How to Get Into a University in Switzerland as an International Student

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Switzerland has no central application system and no cutoff scores. You apply to each university separately, and admission turns on one question: does your school-leaving certificate meet the minimum requirements Switzerland sets for your country?

Two kinds of institution

• Universities and the two federal institutes of technology (ETH Zürich and EPFL) offer academic degrees and expect a general, academically oriented school-leaving certificate.
• Universities of applied sciences offer practice-oriented degrees. They usually require a vocational baccalaureate, or a general school-leaving certificate plus a year of relevant work experience. This work-experience rule surprises many foreign applicants.

Minimum requirements by country

For academic universities, swissuniversities, the umbrella body of Swiss higher education institutions, publishes an overview of requirements for foreign certificates country by country. Typical conditions are a certificate that covers a broad range of general subjects, a minimum average grade, and sometimes proof of a university place in your home country. Each university applies these rules itself and may add its own, so the university's admissions page is the final word.

If your certificate is recognised only in part, universities may admit you after an additional entrance exam. Some programmes also limit places.

Medicine

Medicine has restricted admission with an aptitude test at most universities, and as a rule it is closed to foreign applicants who live abroad. Exceptions exist for people with a close tie to Switzerland, such as residents with a settlement permit. If medicine is your goal and you have no such tie, look at other countries.

Language

Teaching follows the language region: German in Zürich, Basel, Bern and St. Gallen, French in Geneva, Lausanne and Neuchâtel, Italian in Lugano, with bilingual options in Fribourg. You need a certificate in the language of instruction, and each university sets the level. Our catalogue also lists 67 undergraduate programmes taught in English.

Step by step

1. Look up the requirements for your country in the swissuniversities overview.
2. Check the admissions page of each university you want. Deadlines for the autumn semester fall in spring.
3. Apply to each university directly and pay its application fee.
4. Sit the additional entrance exam if the university asks for one.
5. Once admitted, apply for a residence permit for study. Non-EU citizens start with a visa at the Swiss representation in their country, and the cantonal migration office decides.

What it costs

Tuition is moderate, but most universities charge more to students who finished school abroad, and living costs are high. See how much it costs to study in Switzerland.

Where to look next

Browse all 607 programmes in Switzerland by city and field.

Official sources

• swissuniversities: admission requirements by country
• Study in Switzerland+: official portal for international students
• State Secretariat for Migration: entry and residence

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.