Swiss universities mull foreign student restrictions

Students outside the Rolex Learning Centre building at the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Switzerland’s prestigious federal institutes of technology in Zurich and Lausanne are reportedly examining whether to impose restrictions on foreign student admissions.

The ETH Board – the governing body of ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne – is considering restricting access, the NZZ am SonntagreportedExternal link on Sunday.

“The ETH Board will have to discuss the admission requirements for foreign students,” the Gian-Andri Casutt, head of communications for the ETH Board, told the paper.

As well as the possible introduction of a numerus clausus – a limit on the number of admissions by foreign students – they could also require foreign students to achieve a certain average grade to enroll at ETH Zurich or EPFL. An increase in tuition fees for foreigners is also possible, NZZ said.

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The number of students in Switzerland has been increasing steadily for years. In 2022, ETH Zurich and the EPFL in Lausanne had a total of 37,000 students – half from abroad. The proportion of foreigners among doctoral students is particularly high (80%). For the first time, foreigners were also in the majority among master’s students last year, NZZ said.

At the same time, the federal universities are under pressure to cut costs. Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter recently announced budget cuts of 2% in various sectors, such as agriculture, culture and education. This particularly affects the federal institutes, NZZ said.

“If we want to maintain the quality of teaching with increasing student numbers and a smaller budget, we have to take action,” said Casutt.

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The joint secretary general of the Association of Swiss Student Unions (VSS), Luzian Franzini, said students would resist any restrictions. “The ETH must remain accessible to everyone,” he declared. 

The ETH Board is expected to discuss admission requirements at a meeting on March 8-9. However, it may be a while before a decision is made. The body intends to involve various groups in the discussion.

According to Swissuniversities, the umbrella group for Swiss universities, the idea of imposing a numerus clausus on students from abroad is currently “not an issue”.