Official emblem of Université de Genève

Université de Genève

Geneva, Switzerland • Founded 1559 • QS 2027 #168

Updated May 2026 · Source: unige.ch

Overview

English Name: University of Geneva
Local Name: Universität Genf
Acronyms: UNIGE
Founded: 1559
Institution Type: University
Control Type: Public
Entity Type: Non-profit
Rankings:
QS World University Rankings 2027 #168 Times Higher Education 2026 #166 = ARWU (Shanghai) 2026 #55 CWTS Leiden 2025 #135 SCImago 2026 #317
Motto: Post tenebras lux
Colours: Pink
Université de Genève academic facilities
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Established in 1835, the Université de Genève (University of Geneva) is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the large city of Geneva (population range of 500,000-1,000,000 inhabitants).

Officially recognized by the Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation, Schweiz (State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation of Switzerland), Université de Genève (UNIGE) is a large-sized coeducational Swiss higher education institution. Université de Genève (UNIGE) offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and doctorate degrees in several areas of study.

This 189-year-old Swiss higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on students' past academic records and grades. International applicants are eligible to apply for enrollment.

UNIGE also provides several academic and non-academic facilities and services to students including a library, housing, sports facilities, financial aids and/or scholarships, study abroad and exchange programs, online courses and distance learning opportunities, as well as administrative services.

Location & Contact

Université de Genève's physical location and contact details are listed below.

Address: 24 rue du Général-Dufour
Postal Code: 1211
Other Sites: Also University for Mature Students; More than 250 continuing education programmes.
Phone: +41 (22) 379 7111
Fax: +41 (22) 379 1134
Social Media:

Academic Details

Scale, staffing, and recognition figures for Université de Genève are listed below.

Academic Year: September to June (September - December; February - June)
Recognition: Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation, Schweiz
Admission Requirements: Secondary school certificate (Maturité/ baccalauréat) or equivalent
Total Students: 17,744
Academic Staff Range: 3,000-3,499
Full-Time Academic Staff: 4,565
Campus Setting: Urban
Memberships & Networks
European University Association (EUA) League of European Research Universities (LERU) Coimbra Group International Forum of Public Universities (IFPU) 4EU+ Alliance

Academic Structures

Université de Genève's academic structure — schools, colleges, and divisions — is listed below.

Unit 9 items
  • Faculty of Humanities
  • Faculty of Law
  • Faculty of Medicine
  • Faculty of Protestant Theology
  • Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
  • Faculty of Sciences
  • Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Faculty of Translation and Interpretation
  • Geneva School of Economy and Management

Degrees

Also Federal Diploma in Dental Medicine, 10-12 sem.

Bachelor's 12 programs
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Computer Science
  • Economics
  • Educational Sciences
  • Law
  • Management
  • Medicine
  • Natural Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Social Sciences
  • Theology
  • Translation and Interpretation
Master's 86 programs
  • Adult Education
  • African Studies
  • Ancient Civilizations
  • Anthropology
  • Arabic
  • Archaeology
  • Art History
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Asian Studies
  • Astrophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Biology
  • Business Administration
  • Central European Studies
  • Chemistry
  • Chinese
  • Civil Law
  • Classical Languages
  • Commercial Law
  • Communication Studies
  • Comparative Literature
  • Computer Science
  • Criminal Law
  • Dentistry
  • Development Studies
  • Earth Sciences
  • Eastern European Studies
  • Economic History
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Educational Psychology
  • English
  • Environmental Studies
  • Ethnology
  • European Studies
  • European Union Law
  • French
  • Gender Studies
  • Geography (Human)
  • German
  • Germanic Studies
  • Greek (Classical)
  • Health Sciences
  • Hispanic American Studies
  • History
  • Human Rights
  • International Law
  • International Studies
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Journalism
  • Latin
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Literature
  • Management
  • Mass Communication
  • Mathematics
  • Mathematics and Computer Science
  • Media Studies
  • Medicine
  • Medieval Studies
  • Middle Eastern Studies
  • Musicology
  • Natural Sciences
  • Neurosciences
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Political Sciences
  • Preschool Education
  • Psychology
  • Public Administration
  • Regional Planning
  • Russian
  • Social Sciences
  • Spanish
  • Special Education
  • Speech Therapy and Audiology
  • Statistics
  • Teacher Training
  • Technology
  • Technology Education
  • Theology
  • Town Planning
  • Translation and Interpretation
Doctoral 45 programs
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Astronomy and Space Science
  • Astrophysics
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics
  • Biochemistry
  • Biology
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science
  • Demography and Population
  • Dentistry
  • Earth Sciences
  • Econometrics
  • Economic History
  • Economics
  • Educational Sciences
  • Environmental Studies
  • European Union Law
  • Finance
  • Fiscal Law
  • Gender Studies
  • Geography
  • Health Sciences
  • Home Economics
  • Human Rights
  • Journalism
  • Law
  • Management
  • Mass Communication
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Neurosciences
  • Physics
  • Political Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Public Administration
  • Science Education
  • Social Sciences
  • Sociology
  • Speech Therapy and Audiology
  • Statistics
  • Theology
  • Translation and Interpretation

Faculties & Divisions

All faculties operate under Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation, Schweiz.

Affective Sciences (Centre) 1 subject offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Psychology
Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine (Centre) 2 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Arts and Humanities
  • Ethics
Bioinformatics (Centre) 2 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Biological and Life Sciences
  • Computer Science
Computer Science (Centre) 2 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Computer Science
  • Information Technology
Gerontology and Vulnerability (Centre) 1 subject offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Gerontology
History (Centre) 1 subject offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • History
Neurosciences (Centre) 1 subject offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Neurosciences
Humanities (Faculty) 37 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Ancient Civilizations
  • Anthropology
  • Arabic
  • Archaeology
  • Art History
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Chinese
  • Classical Languages
  • Comparative Literature
  • Computer Science
  • Contemporary History
  • Cultural Studies
  • East Asian Studies
  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Greek
  • Greek (Classical)
  • History
  • International Relations and Diplomacy
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Latin
  • Linguistics
  • Literature
  • Medieval Studies
  • Modern History
  • Music
  • Musicology
  • Oriental Studies
  • Philosophy
  • Portuguese
  • Prehistory
  • Russian
  • Slavic Languages
  • Spanish
Law (Faculty) 9 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Civil Law
  • Commercial Law
  • Criminal Law
  • History of Law
  • International Law
  • Labour Law
  • Law
  • Private Law
  • Public Law
Medicine (Faculty) 22 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Anaesthesiology
  • Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Community Health
  • Dentistry
  • Dermatology
  • Genetics
  • Gerontology
  • Immunology
  • Medical Technology
  • Medicine
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Neurosciences
  • Obstetrics and Gynaecology
  • Paediatrics
  • Pathology
  • Pharmacology
  • Physiology
  • Psychiatry and Mental Health
  • Radiology
  • Surgery
Psychology and Educational Sciences (Faculty) 10 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Adult Education
  • Behavioural Sciences
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Cognitive Sciences
  • Development Studies
  • Education
  • Educational Sciences
  • Educational Technology
  • Psychology
  • Special Education
Sciences (Faculty) 10 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Astronomy and Space Science
  • Biochemistry
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science
  • Earth Sciences
  • Environmental Studies
  • Mathematics
  • Pharmacy
  • Physics
Social Science and Economics (Faculty) 9 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Business and Commerce
  • Economic History
  • Economics
  • Environmental Studies
  • Geography (Human)
  • International Relations and Diplomacy
  • Political Sciences
  • Social Sciences
  • Sociology
Theology (Faculty) 3 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Protestant Theology
  • Religious Studies
  • Theology
Translation and Interpretation (Faculty) 8 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Arabic
  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • Translation and Interpretation
International and Development Studies (Graduate School) 2 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Development Studies
  • International Studies
Ecumenical Studies (Institute) 2 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Bible
  • Theology
Environmental Sciences (Institute) 1 subject offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Environmental Studies
Genetics and Genomics (Institute) 1 subject offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Genetics
Global Studies (Institute) 2 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • European Studies
  • International Relations and Diplomacy
History of the Reformation (Institute) 1 subject offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • History
Movement Sciences and Sports Medicine (Institute) 1 subject offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Sports Medicine
University Teacher Training (Institute) 1 subject offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Teacher Training
Geneva Finance (Research Division) 1 subject offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Finance
Economics and Management (School) 2 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Economics
  • Management
French language and Civilization (School) 2 subjects offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • French
  • French Studies
Social Sciences (School) 1 subject offered

Specialisations & Subjects

  • Social Sciences

Programs Offered

Search and filter Université de Genève's available programmes by degree level.

151 programmes on record. Each level below shows a sample. Compare these on the programs page All programs in Switzerland

Bachelor's Degree 58 programmes

Bachelor's Degree in Biochimie
Chemistry

Programme website (opens in a new tab)

Bachelor's Degree in Économie & management
Economics

Programme website (opens in a new tab)

Bachelor's Degree in Egyptologie & copte
Humanities & Cultural Studies

Programme website (opens in a new tab)

Showing 10 of 58.

Master's Degree 93 programmes

Master's Degree in Business Analytics
Humanities & Cultural Studies

Programme website (opens in a new tab)

Showing 10 of 93.

Scholarships in Switzerland

These scholarships are open to students studying in Switzerland and may apply to programmes at Université de Genève.

How to apply to Université de Genève

A short guide to applying to Université de Genève — five steps.

  1. 1
    Browse the programme catalogue

    Use the programme finder to browse Université de Genève's 151 active programmes. Filter by keyword or scan by degree level. Read curriculum details on each programme's dedicated page if available.

  2. 2
    Check eligibility for your chosen programme

    Programme-level requirements at Université de Genève typically include academic transcripts, language proficiency proof, identity documents, and a personal statement or interview. Confirm specific requirements with the admissions office.

  3. 3
    Get your documents ready

    Prepare academic transcripts, ID/passport copies, language proficiency proof, a personal statement, and reference letters. International candidates may need apostilled or notarised translations — start early to avoid deadline pressure.

  4. 4
    Apply through the official channel

    Université de Genève processes applications through www.unige.ch. Create an account, fill out the application form, and submit your documents. Note application deadlines, which vary by intake and programme.

  5. 5
    Reach out and track your application

    Confirm receipt of your application with the admissions office and keep an eye on your portal for status changes. Reach the institution by phone at +41 (22) 379 7111. Quick responses to any follow-up requests keep your application moving smoothly through the review process.

Frequently Asked Questions about Université de Genève

Quick answers to common questions about Université de Genève.

When did Université de Genève open?

Université de Genève traces its founding to 1559 (approximately 467 years ago).

In which city is Université de Genève?

Université de Genève is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Is Université de Genève a public or private institution?

It is a public higher-education institution.

How many students study at Université de Genève?

Université de Genève has approximately 17,744 students.

What is Université de Genève's ranking?

Université de Genève holds rank QS 2027 #168.

What qualification levels does Université de Genève offer?

Université de Genève delivers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes across its academic units.

What is Université de Genève's academic structure?

Université de Genève has 9 academic units.

Is Université de Genève officially recognised?

Université de Genève is accredited by Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation, Schweiz.

What is Université de Genève's official website?

Université de Genève's official website is www.unige.ch.

Members of European University Association (EUA)

These universities are also members of European University Association (EUA).

Where Else to Study Humanities & Cultural Studies

These universities in Switzerland also offer Humanities & Cultural Studies programmes, alongside Université de Genève.

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