Universities mull foreign student admission restrictions

Switzerland’s prestigious federal institutes of technology in Zurich and Lausanne are reportedly examining whether to impose restrictions on foreign student admissions, reports Swissinfo.ch.

The ETH Board – the governing body of ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne – is considering restricting access, the NZZ am Sonntag reported on Sunday 26 February. “The ETH board will have to discuss the admission requirements for foreign students,” Gian-Andri Casutt, head of communications for the ETH board, told the paper. As well as the possible introduction of a numerus clausus – a limit on the number of admissions by foreign students – they could also require foreign students to achieve a certain average grade to enrol at ETH Zurich or EPFL. An increase in tuition fees for foreigners is also possible, NZZ said.

The number of students in Switzerland has been increasing steadily for years. In 2022, ETH Zurich and the EPFL in Lausanne had a total of 37,000 students – half from abroad. The proportion of foreigners among doctoral students is particularly high (80%). For the first time, foreigners were also in the majority among masters students last year, NZZ said.
Full report on the Swissinfo.ch site