Switzerland’s federal government is spending more than it collects. To improve its finances it is looking for additional revenue and costs that it can cut. This week, the government decided¹ to charge foreign students at its two federal universities, EPFL in Lausanne and ETHZ in Zurich, three times what they currently pay, reported SRF.



Switzerland is one of the most affordable² places to study for both locals and foreigners. Fees to study at EPFL and ETHZ are around CHF 1,500 a year – CHF 1,560 at EPFL and CHF 1,460 at ETHZ. The change will mean foreign students will still pay less than CHF 5,000 a year, a sum far lower than fees at equivalent universities in other countries. Arguments preceding the vote of 134 versus³ 61 centred on such international comparisons. The fees applied⁴ to foreign students at Oxford⁵ and Stanford were up to 40 times higher, said parliamentarian Lars Guggisberg.

However, experience at the University of St. Gallen suggests higher fees have little impact on attracting foreign students. In 2014, the university hiked fees for foreign students, who now pay CHF 3,329 compared to the CHF 1,429 paid by locals. The higher tuition fees did not lead to a decline in the number of foreign students, although the number of foreign students admitted is capped.