Master’s in Switzerland: Fees, Admission & Funding
This guide explains how to get a Master’s in Switzerland as an international student. It covers how Swiss master’s programmes are structured, where the English-taught options are, entry requirements and the strict subject-fit rule, applying directly to each university, what a year really costs, the scholarships worth chasing, and the six-month job-search permit that follows graduation.
About the Swiss Master’s Degree
How long is a Swiss master’s?
Between one and a half and two years — 90 to 120 ECTS credits — ending with a master’s thesis. Two-year programmes of 120 credits are the norm at the federal institutes of technology and in most research-focused subjects.
Consecutive and specialised master’s degrees
A consecutive master’s continues directly from a bachelor’s in the same field and is the standard route. A specialised master’s combines subjects or narrows into a niche, and often carries additional entry conditions. Separately, Master of Advanced Studies programmes are continuing-education qualifications for people already in work; they charge substantially higher fees and are not equivalent to a consecutive master’s for doctoral admission.
| Qualification | Credits | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Consecutive master’s | 90–120 ECTS | The standard academic degree, and the normal route into doctoral study |
| Specialised master’s | 90–120 ECTS | Interdisciplinary or narrowly focused programmes with extra entry conditions |
| Master of Advanced Studies | 60+ ECTS | Continuing education for working professionals; higher fees, separate admission |
How teaching works
Swiss master’s programmes are demanding and examination-heavy, with a strong emphasis on independent work. The thesis is substantial, often occupying a full semester, and in technical fields it is frequently carried out with an industrial partner or inside a research group — which makes it the most important career asset of the whole degree.
Finding the Right Programme
Where to search
Switzerland has no single national admissions platform. Each university publishes its own programme catalogue and admits its own students, so your search runs institution by institution. The national rectors’ organisation, swissuniversities, maintains an overview of recognised institutions and is the right place to confirm that a qualification is genuine before you invest time in it.
Where the English-taught programmes are
Concentrated at master’s level and in technical and quantitative subjects. Engineering, computer science, physics, chemistry, environmental science, economics and management have wide English-taught provision; law, medicine, teaching and most humanities are taught in the local national language.
Choosing between institutions
| If you want… | Look at… |
|---|---|
| Engineering, computing, natural sciences, architecture | The federal institutes of technology and the technically strong cantonal universities |
| Medicine, law, humanities, social sciences | Cantonal universities such as Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern and Lausanne |
| Applied, industry-facing degrees with placements | Universities of applied sciences |
| Management, finance and economics | St. Gallen, Zurich, Lausanne and Geneva among the public institutions |
Language of the city matters as much as the programme
Even in an English-taught programme, you will live in a German-, French- or Italian-speaking canton. That decides which language you should be learning, which employers you can realistically approach afterwards, and how straightforward the administrative side of your stay will be.
Entry Requirements
The academic requirement
A completed bachelor’s degree from a recognised university in a subject that closely matches the master’s. Swiss admission is decided on subject fit and on the standing of your previous institution, assessed case by case rather than through a central equivalence table.
Subject fit is applied strictly
Swiss universities compare your bachelor’s curriculum against their own. Where a gap exists, admission is often granted with conditions — additional bachelor-level courses you must pass alongside your master’s, sometimes adding a semester or more. This is normal and not a sign of weakness in your application, but you should budget time and money for it.
A worked example
Two applicants apply for a master’s in data science. One holds a computer science degree covering linear algebra, probability, algorithms and programming; the other holds a business degree with two statistics courses. The first is admitted directly. The second, if admitted at all, receives conditional admission requiring several mathematics and programming courses first. The difference is not the grade average — it is the curriculum.
Language requirements
English-taught programmes normally require IELTS or TOEFL at a level set by each university, though applicants whose previous degree was taught in English are often exempt. Programmes taught in German or French require a certificate at an advanced level, commonly C1. Requirements vary between institutions, so read the specific programme page.
What is usually not required
The GRE and GMAT play little part in standard Swiss master’s admission, though a small number of management programmes ask for one. Work experience matters for continuing-education programmes, not for consecutive master’s degrees.
How to Apply
You apply to each university directly, on its own timetable — there is no shared national system.
- Confirm the institution is recognised.Check it against the official list of accredited Swiss institutions before doing anything else, particularly for private providers.
- Check the deadline for your specific programme.Deadlines differ by university and are often much earlier for applicants who need a visa — in many cases several months earlier than for local applicants.
- Prepare your documents.Degree certificate and full transcripts, certified translations where required, language certificate, CV, motivation letter, and references where asked for.
- Apply and pay the application fee.Swiss universities charge an application fee per application, and it is paid whether or not you are admitted.
- Receive your decision, including any conditions.Read a conditional offer carefully — the extra courses it requires affect both your timetable and your budget.
- Apply for your visa or permit immediately.Swiss permit processing runs through the cantonal authorities and takes time. Start as soon as your admission letter arrives.
- Arrange housing and health insurance.Register with your commune within fourteen days of arrival, and arrange compulsory health insurance within the first three months.
The mistake that costs a year
Applicants routinely check the general deadline rather than the deadline for applicants requiring a visa. The visa-required deadline is the one that applies to most international students, and it can fall several months earlier. Check it on the specific programme page the day you start planning.
Language: English, German or French?
Can I complete a master’s entirely in English?
Yes, in many technical and quantitative fields at both the federal institutes and the larger cantonal universities. Your thesis, examinations and seminars can all be in English.
Why you should still learn the local language
Three practical reasons. Housing adverts, tenancy agreements and cantonal administration are in the local language. Most part-time work available to students requires it. And the six-month post-study job search is far harder without it, because employers must justify hiring a non-EU graduate over a local candidate — and language is one of the first things they weigh.
Where to learn
Most Swiss universities run language courses for their own students, often at reduced rates, and many cantons and communes support integration courses. Starting in your first semester rather than your last is what separates graduates who find work from those who leave when the permit expires.
Fees, Budget and Funding
What will tuition cost?
Public tuition in Switzerland is low by international standards, but at ETH Zurich and EPFL students who move to Switzerland to study now pay three times what locally qualified students pay. Cantonal universities set their own fees, and several charge international students more.
Moving from a bachelor’s to a master’s counts as beginning a new programme, so a student protected by transition rules during a bachelor’s may move into the higher fee group on entering a master’s. Full detail is in our ETH Zurich and EPFL guide.
Living costs are the real budget
Funding routes
- Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships — the federal programme for research and doctoral candidates from a defined list of countries, with amounts and eligibility set country by country.
- Institutional excellence programmes — ETH Zurich and EPFL both run competitive master’s scholarships combining a fee waiver with a living-cost contribution, usually applied for within the admission application.
- University and cantonal awards — smaller schemes run by individual institutions, frequently under-applied for.
- Assistantships — paid teaching or research assistant roles at some institutions, which count towards the fifteen-hour weekly limit.
The financial reality
Because the residence permit requires proof of independent funds for the whole year, and earnings from student work cannot be counted towards it, Switzerland effectively requires you to demonstrate the money before you arrive. Scholarships that cover living costs, not just tuition, are therefore worth far more here than in cheaper countries.
Career After Your Master’s
The six-month job-search permit
Graduates of recognised Swiss institutions can apply for a residence permit to look for work for six months. It cannot be extended, and during it you may work only fifteen hours a week.
Converting to a work permit
There is no automatic conversion. Once you have an offer, your employer applies for a work permit. For non-EU nationals this involves a labour-market test — the employer must show the role could not readily be filled by a Swiss or EU candidate — and federal and cantonal quotas apply. EU and EFTA citizens face a far simpler process under the free movement agreement.
Where Swiss graduates find work
Engineering, computing and data, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, finance and insurance, and precision manufacturing recruit international graduates most readily, because these are the fields where the labour-market test is easiest to satisfy. Zurich, Basel, Lausanne, Geneva and Zug are the main employment centres.
How to use six months well
Begin during your final semester, not after graduation. The graduates who succeed almost always did a thesis or internship with a company, built a local network, and reached a working level of German or French. Treat the permit as the end of the search, not the beginning.
Or continue to a doctorate
A Swiss master’s is the standard route into a Swiss doctoral position, which is salaried employment rather than a fee-paying course. See the PhD in Switzerland guide, browse live openings on the UpperCareers jobs board, and identify potential supervisors with the Supervisor Finder.
Official Websites for Master’s Applicants
Because Swiss rules differ by canton and institution, the official page is always the authority.
| Website | Run by | What you will find there |
|---|---|---|
| swissuniversities | The umbrella organisation of Swiss higher education institutions | The official overview of every recognised Swiss university, university of applied sciences and university of teacher education, plus national guidance on admission and qualification recognition. |
| ETH Zurich tuition fees | ETH Zurich, a federal institute of technology | The authoritative statement of the two tuition groups, the exact conditions that decide which group you fall into, the deadlines for applying for a reassessment, and current amounts. |
| EPFL tuition fees | EPFL, a federal institute of technology | EPFL’s own fee page: current tuition, the transition rules for students already enrolled, semester invoicing, and who is exempt from the higher international rate. |
| Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships | State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation | The federal scholarship scheme for international researchers and postgraduate students: which countries are eligible, what the award covers, and the application route through the Swiss embassy in your own country. |
| State Secretariat for Migration | Federal Department of Justice and Police | The federal authority on entry and residence: which permit applies to your nationality, how study permits work, the rules on employment alongside study, and links to every cantonal migration office. |
| Cantonal migration offices | The twenty-six Swiss cantons | Your canton takes the actual decision on your permit. Its page lists the exact documents, the financial threshold it applies, fees, processing times and the work-authorisation procedure. |
Every site above is run by a Swiss federal authority, a cantonal authority, or the public body representing the Swiss universities. Because migration and education are administered cantonally, your own canton’s page is the final authority on anything that varies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a master's degree in Switzerland?
Can I do a master's in Switzerland in English?
What are the entry requirements for a Swiss master's?
When should I apply for a master's in Switzerland?
Are there scholarships for master's students in Switzerland?
Can I work while studying for a master's in Switzerland?
Accuracy note: Swiss tuition, permit and work rules change, and much of the system is administered cantonally rather than federally, so figures differ across Switzerland. The amounts in this guide — the CHF 730 and CHF 2,190 semester fees, the published Zurich cost-of-living figures, the cantonal proof-of-funds example, the six-month work restriction and the fifteen-hour weekly limit — were checked against official Swiss and institutional sources when this article was last updated. Tuition at the federal institutes is also periodically re-indexed. Always confirm the current rules with your canton, your institution and the State Secretariat for Migration before you act. Nothing here is a guarantee of admission, funding, or a permit.
