In Schengen, outside the EU, and the canton decides

Programmes on our catalogue for Switzerland range from CHF 850 – 44,640 per year. Fees are set by each university and programme.

Budget around $2,500 a month for accommodation, food and transport. Costs vary by city.

IELTS 4.0–6.5 overall, depending on programme. English-test requirement derived from 89 of our 104 verified Switzerland programmes. Individual programmes set their own; your counsellor confirms the exact score.

You cannot work at all for the first six months after your studies begin, so budget the entire first semester with no student income - a September start means no permitted earnings before March. After that you may work 15 hours a week during term, and that is a hard weekly maximum rather than an annual average, but you may work full time during semester breaks, so in Switzerland the vacations are where a student actually earns. Work is reported to the canton in every case. After graduating, Swiss law gives a third-country graduate of a Swiss higher education institution six months to look for work, which is a quarter of the two years Ireland and Finland allow; it is permission to look rather than a right to be hired, because Swiss and EU or EFTA nationals keep priority and a graduate is admitted only where the role is of overriding scientific or economic interest. That right is written specifically for graduates of a Swiss higher education institution, and many private schools are not on the Swiss accredited register, so ask your institution in writing whether its award qualifies before you plan on staying. Dependants are possible but narrow: only a spouse and children entitled to financial support, and on a B permit family reunification may be granted rather than claimed, subject to accommodation large enough for the whole family by Swiss standards, no reliance on social assistance and proof of sufficient resources - and the canton decides that too.

Geneva, Zurich, Lausanne, Basel, Bern

There is no national student permit in Switzerland - you need two things from two authorities. First, a national long-stay (type D) visa from the Swiss representation in India before you travel, which currently costs EUR 60 and takes at least eight weeks to process; that is a published minimum rather than an average, and the fee is quoted in euros even though the country runs on francs, so apply early and confirm the current figure before you pay. Second, on arrival, a residence permit for study from the migration office of the canton you will live in, valid for the duration of your studies or for one year and renewable annually, with the cantonal permit fee varying by canton because no national fee exists. On the money, the cantonal requirement is far higher than the figure that circulates: Zurich asks for CHF 21,000 a year, or CHF 1,750 a month, and Geneva around CHF 24,000, so budget CHF 21,000 to CHF 24,000 for an academic year on top of tuition. The widely repeated CHF 30 a day annualises to only CHF 10,950, which is roughly half of what you will actually be asked to show, and a student who budgets to the daily figure fails the permit test. Zurich also requires that the money be confirmed by a Swiss-domiciled bank, so an Indian bank statement on its own will not satisfy it. Health insurance is compulsory within three months of taking up residence, and the student exemption, available if your private cover is equivalent, runs on that same three-month deadline and is decided by the canton; the average Swiss premium was CHF 393.30 a month in 2026 with a range of roughly CHF 280 to CHF 600 by canton and Geneva the most expensive, so a missed exemption deadline costs close to CHF 4,700 over a year. Premiums are reset annually and permit fees differ by canton, so check both with your own cantonal migration office before you commit.