Top 10 Best Universities in Switzerland 2023

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Last week marked the release of the highly anticipated 19th edition of the QS World University Rankings. After our analysis of the Canadian ranking, let’s have a look at the best universities in Switzerland. If we want to summarize this article, apparently, Switzerland, lacking natural resources, the abundance of intellectual resources is there. However, if the position of Swiss universities (remains) desired, the global withdrawal cannot escape any radar.

Of all the ranked universities, eight have lost their rank. Only the University of Basel is progressing, while the University of Italian Switzerland remains stable. How to explain this? This decline is largely explained by the “Employer reputation” indicator. Nine of the ten establishments lost an average of 54 ranks. An indicator that represents a bad argument for the competitiveness of Switzerland on the national and international job market.

ETH Zurich is the highest-ranked and thus the best university in Switzerland for the fifteenth consecutive year, despite falling one place to ninth place. It enjoys the best international reputation in the country, ranking 18ᵉ and 51ᵉ globally in reputation indicators with academics and employers.

In short, here are the 10 best universities in Switzerland according to QS World University Rankings 2023:

1. ETH Zurich (9 in the world).
2. EPFL Lausanne (16).
3. University of Zurich (83).
4. University of Bern (120).
5. University of Geneva (125).
6. University of Basel (136).
7. University of Lausanne (203).
8. University of Italian Switzerland (240).
9. University of St. Gallen (501-510).
10. University of Friborg (571-580).

Here is our ranking analysis for the top five universities:

1. ETH Zurich : Best Swiss University

ETHZ is the best university in Switzerland. It maintained its place in the top 10 best universities in the world for the eighth consecutive year, occupying the ninth place in the world. It is the only university in the top 10 outside the United States and the United Kingdom.

According to QS, the university enjoys a high reputation among academics and employers. Its result in terms of employment is very enviable, scoring a score of 91 points.

2. EPFL Lausanne (16)

EPFL fell two places compared to last year, thus positioning itself 16ᵉ in the world. It scored a perfect score (100/100) in two internationalization indicators: the international faculty ratio and the ratio of international students.

EPFL’s results in terms of employment remain her pet peeve, it obtained 28 points (only) on a scale of 100.

3. University of Zurich (83)

In the current QS ranking, the University of Zurich has fallen 13 places to settle down on the 83ᵉ place. UZH performed well on three indicators: International Faculty Ratio (100/100), Faculty Student Ratio (93.3), and International Research Network (93.5).

The University of Zurich does better than EPFL in terms of the employment outcomes with a score of 77.8 (/100). However, UZH remains little known to employers (39.2).

4. University of Bern (120)

The University of Bern fell one place compared to the previous year, thus occupying the 120ᵉ rank. Three metrics are the main reason for Bern’s current ranking, namely, international faculty ratio (100), citations per faculty (98.3), and international research network (95.3).

The University of Bern obtained poor results in three indicators: its reputation among academics (30.3) as well as among employers (35.5), and worst of all its employment outcomes (18.4!).

5. University of Geneva (125)

The University of Geneva follows a simple rule: falling is a rule, improving is an exception. Its ranking has rarely improved during this decade. This year, marks her biggest loss in terms of rank, it lost 20 places, at once, compared to last year, thus placing 125ᵉ in the world.

The internationalization indicators (international student ratio, international faculty ratio and international research network) are behind this good position of the University of Geneva.

QS ranking methodology

The six indicators that determine the QS World University Rankings 2023 are:

• Academic reputation: examines the quality of teaching and research.
• Employer reputation: assesses how institutions prepare students for successful careers and which institutions provide the most skilled, innovative and effective graduates.
• Faculty student ratio : assesses how well institutions provide students with meaningful access to faculty and tutors.
• Citations per faculty: the total number of academic citations in articles produced by a university over a five-year period (not including self-citation).
• International student ratio and international faculty ratio: Ability to attract quality students and academic staff from around the world.

Two nen indicators has been introduced in QS rankings this year:

• Employment outcomes: the indicator that has plagued the ranking of Swiss universities this year. It reflects the capacity of institutions to guarantee a high level of employability to their graduates.
• International research network: reflects the ability of institutions to diversify the geography of their research network by establishing sustainable partnerships with other higher education institutions.

Are you looking for a scholarship in Switzerland? Have a look at this guide:

Scholarships in Switzerland : The Ultimate Guide