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Switzerland
What is special about the university studies for the international students is that the education is free, that is why the largest number of Swiss universities are essentially foreign.
There are many advantages to studying in Switzerland. You will meet and associate with people from all over the world, giving you a very global outlook and politically neutral understanding of life. After a gruelling day of lectures, what can students do to relax? Away from campus, students are entitled to discounts at exhibitions, theatres, art galleries, and museums. A student would only need, between 100-150 Swiss Francs per week in order to sample everything that Switzerland has to offer. In addition, as many colleges are situated in and around the Alps, many students enjoy the opportunity to learn to ski or snowboard. Most Swiss universities structure their academic year in three term periods that run from early September to December, late January to early May, and late May to July respectively. Most classes will involve lectures followed by group seminars; designed to discuss the issues raised in the lectures. Tuition fees for universities and colleges in Switzerland vary from institution to institution. On average, a student’s annual budget would need to cover approximately SFr 16,000 to SFr 24,000 depending on where you study and your standard of living. THE UNIVERSITIES COST OF LIFE FOREIGN COMMUNITIES Working while you study in Switzerland WHEN YOU HAVE RETAINED YOUR RESIDENCE PERMIT AND PROVEN YOU HAVE THE WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR STUDENT VISA?
The high quality of education is relatively accessible and a large percentage of the student populations are foreign students.
All universities and colleges offer a variety of recreational activities for their students. There are several inter-university sports tournaments and you are likely to find tennis courts, sports centres and a café where students can socialise.
SWITZERLAND’S 12 UNIVERSITIES COMPRISE 10 CANTONAL UNIVERSITIES AND 2 FEDERAL
INSTITUTES OF TECHNOLOGY.
LANGUAGE OF TEACHING
THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION IS GERMAN AT THE UNIVERSITIES OF BASEL, BERN,
LUCERNE, ST. GALLEN AND ZURICH AND AT THE SWISS FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY ZURICH (ETHZ).
THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION IS FRENCH AT THE UNIVERSITIES OF GENEVA, LAUSANNE,
AND NEUCHATEL AND AT THE SWISS FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY IN
LAUSANNE (EPFL).
THE LANGUAGES OF INSTRUCTION ARE GERMAN AND/OR FRENCH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
FRIBOURG; FRIBOURG IS THE CAPITAL OF THE BILINGUAL CANTON OF FRIBOURG.
STUDY PROGRAMS
THE NUMBER OF UNIVERSITY GRADUATES CONTINUES TO RISE EACH YEAR IN
SWITZERLAND. NEVERTHELESS, ALL STUDY PROGRAMMES HAVE REMAINED OPEN TO
STUDENTS HAVING A VALID MATURITY CERTIFICATE OR OTHER CERTIFICATE
QUALIFYING FOR UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE.
THE ONLY EXCEPTIONS ARE STUDY PROGRAMS IN MEDICINE (HUMAN MEDICINE, DENTISTRY,
VETERINARY MEDICINE) AND CHIROPRACTIC. THERE MAY BE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS
TO THESE STUDY PROGRAMS DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS FOR
ADMISSION IN ANY GIVEN YEAR.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
A. ADMISSION TO A BACHELOR’S PROGRAM
FOR ACCESS TO SWISS UNIVERSITIES A VALID SWISS MATURITY CERTIFICATE OR AN
EQUIVALENT FOREIGN UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL-LEAVING CERTIFICATE QUALIFYING
FOR UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE IS REQUIRED.
EACH OF THE UNIVERSITIES MAKES ITS OWN DECISIONS AS TO WHAT CERTIFICATES AND
QUALIFICATIONS IT RECOGNIZES.
B. ADMISSION TO A MASTER’S PROGRAM
THE PREREQUISITE FOR ACCESS TO A MASTER’S PROGRAMME IS A SUCCESSFULLY
COMPLETED BACHELOR’S LEVEL PROGRAMME.
GRADUATES OF BACHELOR’S PROGRAMS HAVE ACCESS TO CERTAIN MASTER’S PROGRAMS, AS LISTED IN THE DATA BASE AVAILABLE AT UNI-PROGRAMME.CH. EACH OF THE UNIVERSITIES MAKES ITS OWN DECISIONS AS TO WHETHER A FOREIGN BACHELOR’S DEGREE GIVES THE HOLDER ACCESS TO MASTER’S PROGRAMS WITHOUT ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS, OR ACCESS UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, OR ACCESS WITH FURTHER REQUIREMENTS, OR DOES NOT GIVE ACCESS TO MASTER’S PROGRAMS. C. LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS THE UNIVERSITIES REQUIRE GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION. AT THE MASTER’S LEVEL ESPECIALLY, THE UNIVERSITIES ARE OFFERING AN INCREASING NUMBER OF STUDY PROGRAMS IN ENGLISH. FOR STUDENTS THAT DO NOT HOLD FULLY RECOGNIZED CERTIFICATES QUALIFYING FOR UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE, THE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS ALSO INCLUDE A UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAMINATION . REQUIRED STEPS IF YOU WANT TO STUDY IN SWITZERLAND A. APPLY FOR ADMISSION CONTACT THE UNIVERSITY OF YOUR CHOICE PRIOR TO THE ADMISSION DEADLINE. SOME OF THE UNIVERSITIES ALSO ACCEPT ONLINE APPLICATIONS. THE MAIN DOCUMENTS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO SEND TO THE UNIVERSITY ARE YOUR UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL-LEAVING CERTIFICATE (THE ORIGINAL OR A NOTARIZED COPY) AND AN UP-TO-DATE PASSPORT PHOTOGRAPH. B. ENTRYVISA AND RESIDENCE PERMIT WITHIN 14 DAYS OF ENTERING SWITZERLAND, EU/EFTA CITIZENS MUST REGISTER WITH THE LOCAL AUTHORITY (EINWOHNERKONTROLLE, RESIDENTS’ REGISTRATION OFFICE) AT THE PLACE OF RESIDENCE AND APPLY FOR A RESIDENCE PERMIT. YOU WILL NEED TO PRESENT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS: – PERSONAL APPLICATION FOR RESIDENCE PERMIT VALID PASSPORT OR IDENTITY CARD PROOF OF REGISTRATION AT THE UNIVERSITY EVIDENCE OF SUFFICIENT FUNDS (BANK CERTIFICATE OR CERTIFIED DOCUMENT) PROOF OF ADDRESS AT PLACE OF RESIDENCE
COST OF LIFE IN SWITZERLAND IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF LARGE EUROPEAN CITIES. IN MOST
AREAS OF SWITZERLAND, COST OF LIFE IS CHEAPER THAN PARIS OR LONDON,
ALTHOUGH SOME ITEMS ARE ON AVERAGE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE, SUCH AS FOOD.
EXPATRIATES IN SWITZERLAND CONSISTENTLY REPORT HOW EASY IT IS TO FIT IN AND HOW
KIND THE SWISS ARE. AND IF YOU PREFER TO SOCIALIZE WITH OTHER EXPATRIATES,
THERE ARE COUNTLESS OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET THEM: SOCIAL GATHERING,
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, ETC…
SAFETY
SWITZERLAND OFFERS ONE OF THE HIGHEST PERSONAL AND PROPERTY SAFETY IN THE
WORLD.
HOME JACKING AND CARJACKING IS UNHEARD OF.
FINANCIAL RESOURCES NECESSARY TO STUDY IN SWITZERLAND, YOU CAN WORK
ALONGSIDE YOUR STUDIES. IN FACT, THE STUDENT RESIDENCE PERMIT ALLOWS FOR
PROFIT-EARNING ACTIVITY, AS LONG YOUR UNIVERSITY PROVIDES A STATEMENT
CONFIRMING THAT YOUR EMPLOYMENT WILL NOT PROLONG THE LENGTH OF YOUR
STUDIES.
FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS, THE NUMBER OF WEEKLY WORK HOURS IS LIMITED TO 15, BUT THIS
IS FAIRLY FLEXIBLE DEPENDING ON THE CANTON (IN GENEVA, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN
WORK UP TO 30 HOURS PER WEEK). NEVERTHELESS, MOST PEOPLE WILL ADVISE YOU
NOT TO TAKE ON EXTRA WORK, SINCE THE UNIVERSITY WORKLOAD IS ALREADY QUITE
HEAVY, DEPENDING ON THE FACULTY. IT IS EASIER TO FIND EMPLOYMENT IN THE COUNTRY
FOR STUDENT VISAS, THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED:
3 COPIES OF COMPLETED APPLICATION FORM.
4 PASSPORT-SIZE PHOTOGRAPHS (RECENT DATE).
PASSPORT OR TRAVEL DOCUMENT VALID FOR AT LEAST 3 MONTHS AFTER INTENDED VISIT.
3 COPIES OF THE PASSPORT INCLUDING THE SIGNATURE PAGE.
RETURN/ONWARD TICKET AND VISA FOR NEXT COUNTRY OF DESTINATION IF REQUIRED.
PROOF OF SUFFICIENT FUNDS IN THE FORM OF A RECENT BANK STATEMENT.
WHAT IS TIME REQUIRED TO ISSUE A VISA?
THE PROCEDURE USUALLY TAKES BETWEEN 6–8 WEEKS, SOMETIMES LONGER, DEPENDING
ON THE SEASON. WE THEREFORE RECOMMEND YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION AS
EARLY AS POSSIBLE.
HOW LONG IS THE VISA VALID FOR?
A STUDENT PERMIT IS VALID FOR THE LENGTH OF THE STUDY PERIOD.
VISITOR VISA IS VALID FOR UP TO 3 MONTHS.
I HAVE TO SEND A LETTER OF INVITATION. WHAT FORMAT SHOULD I USE, IS THERE AN OFFICIAL FORM?
YOU DO NOT NEED A SPECIAL FORM FOR THE LETTER OF INVITATION. HOWEVER, THE
LETTER SHOULD CONTAIN THE REASON FOR, AND THE LENGTH OF THE STAY AS WELL
AS DETAILS ABOUT WHO IS FINANCING THE STAY IN SWITZERLAND.
I HAVE TO SUBMIT A SPONSORSHIP DECLARATION. WHERE CAN I FIND THE FORM?
YOU WILL BE GIVEN THE SPONSORSHIP DECLARATION FORM (FORMERLY DECLARATION OF GUARANTEE) AT THE SWISS REPRESENTATION WHEN YOU PRESENT YOUR VISA
APPLICATION (PROVIDED A GUARANTEE IS CONSIDERED NECESSARY).
MY PASSPORT SOON EXPIRES. CAN I STILL USE IT TO ENTER / LEAVE SWITZERLAND?
YOUR PASSPORT MUST SIMPLY BE VALID FOR THE DURATION OF YOUR STAY.