19 Best universities for History in Switzerland

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Switzerland ranked based on their research performance in History. A graph of 4.31M citations received by 116K academic papers made by 19 universities in Switzerland was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Zurich

For History

#21 in Europe

#81 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 23,420

2. University of Zurich

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Zurich

For History

#30 in Europe

#104 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 19%
Enrollment: 25,732

3. University of Bern

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Bern

For History

#51 in Europe

#148 in the World

Enrollment: 19,608

4. Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Lausanne

For History

#62 in Europe

#174 in the World

Enrollment: 12,576

5. University of Geneva

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Geneva

For History

#84 in Europe

#242 in the World

Enrollment: 17,744

6. University of Basel

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Switzerland | Basel

For History

#122 in Europe

#332 in the World

Enrollment: 12,896

7. University of Lausanne

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Switzerland | Lausanne

For History

#125 in Europe

#339 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Enrollment: 16,908

8. University of Fribourg

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Switzerland | Fribourg

For History

#267 in Europe

#665 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 10,366

9. University of St. Gallen

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Switzerland | St. Gallen

For History

#282 in Europe

#704 in the World

Enrollment: 7,666

10. University of Neuchatel

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Neuchatel

For History

#365 in Europe

#945 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Enrollment: 4,282

11. Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Geneva

For History

#408 in Europe

#1079 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 1,141

12. University of Italian-speaking Switzerland

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Lugano

For History

#466 in Europe

#1272 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 3,017

13. University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Italian Switzerland

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Manno

For History

#631 in Europe

#1958 in the World

14. University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Delemont

For History

#646 in Europe

#2004 in the World

Enrollment: 21,038

15. University of Lucerne

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Switzerland | Lucerne

For History

#726 in Europe

#2422 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 2,944

16. University of Applied Sciences of Northwestern Switzerland

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Switzerland | Brugg

For History

#808 in Europe

#2915 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Enrollment: 12,646

17. Bern University of Applied Sciences

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Bern

For History

#832 in Europe

#3012 in the World

Enrollment: 6,970

18. Lucerne University of Applied Sciences

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Lucerne

For History

#883 in Europe

#3295 in the World

Enrollment: 7,066

19. Webster University Geneva

Switzerland Flag

Switzerland | Bellevue

For History

#1194 in Europe

#4958 in the World

Enrollment: 500
Founded: 1915

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

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfields in Switzerland

Broadcast Journalism8

Classics and Ancient History13

Communications and Public Relations18

Criminology and Criminal Justice11

Early Childhood Education8

Education Majors18

Forensic Science7

Gender Studies15

Human Rights Law11

Intellectual Property and Patent Law10

International Law12

International Relations and Diplomacy10

Journalism and Digital Media12

Law Enforcement9

Library and Information science16

Media Studies12

Military science9

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution12

Occupational Safety and Health7

Political Economy13

Political Science19

Public Policy / Administration13

Radio and Television broadcasting10

Special Education7

Sports / Exercise science9

Theology / Divinity / Religious studies18

Urban and Regional planning11