List of 23 best universities in Switzerland

Updated: March 02, 2025

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 38.3M citations received by 1.04M academic publications made by 23 universities from Switzerland, the popularity of 1,986 recognized alumni, and the largest reference database available.

1. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Zurich

#6 in Europe

#52 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 23,420

2. University of Zurich

Zurich

#17 in Europe

#89 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 19%
Enrollment: 25,732

3. Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

Lausanne

#31 in Europe

#123 in the World

Enrollment: 12,576

4. University of Bern

Bern

#56 in Europe

#167 in the World

Enrollment: 18,576

5. University of Geneva

Geneva

#57 in Europe

#169 in the World

Enrollment: 17,744

6. University of Basel

Basel

#87 in Europe

#244 in the World

Enrollment: 12,896

7. University of Lausanne

Lausanne

#95 in Europe

#259 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Enrollment: 16,908

8. University of Fribourg

Fribourg

#218 in Europe

#552 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 10,366

9. University of St. Gallen

St. Gallen

#272 in Europe

#669 in the World

Enrollment: 7,666

10. University of Neuchatel

Neuchatel

#357 in Europe

#925 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Enrollment: 4,282

11. University of Italian-speaking Switzerland

Lugano

#438 in Europe

#1179 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 3,017

12. University of Applied Sciences of Northwestern Switzerland

Brugg

#487 in Europe

#1336 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Enrollment: 12,646

13. Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Geneva

#552 in Europe

#1562 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 1,141

14. University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland

Delemont

#624 in Europe

#1832 in the World

Enrollment: 21,038

15. Lucerne University of Applied Sciences

Lucerne

#629 in Europe

#1846 in the World

Enrollment: 7,066

16. Bern University of Applied Sciences

Bern

#638 in Europe

#1875 in the World

Enrollment: 6,970

17. University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Italian Switzerland

Manno

#692 in Europe

#2098 in the World

18. University of Lucerne

Lucerne

#738 in Europe

#2280 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 2,944

19. Webster University Geneva

Bellevue

#1379 in Europe

#5684 in the World

Enrollment: 500
Founded: 1915

20. Les Roches-Gruyere University of Applied Sciences

Bulle

#1525 in Europe

#6694 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Founded: 2008

21. University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland

St. Gallen

#1655 in Europe

#7508 in the World

Enrollment: 5,982

22. Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences

Zurich

#1955 in Europe

#8401 in the World

Enrollment: 3,519

23. University of Applied Sciences Zurich

Zurich

#2121 in Europe

#8931 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 $1299 + $235-1679 for rent (depends on where to live: dormitory, renting with a roommate or solo).