Bachelors and Master’s program. On other hand, EUR 100 to EUR 250 for PhD. program.
What are typical accommodation options while studying in Switzerland?
The majority of Swiss students live on rent rather than buying an apartment.
Can a student do a part time job in Switzerland while studying?
Although, it sounds difficult but it is quite possible to balance your work and studies. There are many options of part time jobs in Switzerland for international students.
Is gap is acceptable for studying in Switzerland?
Though the gap is not a problem but it must be clearly explained
Does study in Switzerland provide u a good future?
In terms of work permit after studies in Switzerland, students are allowed to remain in the country for six months after completion of their studies to look for the jobs. The Switzerland Visa for work permit is only given to the successful job applicants.
How do I get a student visa for Switzerland?
Before applying for a Swiss Student Visa you have to be accepted by a Swiss school or university, and in proof you will get an acceptance letter which will be required for the visa application form.
How much money is required for Switzerland study visa?.
To apply for the Swiss student visa, you will have to pay a fee of 88 CHF which is around USD80.