List of universities in Switzerland

The University of Basel is the oldest institution of higher learning in Switzerland

This list of universities in Switzerland lists all public and private higher education institutions accredited and coordinated according the Federal Act on Funding and Coordination of the Swiss Higher Education Sector (short: Federal Higher Education Act, HEdA).^[1]

This includes all 12 publicly funded Swiss universities (10 cantonal universities and 2 federal institutes of technology) and a number of public and private Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences and other education institutions, as higher education institutions. The Swiss University Conference and its accreditation body the CRUS-OAQ is responsible for their recognition; an accreditation also defines the right to call itself accordingly.^[2]^[1]^[3]

Universities[]

[Interactive fullscreen map]

Locations of the Universities of Switzerland

Institution	Abbreviation	Location	Founded	Language	Type	Enrollment
University of Basel	UNIBAS	Basel	1460	German / English	Public (cantonal)	13,139
University of Bern	UNIBE	Bern	1834	German / English	Public (cantonal)	17,882
University of Fribourg	UNIFR	Fribourg	1889	French / German	Public (cantonal)	10,000
University of Geneva	UNIGE	Geneva	1559	French/ English	Public (cantonal)	16,530
University of Neuchâtel	UNINE	Neuchâtel	1838	French/ English	Public (cantonal)	4,173
University of Lausanne	UNIL	Lausanne	1537	French/ English	Public (cantonal)	13,500
University of Lucerne	UNILU	Lucerne	2000	German / English	Public (cantonal)	3,037
University of Lugano	USI	Lugano	1995	Italian / English	Public (cantonal)	2,862
University of St. Gallen	HSG	St. Gallen	1898	German / English	Public (cantonal)	8,553
University of Zurich	UZH	Zurich	1833	German / English	Public (cantonal)	26,356
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne	EPFL	Lausanne	1853	French / English	Public (federal)	10,686
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich	ETH / ETHZ	Zurich	1855	German / English	Public (federal)	20,607

Higher Education Institutions[]

Universities of Applied Sciences[]

There are seven public and two private Universities of Applied Sciences (or German: Fachhochschule (FH), French: Haute école specialisée (HES), and Italian: scuola universitaria professionale (SUP)) in Switzerland.

Public

Bern University of Applied Sciences, BFH, (German: Berner Fachhochschule), German-speaking
, FHGR
, FHNW (German: Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz), German-speaking and English-speaking
- The Basel School of Art and Design (German: Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst, HGK)
University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland, OST (German: Fachhochschule Ostschweiz), German-speaking
University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, (HES-SO French: Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale), French- and German-speaking (Fribourg)
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, (HSLU German: Hochschule Luzern), German-speaking
SUPSI (Italian: Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana) (SUPSI), Italian-speaking
Zurich University of Applied Sciences, ZFH, German: Zürcher Fachhochschule, German-speaking
- Zurich University of Applied Sciences/ZHAW (German: Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, ZHAW)
- Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration (German: Hochschulen für Wirtschaft Zürich, HWZ)
- Zurich University of the Arts (German: Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, ZHdK)
- Zurich University of Teacher Education (German: Pädagogischen Hochschule Zürich, PHZH)

Private

Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences

Higher education institutions of art and music[]

Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana, Lugano
Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, Geneva
Dipartimento Ambiente, Costruzioni e Design, Canobbio
École cantonale d'art de Lausanne (ECAL), Lausanne (part of the HES-SO)
Ecole cantonale d'art du Valais, Sierre
Haute école d'arts appliqués Arc, La Chaux-de-Fonds (part of the HES-SO)
Haute école d'arts et de design, Geneva (part of the HES-SO)
Haute école de musique de Lausanne - HEMU (part of the HES-SO)
Hochschule der Künste Berne, Bern (part of the BFH)
Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst, Basel (part of the FHNW)
Hochschule für Musik (Basel) und Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (part of the FHNW)
Hochschule Luzern – Design & Kunst, Musik (part of the HSLU)
Scuola Teatro Dimitri, Verscio (part of the SUPSI)
Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (part of the ZFH)
Kalaidos Musikhochschule (part of the Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences)

Universities of teacher education[]

According to diploma recognition by the EDK / CDIP:

Haute école pédagogique des cantons de Berne, du Jura et de Neuchâtel
Haute école pédagogique du canton de Vaud
Pädagogische Hochschule Wallis | Haute école pédagogique du Valais
Haute école pédagogique Fribourg | Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg
Interkantonale Hochschule für Heilpädagogik Zürich
Pädagogische Hochschule Graubünden | Alta scuola pedagogica dei Grigioni | Scola auta da pedagogia dal Grischun
Pädagogische Hochschule Bern
Pädagogische Hochschule Luzern
Pädagogische Hochschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW)
Pädagogische Hochschule St. Gallen
Pädagogische Hochschule Schaffhausen
Pädagogische Hochschule Schwyz
Pädagogische Hochschule Thurgau
Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich
Pädagogische Hochschule Zug
Schweizer Hochschule für Logopädie Rorschach SHLR
SUPSI - Dipartimento formazione e apprendimento (Ticino, SUPSI)

Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training[]

According to the Berufsbildungsgesetz (BBG), Art. 48 / Loi fédérale sur la formation (LFPr), l'art. 48

Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, SFIVET

Accredited institutions[]

Facoltà di Teologia di Lugano
Franklin University Switzerland
Staatsunabhängige Theologische Hochschule Basel
Theologische Hochschule Chur (THC)
Akademie für Hochschulbildung

International rankings for the public universities[]

ARWU[]

In relation to its population size, Switzerland is the country with the highest number of universities among the 100 best of the Academic Ranking of World Universities (2014-2015).^[4]

Switzerland Top Universities in 2020/1[]

A list of Switzerland top universities in 2020 as per three major ranking platforms ARWU (Academic Ranking of World Universities), THE (Times Higher Education) and the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds).^{[citation needed]}

University	Location	ARWU (Academic Ranking of World Universities) World Ranking 2020	THE (Times Higher Education) World Ranking 2020	QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World Rankings 2021
ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology	Zurich	20	14	6
EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)	Lausanne	83	43	14
University of Zurich	Zurich	56	73	69
University of Basel	Basel	88	92	149
University of Geneva	Geneva	59	149	106
University of Lausanne	Lausanne	101-150	191	169
University of Bern	Bern	101-150	109	114
University of Fribourg	Fribourg	401-500	351–400	601-650
Università della Svizzera Italiana	Lugano	701-800	251-300	273
University of St. Gallen (HSG)	St.Gallen	-	401–500	428
University of Neuchâtel	Neuchâtel	901-1000	401-500	-

Notes and references[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "SR/RS 414.20 Federal Act on Funding and Coordination of the Swiss Higher Education Sector (Higher Education Act, HEdA) of 30 September 2011" (in German, French, Italian, and English). Berne, Switzerland: The federal Council. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
^ "Members" (in German, French, Italian, and English). Berne, Switzerland: swissuniversities. 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
^ "Recognised or Accredited Swiss Higher Education Institutions" (in German, French, Italian, and English). Berne, Switzerland: swissuniversities. 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
^ Rankings: top of the class, The Economist, 28 March 2015 (page visited on 7 April 2015).

External links[]

[HEdA-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b "SR/RS 414.20 Federal Act on Funding and Coordination of the Swiss Higher Education Sector (Higher Education Act, HEdA) of 30 September 2011" (in German, French, Italian, and English). Berne, Switzerland: The federal Council. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.

[2] "Members" (in German, French, Italian, and English). Berne, Switzerland: swissuniversities. 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2018.

[3] "Recognised or Accredited Swiss Higher Education Institutions" (in German, French, Italian, and English). Berne, Switzerland: swissuniversities. 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.

[4] Rankings: top of the class, The Economist, 28 March 2015 (page visited on 7 April 2015).

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show v t Universities in Switzerland
according Federal Higher Education Act, HEdA
Universities	University of Basel University of Bern University of Fribourg University of Geneva University of Neuchâtel University of Lausanne University of Lucerne Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI) University of St. Gallen (HSG) University of Zurich Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ)
Public Universities of Applied Sciences	Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland (FHO) University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO) Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI) Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZFH) Zurich University of Applied Sciences/ZHAW (ZHAW) Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration (HWZ) Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) Zurich University of Teacher Education (PHZH)
Private universities of applied sciences	Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences
Swiss University Conference

show v t List of universities in Europe
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