CCollegeMatcher

Switzerland · Universities and federal institutes of technology

EPFL

École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne · University (EPFL) · canton of Vaud · Lausanne

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Students, 2025/26

14,234

Educated abroad

56.4%

8,026 students

Largest field

Mechanical and electrical engineering

38.8% of students

Institutional accreditation

to 23 Jun 2029

decided 24 Jun 2022, as listed on 3 September 2026

“Educated abroad” (Bildungsausländer) means the student gained their university entrance qualification outside Switzerland. It is not nationality: a foreign national who went to school in Switzerland counts as educated in Switzerland. For universities of applied sciences the Office publishes it for diploma, bachelor's and master's students only, so continuing-education students are left out of that share. Students are everyone matriculated at a Swiss higher education institution in the autumn (winter) semester, as the Federal Statistical Office defines them.

Educated abroad, by level, 2025/26

Bachelor's

44.3%

2,997 of 6,768 students

Master's

61.5%

2,766 of 4,498 students

Doctorate

86.3%

2,017 of 2,336 students

Students, 2006/07–2025/26

2006/07: 6,4532025/26: 14,234
2025/2614,234
2024/2514,249
2023/2413,637
2022/2312,761
2021/2212,289
2020/2111,572
2019/2011,032
2018/1910,784
2017/1810,438
2016/1710,311
2015/169,908
2014/159,710
2013/149,629
2012/139,395
2011/128,685
2010/117,980
2009/107,383
2008/096,878
2007/086,528
2006/076,453

Fields of study, 2025/26

Field names translated by CollegeMatcher.

  • Mechanical and electrical engineering5,516 · 38.8%
  • Exact sciences3,906 · 27.4%
  • Civil engineering and geodesy2,266 · 15.9%
  • Exact and natural sciences, interdisciplinary and other1,216 · 8.5%
  • Natural sciences673 · 4.7%
  • Interdisciplinary and other628 · 4.4%
  • Technical sciences, interdisciplinary and other29 · 0.2%

Level of study, 2025/26

  • Bachelor's6,768 · 47.5%
  • Master's4,498 · 31.6%
  • Doctorate2,336 · 16.4%
  • Continuing education, advanced studies and other632 · 4.4%

Accreditation and fees

Institutional accreditation under the Higher Education Act is decided by the Swiss Accreditation Council; an institution needs it to call itself a university, university of applied sciences or university of teacher education. The dates are the decision and the end of the term as the Council's list showed them on 3 September 2026. A term that has ended since may have been renewed — check the Council's list. The Council's list

Each institution sets its own tuition — for ETH Zurich and EPFL the ETH Board does, by ordinance — and many charge students from abroad more. Fees are not published as open data, and swissuniversities' fee tables may not be reused, so no fees are shown here: check each institution's website.

Other universities and federal institutes of technology: University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, University of Bern, University of Geneva, University of Lausanne, University of Basel, University of St. Gallen, University of Fribourg, Università della Svizzera italiana, University of Neuchâtel, University of Lucerne, UniDistance Suisse, Geneva Graduate Institute, Theological University Chur

Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS), Students and Degrees in Higher Education (SHIS-studex) — tables “Studierende an den universitären Hochschulen nach Jahr, Fachbereich, Studienstufe, Bildungsherkunft und Hochschule” (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/px-x-1502040100_108); “Studierende an den Fachhochschulen und pädagogischen Hochschulen nach Jahr, Fachbereich, Studienstufe, Geschlecht und Hochschule” (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/px-x-1502040400_136); “Studierende an den Fachhochschulen und pädagogischen Hochschulen nach Jahr, Fachbereich, Bildungsherkunft und Hochschule, nur Studierende auf Stufen Diplom, Bachelor und Master (ohne Weiterbildung)” (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/px-x-1502040400_138); “Studierende an den Fachhochschulen (ohne PH) nach Jahr, Fachbereich, Studienstufe, Geschlecht und Hochschule” (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/px-x-1502040200_170); “Studierende an den pädagogischen Hochschulen (ohne FH) nach Jahr, Fachrichtung, Geschlecht und Hochschule” (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/px-x-1502040300_191); “Studierende an den pädagogischen Hochschulen (ohne FH) nach Jahr, Fachrichtung, Staatsangehörigkeit (Kategorie) und Hochschule” (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/px-x-1502040300_192). Terms of use: opendata.swiss “Open use. Must provide the source” (https://opendata.swiss/en/terms-of-use). Sums and shares, English names, the English names of university and teacher-education fields, cantons, cities and websites are CollegeMatcher's additions, not the FSO's. Accreditation dates: Swiss Accreditation Council, list of accreditation decisions (https://akkreditierungsrat.ch/en/decisions/), as last updated on 3 September 2026.

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