Starting in the fall semester of 2025, international students pursuing Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at two top universities in Switzerland will have to pay triple the current tuition fees.
The Swiss Federal Council made this announcement. The universities affected are the Federal Institutes of Technology, known as ETH Zurich and EPFL in Lausanne.
Right now, all students, both Swiss and international, pay CHF 730 (€749.42) per semester at ETH Zurich and EPFL. But some universities in Switzerland already charge different fees for local and international students.
For example, at the University of St. Gallen, Swiss students pay CHF 1,229 (€1,260) for a Bachelor’s degree, while international students pay CHF 3,129 (€3,210).
With the new rules starting in fall 2025, students who are already enrolled can finish their studies without the fee increase.
The Swiss Federal Council said the fee hike is in line with the Federal Parliament’s clear intention and offers a quick solution. They also mentioned that the ETH Board was initially against increasing the fees because attracting international talent is very important to them.
Zurich alone has over 76,000 international students, according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. Most of them are doing Bachelor’s degree programs, with 17,850 students. About 35% of the 21,000 students at ETH Zurich are from other countries, and nearly half of the 13,000 students at EPFL are international.
At a recent meeting, the ETH Board suggested tying tuition fees to the national consumer price index to keep up with inflation.
Big changes in tuition fees for international students
This fee jump may become common in other European universities too because of high global inflation.
- High inflation and lower foreign exchange rates have made tuition and living costs higher for international students, making it hard for families to save for education.
- These problems affect the overall cost of studying abroad, making it tougher for students from different countries.
- Some believe these rising costs might be a way to reduce the number of migrating students.
- Over the past few years, more and more students want to study abroad in places like Canada, the UK, Germany, France, and other European countries.
- However, financial struggles in countries like Nigeria could slow down this trend.