Higher Swiss university fees fails to put off foreign students

Federal budget cuts have forced university fees higher Keystone / Til Buergy

The Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich continues to attract foreign students despite a tripling of tuition fees. According to the university, around the same number of overseas students have enrolled as in the previous year.

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For new bachelor’s students with foreign higher education entrance qualifications, tuition fees will increase for the first time in the autumn semester, from CHF730 to CHF2,190. 

“It’s impossible to say what effect the higher tuition fees will actually have after such a short period of time,” ETH Rector Günther Dissertori said in a press release. The university will closely monitor how many foreign students choose to study at ETH in the coming years, he added.

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A total of around 3,650 new bachelor’s students have registered for studies. This is a similar number to the previous year. After strong growth in the previous year (+13%), the number of new bachelor’s students is stabilising, according to ETH. This number is subject to change, as not all registered students actually begin their studies.

According to the press release, 80% of the new bachelor’s students completed their Matura (high school diploma) in Switzerland. The remaining 20% earned their degrees abroad, most of them from Germany or Austria.

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In December, the ETH Board announced that it would increase tuition fees for individuals without a Swiss high school diploma from CHF730 to CHF2,190. The reason for the increase is a federal austerity program that allocates less funding to the ETH domain. As a result, universities must increase their revenues.

The increase in fees for foreign nationals was also supported by parliament, which amended the ETH Act accordingly in September.

Adapted from German by DeepL/mga

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