How these universities are ranked
4 of these universities hold a QS World position, from #7 (ETH Zurich) to #473 (Universita della Svizzera Italiana); they are listed first, in that order. The rest are ordered by research impact. ETH Zurich has the largest research record in this group, with 27,634,855 citations and an h-index of 1,175. 3 universities have neither a QS position nor a research record yet and appear at the end, marked "Not yet ranked".
Public, private and where they are
The split is 16 public to 0 private institutions. By location, Zurich (1) and Vaud (1) account for the most of those we can place. The oldest is EPFL, founded in 1853. ETH Zurich is the largest, with 25,000 students.
What the courses look like
By level: 56 bachelor's and 20 master's. Within the subject, the largest areas are Engineering (70), Civil Engineering (2), Mechanical Engineering (1) and Electrical & Electronic Engineering (1). The usual length is 4 years and 3 years. 89% are full-time. Start dates lean to Spring (63% of courses with a stated intake) and Fall (60% of courses with a stated intake). FHNW - Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz offers the widest choice, with 23 of these courses.
What it costs
We hold indicative fees for 2 of these universities. ETH Zurich is the least expensive at USD 1,600 a year and EPFL the most at USD 1,600; the middle of the range is about USD 1,600. Check each university's own fee page before you budget — figures change every year.
