What are the Top Universities in Switzerland?

Switzerland is home to some of the prestigious and globally recognized highly ranked universities and institutions.

ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) are both amongst the world’s top 30. Moreover, Switzerland is also known for its hotel and hospitality management courses in highly ranked institutes like GLION. In fact, at Glion, students can also gain first-hand experience from visits to leading brands and talks from industry experts.

The Swiss higher education system is known for his rigour and how it upholds high standards of quality. It is no surprise then that swiss universities are a popular choice among international students. 

Renowned scientists, entrepreneurs and other famous personalities are alumni’s of some of these top ranked universities in Switzerland, it is a testament to the kind of quality these universities have to offer, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich alone has given the world 20 Nobel laureates.

International students form a high percentage of enrolled students among the top universities. Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPF Lausanne) has more than 50% of its enrolment accounted for by international students. University of Geneva and Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zürich) have 40% enrolments coming from international students. Other universities such as University of St. Gallen, University of Basel and University of Neuchâtel also have 25% - 35% international students enrolled in their programs.

World university rankings such as the Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings and the QS World Ranking feature many universities in Switzerland. Other than ETH Zurich and Ecole Polytechnique, there are other universities such as St. Gallen, University of Zurich, University of Lausanne and the International Institute for Management Development that are considered among the best in Switzerland.  

Students should also check the ranking for universities in Switzerland based on the streams that they wish to pursue, sometimes the rankings may vary a little according to the discipline sought.