Switzerland - Higher Education Institutions

Switzerland known for its beauty has an equally exhilarating education system. Diversity of languages, cultures and history in Switzerland, the Swiss Constitution guarantees sovereignty to the country’s 26 cantons in the area of education, the Federal Government and cantons share responsibilities of higher education and the tertiary level. The Confederation is responsible both – advanced vocational training and for the universities of applied sciences. 

In addition, it has jurisdiction over the two Federal Institutes of Technology and regulates and promotes research through the Swiss National Science Foundation (FNS). Each of the 10 cantons is responsible for its university. Cantonal universities receive financial support from the Confederation and from those cantons which do not have their own university.

Higher education in Switzerland comprises of academic studies at the 10 cantonal universities and the 2 Federal Institutes of Technology, at the more professionally-oriented universities of applied sciences and at the universities of teacher education. A few more University-level institutions are considered public institutions of higher education.

With their different approaches, and research focus, along with diversity of language, the 10 cantonal universities and the 2 Federal Institutes of Technology are compelled for quality in teaching and research. This results in their time and again being ranked among the top universities of the world.

• University of St. Gallen
• University of Zurich
• ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich)
• University of Basel
• University of Bern
• University of Fribourg
• University of Geneva
• EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne)
• University of Neuchâtel
• University of Lausanne
• University of Lucerne
• Università della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano)