List of 23 best universities in Switzerland

Updated: February 29, 2024

Ranking by academic field

Top 23 universities in Switzerland ranked by EduRank based on research outputs, non-academic prominence, and alumni influence. The rankings are determined by analyzing 28.3M citations received by 881K academic publications made by 23 universities from Switzerland, the popularity of 1,883 recognized alumni, and the largest reference database available.

1. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Zurich

#6 in Europe

#51 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 23,420

2. University of Zurich

Zurich

#19 in Europe

#94 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 19%
Enrollment: 25,732

3. Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

Lausanne

#30 in Europe

#119 in the World

Enrollment: 12,576

4. University of Bern

Bern

#56 in Europe

#171 in the World

Enrollment: 18,576

5. University of Geneva

Geneva

#58 in Europe

#175 in the World

Enrollment: 17,744

6. University of Basel

Basel

#85 in Europe

#237 in the World

Enrollment: 12,896

7. University of Lausanne

Lausanne

#94 in Europe

#259 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Enrollment: 16,919

8. University of Fribourg

Fribourg

#215 in Europe

#549 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 10,366

9. University of St. Gallen

St. Gallen

#274 in Europe

#682 in the World

Enrollment: 7,666

10. University of Neuchatel

Neuchatel

#351 in Europe

#908 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Enrollment: 4,282

11. University of Italian-speaking Switzerland

Lugano

#437 in Europe

#1181 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 3,017

12. University of Applied Sciences of Northwestern Switzerland

Brugg

#491 in Europe

#1345 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Enrollment: 12,646

13. Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Geneva

#569 in Europe

#1630 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 692

14. Lucerne University of Applied Sciences

Lucerne

#626 in Europe

#1846 in the World

Enrollment: 7,066

15. University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland

Delemont

#642 in Europe

#1896 in the World

Enrollment: 21,038

16. Bern University of Applied Sciences

Bern

#658 in Europe

#1925 in the World

Enrollment: 6,970

17. University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Italian Switzerland

Manno

#717 in Europe

#2180 in the World

18. University of Lucerne

Lucerne

#747 in Europe

#2287 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 2,944

19. Webster University Geneva

Bellevue

#1367 in Europe

#5636 in the World

Enrollment: 500
Founded: 1915

20. Les Roches-Gruyere University of Applied Sciences

Bulle

#1520 in Europe

#6654 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 2008

21. University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland

St. Gallen

#1644 in Europe

#7440 in the World

Enrollment: 5,982

22. Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences

Zurich

#1942 in Europe

#8350 in the World

Enrollment: 3,519

23. University of Applied Sciences Zurich

Zurich

#2113 in Europe

#8895 in the World

The best cities to study in Switzerland based on the number of universities and their ranks are Zurich, Lausanne, Bern, and Geneva.

Average cost of living for students in Switzerland is $1271 + $227-1625 for rent (depends on where to live: dormitory, renting with a roommate or solo).