Only 15% of Swiss university students study abroad

© Keystone / Christian Beutler

The proportion of Swiss university graduates who have studied or completed a placement abroad is 15.7%.

The target set by the national strategy of the Swiss confederation and the cantons and the objectives of the Bologna Process is 20%. Only one in nine Swiss universities were able to reach this threshold, according to the first internationalisation index of Swiss universities published on Thursday by Movetia, the national agency for the promotion of exchanges and mobility in the education system.

The ranking is independent of the type of university and does not depend on the size or age of the institution, nor on the language region concerned, notes Movetia. It shows that all types of institutions, in all language regions, could achieve higher international mobility rates.

The mobility rate of a university and its degree of internationalisation are correlated. Students are more inclined to go abroad if the courses in Switzerland include an intercultural dimension or offer courses in English, or if they have contacts with foreign students and professors, according to Movetia.

Erasmus and Covid effect?

Since 2014, Switzerland has not been a member of the European programme Erasmus+ that enables international cooperation in education. An alternative Swiss programme has been set up but it is more restrictive. In concrete terms, instead of being part of a multilateral programme, Swiss institutions have to conclude bilateral partnerships with their European counterparts, setting exchange quotas. This system is not as convenient because special funding and parallel administration must be put in place for student exchanges to work. 

Students and the wider Swiss academic community have long been calling for Switzerland to regain full association to Erasmus+. However, talks with the European Union on this and rejoining the EU’s other flagship scheme,  the research funding programme Horizon Europe, are currently stalled.

The internationalisation index also does not take into account the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It is based on the 53,000 students graduating in 2020 (bachelor and masters), using data from the Federal Statistical Office, swissuniversities and the individual institutions.