ETH Zurich and EPF Lausanne Foreign students to pay three times more
Instead of the current CHF 730, foreign students at ETH Zurich and EPFL will have to pay more than CHF 2,000 in future.
12.07.2024, 10:08
12.07.2024, 11:35
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- ETH Board wants to triple the fees for foreign students.
- Until now, foreign students have paid CHF 730 per semester.
- The ETH Board also proposes linking all tuition fees to the national index of consumer prices.
The ETH Board wants to triple the fees for foreign students. It voted in favor of this at its last meeting. The ETH Board is thus taking into account the clear votes and voting results on this topic in Parliament, it wrote in a press release today.
This would increase the tuition fees for foreign students at the Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne (ETH Zurich and EPFL).
According to the decision, the tripling of tuition fees will be introduced in the fall semester of 2025. As part of a transitional arrangement, students who are already enrolled will be able to complete their Bachelor's or Master's degree without an increase in fees.
Currently, the fees for studying at ETH Zurich and EPFL amount to CHF 730 per semester for both Swiss and foreign students.
Adjusting tuition fees to inflation
The ETH Board also proposes linking all tuition fees to the national index of consumer prices. This is to avoid a further devaluation of the income from tuition fees due to inflation.
However, the Board will not make a final decision on the changes until December, following a hearing in the ETH Domain and a consultation with the offices. In March, the ETH Board had still spoken out against such an increase.
At the time, it justified this with the importance of internationality and the ability to attract the best talent. "These remain important aspects for the ETH Board", it wrote in Friday's press release. Accompanying measures should therefore continue to make it possible for financially weak international students to study.
Political debate ongoing
In the summer session, the National Council decided that students with a foreign baccalaureate should in future pay at least three times as much in tuition fees as students with a Swiss baccalaureate. The responsible Council of States committee has also spoken out in favor of an increase, but only by a factor of two.
The Council of States will discuss this in the fall session. The issue is expected to be resolved in both chambers by the end of the year.
At some Swiss universities, the fees for domestic and foreign students are already different. At the University of St. Gallen, for example, domestic students pay CHF 1229 for a Bachelor's degree, while foreign students pay CHF 3129.
