Switzerland's ETH Zurich and EPFL triple tuition fees for foreign bachelor's and master's students
By Muntasir • Published Jun 13, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Education Planning, Study in Europe, Money & Budgeting, Education News & Policy
ETH Zurich and EPFL triple their semester tuition fee for new foreign students, from CHF 730 to CHF 2,190, starting the autumn 2025 semester.
💶 New fee: CHF 2,190 a semester, about 3 times the old CHF 730 rate
Applies to foreign nationals who move to Switzerland to study, including EU students
🎓 Exempt: foreign nationals who did their schooling in Switzerland
Exempt: students already enrolled before the change, who finish at the old rate
Federal budget cuts to the ETH Board drove the increase
The new fee, in numbers
The ETH Board approved tripling the semester tuition fee for foreign students at ETH Zurich and EPFL, Switzerland's two federal institutes of technology. The fee rises from CHF 730 to CHF 2,190 a semester, effective the autumn 2025 semester, according to the ETH Board and SWI swissinfo.ch . Across a full year of two semesters, that is close to CHF 4,380 in tuition alone.
Who pays the new rate
The higher fee applies to foreign nationals who move to Switzerland specifically to study at ETH Zurich or EPFL. Switzerland's fee policy runs on nationality and prior schooling, not on EU versus non-EU status. European students moving from another country to study in Switzerland pay the tripled rate the same as students from anywhere else.
Two groups avoid the increase. Foreign nationals who completed their schooling in Switzerland, regardless of citizenship, stay on the old fee structure. Students already enrolled in a bachelor's or master's programme before the change finish their degree under a transitional provision without paying the higher rate.
Why the fee is going up
The increase comes from a federal austerity programme that cut funding to the ETH Board's institutions. With less money from the federal budget, ETH Zurich and EPFL raise the difference through student fees instead. Student associations at both institutions oppose the change, arguing that admission should depend on ability rather than financial situation.
The ETH Board says accompanying support measures keep the two institutions open to talented students with limited financial means, though it has not published details of how that support works.
ETH Zurich and EPFL are Switzerland's two federal institutes of technology, funded directly through the federal budget rather than by the cantons. That federal funding link is why a national austerity programme hits these two schools directly, while cantonal universities set their own fee policy separately.
An EU negotiating point
The fee gap between Swiss and foreign students entered Switzerland's negotiations with the EU. The EU wants an agreement stopping European students from paying more than Swiss nationals do, according to SWI swissinfo.ch. These negotiations remain open, with outcomes that would change fees for EU students in future intakes.
What to do if you are applying
Budget for CHF 2,190 a semester in tuition alone if you move to Switzerland from abroad to study at ETH Zurich or EPFL from autumn 2025 onward. If you already did secondary schooling in Switzerland, ask the admissions office whether you qualify for the exemption.