The University of Zurich confirmed to the Keystone-SDA News Agency on Wednesday that “several hundred” Ukrainian refugees had signed up with the administration to follow courses as visiting students. Around one hundred applications have been accepted so far.
The universities of Geneva and Lausanne have also announced several hundred similar requests. Currently 45 Ukrainian refugees are registered at the University of Geneva.
Since the middle of April, almost 48,500 Ukrainian refugees have been registered in Switzerland.
Zurich University rector, Michael Schaepman, said it was obviously “fantastic” for the refugees to study as guest students in the short term. But they needed long-term perspectives, he added.
The major obstacle for prospective university students is the language, said Schaepman.
More
More
Swiss universities show solidarity with Ukraine
This content was published on
The Swiss university and research community says it will do all it can to help academics and students fleeing conflict-torn Ukraine.
The University of Geneva said it had received 300 additional requests to attend courses from Ukrainian refugees. Of these, 20 are for entry in 2022 autumn and around 100 are to follow current courses via the European Horizon programme.
The University of Lausanne has registered 200 requests since the start of the war in Ukraine in February and the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) receives around a dozen requests a week from Ukrainian students to follow university courses, it said.
The University of Fribourg has around 17 Ukrainian students signed up for the spring term for Bachelor, Master and PhD courses in medicine, science, arts and humanities and social sciences and management.
Solidarity
The Swiss university and research community has promised to do its utmost to help academics and students fleeing conflict-torn Ukraine. In March, swissuniversities, the sector’s umbrella body, issued a statement saying that Swiss universities would do “everything in their power to host teachers, researchers and students from Ukrainian universities”.
Before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, there were 900 Russian students and 300 students of Ukraine nationality enrolled in Switzerland’s ten universities and two federal institutes of technology in 2020/21, according to the statistics.
More
More
How welcoming is Switzerland for refugees?
This content was published on
Besides geography, politics and the solidarity of the population play a decisive role in determining which countries people flee to.
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
How welcoming is Switzerland for refugees?
This content was published on
Besides geography, politics and the solidarity of the population play a decisive role in determining which countries people flee to.
This content was published on
The Swiss university and research community says it will do all it can to help academics and students fleeing conflict-torn Ukraine.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.