Zurich’s ETH remains the best university in continental Europe; students will be able to get cheaper fares on SWISS airline; and more news in our Thursday roundup.
ETH Zurich remains the best university in continental Europe
According to the new Times Higher Education Ranking 2026, the federal polytechnic institute in Zurich remains the best university in continental Europe, and 11th worldwide.
In all, 2,092 institutions from 115 were rated.
The ETH got a particularly high score (97.2 out of 100) in the ‘Research’ as well as ‘International Outlook ‘ (95.1) categories.
In contrast, its ‘sister’ school, the the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) has dropped three places, to the 35th position.
SWISS airline launches ‘student fares’ for long-haul flights
The national airline now offers a discount for young people in training departing from Swiss airports to Asia, Africa, and South America.
In concrete terms, the offer allows students to check in two bags of 23 kg each, as well as the possibility of changing their ticket free of charge – a perk usually reserved for more expensive fares.
To benefit from this rate, users will first need to prove their student status via their Travel-ID account.
However, North America (both the US and Canada) are not included in this special deal.
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The most dangerous professions in Switzerland revealed
Certain professions are associated with a particular risk of ‘on-the-job’ accidents and injuries.
A new study by the Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA) compared the risk of occupational accidents in various industries.
And the ‘winners’ (in this order) are:
Forestry and agriculture
Construction industry
Carpentry
Arts, entertainment, and recreation sectors
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Switzerland’s central bank (SNB) nominates six finalists for the design competition for the new banknote series
The theme for the series is “Switzerland and its Altitudes,” with the new banknotes depicting various Swiss mountains — low, medium, and high — ranging from the Jura hills to the Alps.
“The decision was based on the results of the public survey and the evaluation conducted by an advisory board of external experts,” the SNB said in a press release.
This is one of the winning designs:
BNS
The ultimate winner of the design competition will be announced in the first quarter of 2026, after which the further development of the designs will begin.
The new series of banknotes, which will replace the current ones, will be issued at the beginning of the 2030s.
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