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Student budget in Switzerland
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University fees might seem nominal compared to the Anglo-Saxon system. The Universities actually belong to the public domain and are still financed in large part by Swiss taxpayers, with the exception of the semi-private Italian University of Switzerland. Some universities require foreign students to pay an additional fee, a pittance when compared to the actual cost of a student to the society, which varies by faculty between SFR 50,000 and SFR 150,000 per year.

Fees per semester (SFR/month) BS BE FR GE LA NE ZH SG ETHZ EPFL LU USI
Course fees 600 600 450 500 500 500 600 700 550 550 600 2000
Obligatory semester fees 12 55 92 - 60 - 42 123 57 42 15 -
Additional fees for foreign students - - 150 - - 275 100 150 - - - 2000
Total foreign student costs per semester 600 655 692 500 560 775 742 973 607 592 615 4000
Total foreign student costs per year   1200   1310   1384   1000   1120   1550   1484   1946   1214   1184   1230   8000


Your budget
A student’s monthly budget amounts to approximately SFR 1,800: food and upkeep from SFR 800 to SFR 850, lodging SFR 400 to SFR 600, tuition fees and supplies, transportation, insurance (approximately SFR 250). Students should be aware that several payments fall due simultaneously at the onset of their studies, for example:

  • First term health insurance payment

  • First semester tuition fees

  • First rent payment, which often includes an obligatory security deposit

  • Foreign student medical exam bill

As such, you can anticipate a minimum cost of SFR 16,000 to SFR 24,000 per year, depending on where you study (Geneva and Zurich being considered as more expensive) and your standard of living.


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