Universities
What are the best universities in Switzerland for international students?
Switzerland's standouts are ETH Zurich and EPFL (Lausanne) — two of the best science-and-engineering universities in the world, both in the global top 20 — alongside the University of St. Gallen for business, and the Universities of Zurich and Geneva for broad research. Remarkably, ETH Zurich charges only about CHF 730/year in tuition even for international students, making it one of the highest-value elite degrees anywhere.
The catch is cost of living, not tuition — Zurich and Geneva are among the world's most expensive cities, so budget EUR 18,000-24,000/year for living. Swiss non-EU fees tripled at some institutions from autumn 2025, but ETH/EPFL remain dramatically cheaper than UK or US peers of equal standing.
Switzerland delivers among the highest absolute graduate salaries in this comparison (tech roles reaching CHF 130,000 by year five), so the five-year ROI is exceptional despite the living costs.
Reviewed by Priscilla Han. BrightKey is independent and takes no payment from schools or universities. Editorial standards.