Switzerland International Student Statistics 2024

Historical International Student Statistics in Switzerland

• According to the latest data available by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, there are currently 76,257 international students enrolled in higher education institutions in Switzerland.
• There is a slight difference of only 2.4% in international student enrollment from the previous year, with 74,440 students.
• An increasing number of international students in Switzerland started enrolling in the last five years, with an increase of 19.3% from 2018/19.
• In comparison, an increase of 42.3% in the number of international students in Switzerland occurred in the last decade, from 2012/13 to 2022/23.
• The latest available data represent the number of international students enrolled in 2022/23, the highest number of international student enrollments in Switzerland’s higher education history.

International Students in Switzerland by Institution Type

The higher education system in Switzerland comprises two institutions, which include Universities, Universities of Applied Sciences, and Teacher Training.

• The data below represents the number of international students enrolled in Universities and the rest in Universities of Applied Sciences and Teacher Training.
• The majority of international students in Switzerland are enrolled in Universities, with a difference of 96.4% with the enrollment in Universities of Applied Sciences and Teacher Education.
• The number of international students enrolled in Universities makes for 74.1% of all international student enrollment in Switzerland.
• In comparison, the number of international students enrolled in Universities of Applied Sciences and Teacher Education makes for 25.8% of all international student enrollment.

International Students Enrolled in Universities in Switzerland

• There are currently 56,513 international students enrolled in Universities in Switzerland, an increase of 2.8% from the previous year.
• The number of international students has been consistently increasing since the earliest data available in 1990/00.
• Since 2010/11, the number of international students in Universities has been steadily increasing by about 2-8% each year.

International Students in Universities of Applied Sciences and Teacher Education

• The number of international students enrolled in Universities of Applied Sciences and Teacher Education has been continuously increasing within a period of a little more than 20 years.
• According to the earliest data available in 1997/98, only 612 international students were enrolled in the Universities of Applied Sciences and Teacher Education.
• The number of international students enrolled in this higher education institution increased by 39.9% during the last decade.

International Students in Switzerland by Degree Level

• According to the latest statistics, most international students in Switzerland are enrolled in Bachelor's degree programs, with an almost unnoticeable difference of 0.6% with the number of international students enrolled in Master's degree programs.
• There are only 449 first-time international students enrolled in any of the degree programs available, which is a decrease of 49% from the previous decade.
• On the other hand, there are 4,735 international students enrolled in further education degrees after completing master's or doctoral studies.
• The number of international students enrolled in doctoral programs has increased by 42.5% from the previous decade, from 11,043 to 15,737 students.
• The number of international students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs was consistent throughout the last decade, until recently, with a slight increase of 23.5% in the last five years.

*The data for First University Degree represents the number of students who are enrolled for the first time in any of the degree programs listed above.

*The above data represents only international University students' most popular field of study.

International Students in Switzerland by Field of Study

The data below represents only the most popular field of study among University international students.

• The majority of international students in Switzerland study Management and Administration, with 7,466 students, followed by the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), with 4,274 students.
• Medicine is also a popular field among international students in Switzerland, with 3,982 students, closely followed by Psychology students (3,458).
• A total of 3,218 international students are enrolled in the field of Law, whereas 2,673 international students are Biology majors.
• The field of Physics is also among the top ten most popular majors for international students in Switzerland, with 2,200 students
• There are 2,119 international students studying Architecture and Town Planning, 2,064 students studying Mechanics and Metal Trades, and 1,894 international students enrolled in the field of Electronics and Automation.
• Other popular fields of study for international students not part of the top ten majors include:
  • Sociology and Cultural Studies with 1,882 international students.
  • Literature and linguistics with 1,723 international students.
  • Environmental sciences with 1,718 international students.
  • Mathematics with 1,583 international students.
  • Chemistry with 1,525 international students.
  • Electricity and energy with 1,477 international students.
  • Earth sciences with 1,402 international students.
  • Chemical engineering and processes with 1,383 international students.
  • Political sciences and civics with 1,024 international students.
  • Field unknown with 1,061 international students.