ETH triples fees for foreign students
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Foreign students at Switzerland’s federal technology institutes ETH will have to pay higher fees for their studies from autumn semester 2025. The university is trebling the tuition fees, from CHF730 ($830) to CHF2,190.
However, students who are already enrolled will be able to complete their Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programme without a trebling of fees, according to a statement by the ETH Board on Friday. The reason for the increase is a federal austerity programme that provides less money for the ETH. The universities must therefore increase their income.
At ETH Zurich, around 40% of all students currently come from abroad. At the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), the figure is as high as 60%. Foreign nationals who have completed their schooling in Switzerland are exempt from the new regulations.
The student associations VSETH and Agepoly at the two universities are firmly opposed to the fee increase, as they announced in the summer when the ETH Board announced the prospect of higher semester fees.
Students are a comparatively financially weak group in society and cannot be expected to fill the large hole in the ETH budget with their fees, they said. Students should be selected on the basis of their abilities and potential, not their financial situation, they added.
The increase in fees for foreign students was also supported by parliament. It amended the ETH Law accordingly in September.
At some Swiss universities, the fees for domestic and foreign students already differ. At the University of St Gallen, for example, Swiss students pay CHF1,229 for a semester, while foreign students pay CHF3,129.
Fees for foreign students are currently also an issue in Switzerland’s negotiations with Europe. The EU has apparently shown itself willing to discuss an immigration protection clause. In return, however, it is demanding that European students should not pay more than those from Switzerland.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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