Statistics of Higher Education Institutions: 2018 Edition

2018
15
Education
and science
Neuchâtel 2018
Statistics of higher education

institutions
2018 edition
Published by : Federal Statistical Office (FSO)
Information : Juan Segura (for students and exams),
tel. +41 58 463 69 19, sius@bfs.admin.ch
Mehmet Aksözen (for staff and finance),
tel. +41 58 467 16 50, persfinhs@bfs.admin.ch
Editor : Vera Herrmann, FSO
Contents : Mehmet Aksözen, FSO ; Juan Segura, FSO ;
Elena Zafarana, FSO
Series : Swiss Statistics
Topic : 15 Education and science
Original text : German, French
Translation : FSO language services
Layout : DIAM Section, Prepress / Print
Graphics : DIAM Section, Prepress / Print
Front page : DIAM Section, Prepress / Print
Maps : DIAM Section, ThemaKart
Printed : In Switzerland
Copyright : FSO, Neuchâtel 2018
Reproduction with mention of source authorised
(except for commercial purposes).
Print format orders : Federal Statistical Office, CH-2010 Neuchâtel,
tel. +41 58 463 60 60, fax +41 58 463 60 61,
order@bfs.admin.ch
Price : free of charge
Downloads : www.statistics.admin.ch (free of charge)
FSO number : 1802-1800
Table of contents
1 Introduction4
The sites of higher education institutions 4
2 Overview6
3 Students, entrants and final exams7
3.1 Students at higher education institutions 7

3.2 Higher education entrants 10
3.3 Final examinations at higher education institutions 13
4 Staff at higher education institutions15
4.1 Staff numbers 15

4.2 Age pyramid 17
4.3 Educational background 19
4.4 Staff by type of activity (in FTE) 20
4.5 Staff by category (in FTE) 21
4.6 Student-teacher ratio (in FTE) 22
5 Finance of higher education institutions24
5.1 Cost development 24

5.2 Types of activities 25
5.3 Types of costs 26
5.4 Costs per student 27
6 A look at STEM degree courses30
6.1 Students, entrants and final examinations 30

6.2 Staffing resources 32
6.3 Costs 34
7 Sources36
8 List of higher education institutions and departments38

1
1 Introduction
This brochure provides a statistical overview of Switzerland’s higher

education landscape.
The institutions of higher education are : the ten cantonal univer-
sities and the two federal institutes of technology (ETH/EPF) which
together constitute the universities (UNI), the seven universities of
applied sciences (UAS) and the 16 universities of teacher education
(UTE) and several other special teacher training institutions. The UTE
are responsible for the education and continuous training of teach-
ers. The UAS provide basic professional skills at tertiary level with a
practice-based focus, whereas the UNI are committed to a combina-
tion of teaching and (foundational) research. All institutions of higher
education provide consultancy and other services to third parties.
This brochure presents statistics on students, diplomas, the
higher education institutions staff and the funding of higher educa-
tion institutions, in each case with current data from the academic
year 2016/17 or from the calendar and financial year 2016. To show
changes in higher education institutions over a ten year period, data
from 2007/2008 or 2007 is included for comparison. In addition to
the total number of students, the number of new enrolments is also
listed. For the UAS and the UTE, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees are
mentioned separately and at the UNI, a distinction is made between
basic tertiary education and more advanced education (usually a
doctorate). All figures on higher education staff and financial re-
sources have been rounded.1
Further information on higher education statistics can be found
on the FSO website at www.education-stat.admin.ch
The sites of higher education institutions
The following graphs show the sites of higher education institu-

tions. Please note that universities of applied sciences in particular
are made up of several specialist schools, which may be located at
different sites. The main site of each institution is given in brackets.
1
The higher education staff statistics are based on administrative (personnel)
data, sent to the FSO by each higher education institution and the higher
education costs statistics are based on data from cost accounting. As a
result, information about the costs and activities, due to general difficulties in
isolating costs, are approximate values.
4
1
Students at universities, 2016/17 G1

Universities and institutes of technology Number of students1
26 251
15 000
BS 5 000
UZH SG
ETH CH: 148 534
NE
LU
BE
FR
LS
EPFL
GE
USI 1
not shown: 1 390 students
at other universities
Universities of applied sciences Number of students

20 695
FHNW 10 000
2 500
Kal FH
ZFH CH: 75 098
FHO
BFH
FHZ
HES-SO
SUPSI
Universities of teacher education Number of students 2

SH
3 384
PH FHNW 1 500
TG
500
SG CH: 20 472
ZH
BEJUNE HfH
ZG
LU SZ
BE
GR
FR
VD
VS SUPSI-DFA
2
not shown: 711 students at other
universities of teacher education
Source: FSO – SHIS-studex © FSO 2018
5
2
2 Overview
The number of students at the UNI, UAS and UTE has risen con-
stantly over the past 10 years to more than 240 000. The number
of diplomas has consequently risen too. Staffing and financial re-
sources also increased continuously from 2007 to 2016. Graph G 2
shows the growth rate compared with the base year 2007 (= 100).
The number of diplomas (UTE diploma, Bachelor’s, Master’s, doc-
torate) has grown disproportionately to over 53 000 in this period.
The growth in costs has been only slightly higher than the growth
in student numbers and the number of teaching staff. In 2016, more
than 89 000 personnel were employed or 59 000 full-time equiva-
lents2. Higher education costs totalled CHF 11 billion.
Development of higher education institution

students, graduates, staff and costs G2
170
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Graduates Staff FTE

Costs Students
Source: FSO – SHIS © FSO 2018
2
A full-time equivalent is equal to a work-time percentage of 100% during
12 months. A part-time job of 50% during 6 months is equal to 0.25 of a FTE.
6
3
3 Students, entrants and final exams
During the 2016/17 academic year, more than 244 000 people were

in education at a Swiss higher education institution. 61% of students
were enrolled at a university or institute of technology (UNI), 31% at a
university of applied sciences (UAS) and 8% at a university of teacher
education (UTE). Numbers have regularly increased over the years.
In the course of a decade (2007 – 2016), an increase has been seen
of 27% at the UNI, 54% at the UAS and 71% at the UTE.
3.1 Students at higher education institutions
The distribution of students in basic tertiary education and training

(licence/diploma/bachelor/master) in the different types of higher
education institution varies considerably by field of studies. For com-
parisons, graph G 3 shows this distribution by the ISCED fields3.
Logically, we have also seen a predominance by UTE students in
education (76%). Fields such as social sciences, journalism and infor-
mation (94%), natural sciences, mathematics and statistics (86%) are
essentially taught at universities while courses in health and social
security (60%) and services (98%) in particular are mainly taught at
the UAS. There is a more equal balance in the distribution of students
between the UNI and UAS in the fields of information technology and
engineering.
Overall, there has been parity in numbers of male and female stu-
dents since around the last decade. In 2016/17, women accounted for
51% of students. However, numbers do vary considerably according
to the type of higher education institution and in particular according
to the field of study.
3
The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) of the UNESCO
provides a comprehensive framework for organising education programmes
and qualification by applying uniform and internationally agreed definitions
to facilitate comparisons of education systems across countries.
7
3
Distribution of students in basic training curriculum

by ISCED fields1 and type of institutions, 2016/17 G3
Education 19 6 76
Arts and humanities 64 36

Social sciences, journalism 94 6
and information
Business, administration and law 63 37
Natural sciences,
mathematics and statistics 86 14
Information and
Communication Technologies 51 49
Engineering, manufacturing 51 49
and construction
Agriculture, forestry, 69 31
fisheries and veterinary
Health and welfare 40 60
Services 2 98
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
UNI UAS UTE

1 The “field unknown” area, 1 620 students only at the universities and institutes of technology,
is not contained in this graph.
8
3
The international character of higher education

In 2007/08, the share of foreign students educated abroad before
starting their studies was 16% in all higher education institutions.
In 2016/17, it was nearly 20%. In terms of growth, this represents an
increase of 73% in ten years.
The share of foreign students educated abroad has increased
every year in the three types of higher education institutions.
There were more foreign students educated abroad at the UNI
(25% in 2016/17) than at the UAS (12%) and at the UTE (5%). At the
UNI, this population is mainly found at doctorate level (53% of all
doctoral students in 2016/17) and in other university postgraduate
courses (56% ; see graph G 4). At doctorate level, foreign students
educated abroad are specifically under-represented in engineering
sciences (75%), exact and natural sciences (69%) and economics (63%).
If generally the share of foreign students educated abroad varies
considerably by level of study, this is particularly the case at the UAS.
While foreign students educated abroad account for 10% of students
at bachelor level, they make up 38% of students at master level.
In actual fact, master courses in artistic fields particularly appeal to
foreign students educated abroad. For example, they account for the
majority of students in music, theatre and other arts (59%) and make
up 48% of design students.
Students at UNI and UAS by level and place

of education, 2016/17 G4
Bachelor 88 12
Master 74 26
UNI
Doctorate 47 53
Further education
and advanced 44 56
studies
Bachelor 91 9
UAS
Master 62 38
Further education 90 10
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Swiss and foreign students with swiss school education

Foreign students with foreign school education
The share of foreign-educted foreign nationals at the UTE is 4% to 8% depending on the level.
9
3
3.2 Higher education entrants
An entrant is a person starting a bachelor course for the first time (or
licentiate/diploma for older UNI or UAS student cohorts) at a Swiss
higher education institution.
In 2016/17, there were more than 20 000 UNI entrants, 30% of
whom studied humanities and social sciences. Meanwhile, there
were more than 17 000 UAS entrants, 35% of whom studied eco-
nomics and services. At the UTE, just under 4000 students started
a bachelor, with most doing so in order to have the right to teach at
pre-school and primary levels. Nonetheless, this number excludes
future teachers for the lower and upper secondary levels starting
a UTE course after having obtained a bachelor or master degree.
Average age on entry

The age on entry to higher education is almost identical for men and
women. By contrast, age does however vary considerably depending
on the type of higher education institution (see graph G5).
With an average age of 20.6 years, the UNI had the youngest
entrants in 2016/2017. Compared with their UNI counterparts, UAS
entrants were 2.5 years older when starting their bachelor courses.
This gap exists firstly because the vocational Matura, the main cer-
tificate granting access to the UAS, tends to be obtained later than
the academic Matura and secondly the transition from the vocational
Matura to the UAS is slower than the transition from the academic
Matura to the UNI. The average age of UTE entrants at bachelor level
(23.1 years) is identical to that of UAS entrants and is therefore higher
than that of UNI entrants. One of the factors that explains this age dif-
ference compared with UNI bachelor-level entrants is the possibility
of retraining that is open to persons already working.
At the UNI and UAS, the average age of entrants was lower in
2016/17 than it was ten years previously. This decrease can be
seen in most fields of study at the UNI whereas at the UAS it can
be seen in particular in applied psychology (– 4 years) and social work
(– 2 years). At the UTE, a reverse trend was observed : the age on
entry increased from 22.3 years in 2007/08 to 23.1 years in 2016/17,
a rise that is partly due to an increase in entrants changing careers.
10
3
Average entrance age at bachelor

and diploma levels by type of institutions G5
25
20
15
23.7 23.1 22.3 23.1
21.0 20.6
10
0
UNI UAS UTE1
2007/08 2016/17
1 only bachelor's entrances
Certificates before the start of studies granting access to higher

education
The transition from upper secondary level to education at a Swiss
higher education institution essentially takes place following com-
pletion of a Matura.
As shown by graph G 6, the Swiss academic Matura was the main
route to the UNI (74% of all entrants in 2016/17 and 94% of entrants
with a Swiss certificate granting access to higher education). The 6%
of UNI entrants holding another Swiss certificate granting access to
higher education were mainly those who had passed the UNI-voca-
tional Matura transition examination. Persons who access a UNI with
a foreign certificate account for a major part of UNI entrants (20%).
The UAS mainly open their doors to holders of a vocational Mat-
ura (52% of entrants in 2016/17) but also to those who have obtained
an academic Matura (20%). For around eight years, it has also been
possible to access certain UAS courses with a specialised Matura
(8%). The other types of Swiss access certificates that enable UAS
entrants to start their course are mainly professional college degrees,
followed or not followed by a university entrance test. There were
nonetheless fewer UAS entrants holding Swiss certificates other than
the Matura in 2016/17 (8%) than ten years previously (18%).
11
3
The UTE welcome in particular holders of the academic Matura

(50% of entrants in 2016/17), followed by those with a vocational
Matura (10%) or more recently, the specialised Matura (22%). In ob-
serving the change in the shares of UTE entrants by certificate grant-
ing access to higher education over the past ten years, we see that
it is increasingly less common to access a UTE without holding a
Matura (27% of entrants in 2007/08 compared with 13% in 2016/17).
New students at bachelor and diploma levels

by type of institutions and by type of university
entrance qualification G6
2007/08 77 3 18 1
UNI
2016/17 74 5 20 1
2007/08 45 23 14 14 4
UAS
2016/17 52 8 20 6 12 2
2007/08 3 66 21 4 6
UTE1
2016/17 10 22 50 10 6 3
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Vocational Matura Other Swiss certificate

Specialised Matura Foreign certificate
Academic Matura Other type of admissions
1
only bachelor's entrances
12
3
3.3 Final examinations at higher education institutions
This chapter looks at diplomas at different educational levels issued

by higher education institutions. The subject of the study is the
diploma and not the person obtaining the diploma who may succes-
sively or simultaneously obtain several qualifications in the same
civil year.
The UNI award bachelor degrees, essentially to enable their stu-
dents to continue a second cycle, i. e. a master degree. They also
issue master degrees, doctorates and continuing education diplo-
mas. The UAS mainly award bachelor degrees. The master degree
courses on offer have developed over the years but still remain less
extensive than the number available at bachelor level. At the UTE, the
type of diploma obtained depends on the education level at which
students later wish to teach. The Graph G7 provides an overview of
the number of qualifications awarded in 2016 by each type of higher
education institution for the different examination levels.
Number of diplomas in relation to the type

of institutions and the level of graduation, 2016 G7
UNI UAS UTE
2 007 128
2 670
3 936
1 024
100
2 723
1 249
13 852
12 866
3 374
14 319
Continuing education First university Master

Doctorate degree and diploma Bachelor
13
3
Age on obtaining diploma

In 2016, the average age on obtaining a UNI bachelor degree was
24.6 years. The average age on obtaining a master degree was
27.1 years. A doctorate was obtained at the age of 32.5 years. The av-
erage age of the holder of a UAS bachelor degree was 26.7 years and
that of a UAS master degree 29.5 years. At the UTE, the bachelor de-
gree for pre-school and primary education was obtained on average
at the age of 26.4, the master degree for lower secondary education
at 29.8 and the diploma for upper secondary education (academic
Matura) at the age of 32.8.
The age on obtaining the Matura and thus entering higher educa-
tion provides one explanation for the age at which a first diploma is
obtained from a higher education institution.
Average age at graduation by type of institutions

and level, 2016 G8
35
30
25
20
32.5 32.8
15 29.5 29.8
27.1 26.7 26.4
24.6
10
0
UNI UAS UTE
Bachelor Master Doctorate Diploma
The UTE special education fields of study are not considered.
14
4
4 Staff at higher education institutions
The task of higher education staff depends on the level at which

they are teaching : At the UAS and UTE, the communication of prac-
tical skills in basic tertiary education and continuing education and
training is important, at the UNI it is a combination of teaching and
research. This requires different things of teaching and higher edu-
cation staff : what they have in common is that today they must have
completed their education at a higher education institution.
4.1 Staff numbers
At the end of 2016, higher education institutions were employing a

total of 89 387 people, of whom 62 512 (or 70%) worked in the UNI,
21 811 (or 24%) in the UAS and 5064 (or 6%) in the UTE. Higher edu-
cation staff includes all people (headcount) who were employed at a
UNI, UAS or UTE on the reference day, 31.12.16. If staff are considered
as a resource instead of persons, these resources are measured in
full-time equivalents (FTE). This variable measures effort for the
whole calendar year.
Development of number of staff and full-time

equivalents by type of institutions G9
31 504
2007 8 787
Staff FTE
2 411
42 432
2016 13 376
3 470
46 671
Staff headcount
2007 27 916
6 556
62 512
2016 21 811
5 064
0 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000 60 000 70 000
UNI UAS UTE
Source: FSO – SHIS-PERS © FSO 2018
15
4
Expressed in FTE, 59 278 units were available to the Swiss higher

education institutions in 2016. Almost three-quarters of these per-
sonnel resources (42 432 FTE or 72%) were used at the UNI. UAS per-
sonnel accounted for 13 376 FTE (23%) and UTE personnel 3470 FTE
or 6% of personnel resources in higher education. The difference
between the number of persons and the number of FTE illustrates
the large share of part-time employees.
The number of staff rose between 2007 and 2016. This applies to
the UNI, UAS and UTE in equal measure. However, due to changes in
the survey method, the rate of increase cannot be deduced exactly.
During revision of the data collection method for the survey of higher
education personnel, the OASI number was introduced as a personal
indicator, identifying and eliminating the double counting of persons.
In addition, the reporting period and personnel categories were
standardised for all types of higher education institution. For the UAS
and UTE the reference day approach was introduced to ascertain
the number of employed persons, making it difficult to make a ten-
year comparison of the number of UAS and UTE personnel. For this
reason, the FTE is a better variable for demonstrating growth.
16
4
4.2 Age pyramid
The median age is used as key data to describe ageing in a given pop-
ulation4. Overall it rose in all types of higher education institution and
in almost all personnel categories between 2007 and 2016. Ageing is
more marked in the UAS and UTE than in the UNI with men tending
to be older than women.
Graphs G10, G11 and G12 show the age distribution of professors
(UNI) and lecturers with management responsibilities (UAS and UTE)
in a comparison of 2016 and 2007. Professors and lecturers with
management responsibilities are the highest level of an academic
career at a UNI, UAS or UTE. Younger teaching staff are given an op-
portunity to further their careers in temporary posts as junior profes-
sors, at least at the UNI. An increase in the proportion of female staff
is also stated as an objective at most higher education institutions.
The median age of female professors at the UNI was 47 for both
periods considered here. The median age of male professors was
52 in 2007 and 51 in 2016.
The median age of female UAS lecturers with management re-
sponsibility was 47 in 2007 and ten years later 51. The median age
of male lecturers with management responsibility was 49 and 52 re-
spectively. Considered collectively, therefore, management staff at
the UAS have become “older”.
Professors (UNI) by age and sex G10
Age
> 80 Males Females
70–80
60–70
50–60
40–50
30–40
20–30
< 20
35% 25% 15% 5% 0% 5% 15% 25% 35%
2007 2016
4
In statistics the median is a middle value and location parameter that denotes
a value at the midpoint of values sorted by size. The median age of higher
education staff is, therefore, the age that divides personnel into two groups,
with 50% of staff being younger and 50% older than that age.
17
4
Lecturers with management responsibilities (UAS)

by age and sex G11
Age
> 80 Males Females
70–80
60–70
50–60
40–50
30–40
20–30
< 20
35% 25% 15% 5% 0% 5% 15% 25% 35%
2007 2016
Lecturers with management responsibilities (UTE)

by age and sex G12
Age
> 80 Males Females
70–80
60–70
50–60
40–50
30–40
20–30
< 20
35% 25% 15% 5% 0% 5% 15% 25% 35%
2007 2016
The same applies to lecturers with management responsibility at

the UTE, where the median age of women was 49 in 2007 and 51 in
2016, that of men 52 and 54 respectively.
Overall, the three age pyramids indicate a shift towards the upper
age groups, especially at the UTE. They also show that at the UNI,
professors are predominantly male, whereas the ratio at the UAS and
in particular at the UTE is somewhat more even. The age pyramids
also show that women – with the exception of the UAS – were able
to increase their proportion in almost every age group.
18
4
4.3 Educational background
The origin of the higher education entrance qualification held by

higher education staff who graduated from a Swiss higher education
institution varies greatly between the different types of institution.
The original qualification may have been obtained in Switzerland
or abroad ; people who obtained the qualification in Switzerland
are designated “Swiss-educated”, those with a foreign higher edu-
cation entrance qualification “foreign-educated”. The graph shows
graduates from the years 2012 – 2016, who were working at a higher
education institution in 2016, by the origin of their higher education
entrance qualification.
At the UNI, 69% of these graduates had obtained a Matura or
comparable qualification in Switzerland. At the UAS, the percentage
of Swiss-education graduates was 80% and at the UTE 92%.
Staff at universities by university entrance qualification

in the university graduating classes of 2012–2016 G13
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
UNI UAS UTE
Swiss and foreigners Foreign-educated foreign nationals

with Swiss education
19
4
4.4 Staff by type of activity (in FTE)
The remits of each different type of higher education institution are

reflected in the distribution of staffing resources by type of activity.
At the UNI, research and development (R+D) uses up more than
half of the staffing resources and has risen from 50% to 56% over the
period under consideration. The UAS and UTE have also increased
their share in applied R+D (from 24% to 32% and from 11% to 16%
respectively) at the cost of staffing resources used for teaching.
In 2016, the latter accounted for approx. 60%, i. e. roughly 5% less
than in 2007 although over the same space of time the number
of students following a basic tertiary education course rose con-
siderably (by 24% in the UNI and by 58% and 71% in the UAS/UTE
respectively).
Only the UNI offer advanced educational courses (doctorate)
on which they use just under 10% of their resources (2016 : 9%,
2007: 8%). Continuing education courses (e. g. Master of Advanced
Studies) are available at all types of higher education institution :
at the UTE 13% of available resources were used for this in 2016
(2007: 7%), at the UAS 7% (2007: 7%) and at the UNI 3% (2007: 3%).
Services such as scientific analyses for the public sector or private
businesses, are also provided by all types of higher education insti-
tutions, although the proportion of resources used has declined in
comparison with 2007. Overall, the proportions of the various course
types in the three types of higher education institutions remained
similar throughout the ten years from 2007 – 2016, with a relative
increase in the ratio of research to teaching.
Distribution of human resources

by type of institutions and by type of activities,
full-time equivalents (FTE) G14
100% 7 6 4
10 9
3 3 7 7 19
13
80% 6
24 32 11 16
50 56 0 0 0
60% 0
40%
8 63 64 62
9 57
20%
30 25
0%
2007 2016 2007 2016 2007 2016
UNI UAS UTE
Provision of other services Teaching

Continuing education for advanced studies
(Applied) research Teaching

and development for basic studies

20
4
4.5 Staff by category (in FTE)
The following graph G15 shows the distribution of FTE by institution

type and personnel category in 2016 and 2007.
This distribution remains almost unchanged in the UNI; in the
other institution types major changes can be observed. Some of the
changes can be explained by a revision to the data collection method.
At the UNI the distinction between professors and other lecturers is
clear from the appointment practice alone. In the UAS and UTE a
distinction has been made since 2013 between lecturers with and
without management responsibility (comparable to professors and
other lecturers) in order to enable better comparability of manage-
ment across all institution types. To make a ten-year comparison for
the UAS and UTE it is best to look at the teaching staff as a whole.
With 55%, the share of FTE at the UTE (2007: 54%), and with 43%
at the UAS (2007: 50%) is greater than at the UNI with 16% (2007:
18%). In 2016 and in 2007, professors at the UNI represented 9% and
at the UTE and UAS 11% of FTE.
Research associates and assistants who undertake research and
teaching, accounted for over half of the staffing resources at the UNI
in 2016 with 51% of FTE, whereas at the UAS and UTE they used
only 26% and 14% respectively of staffing resources. The FTE among
research associates and assistants rose in the UAS and UTE between
2007 and 2016 by roughly 5 percentage points. This was mainly due
to an in increase in research activities.
In all higher education institution types the management staff
responsible for the coordination and management of the higher ed-
ucation institutions, and the administrative and technical staff that
are mainly responsible for the administration and running of the insti-
tutions, accounted for approximately 30% of the staffing resources.
21
4
Distribution of human resources by type of

institutions and by category of staff, FTE G15
100%
35 33 30 31 30 32
80%
9
60% 21 14
26
40% 48 51
61 44
50 32
20%
9 7
9 9 11 11
0%
2007 2016 2007 2016 2007 2016
UNI UAS UTE
Directorate, administrative-technical staff Professors

Assistants and research associates Lecturers with mana-
Remaining lecturers (UNI)/ gement responsability
(UAS, UTE) teaching staff
4.6 Student-staff ratio (in FTE)
If the ratio between the two main protagonists at higher education

institutions – students and teaching staff – is measured, indications
can be obtained about the conditions of study. The number of stu-
dents in basic tertiary education per FTE of academic staff teaching
in basic tertiary education is the student-teacher ratio presented here
(S-T ratio II).
The graphs G16 and G17 show the student-staff ratio in 2007
compared with that of 2016. Values above the diagonal line cor-
respond to an increase in the number of students per member of
teaching staff.
At the UNI, the number of students per member of teaching staff
rose for all faculties except for language and literature and for dentistry.
Student numbers per teacher also rose at the UAS and UTE in all
faculties except for agriculture and forestry as well as architecture, civil
engineering and planning.
22
4
Student-to-staff ratio at universities (UNI) G16

32
Law 1
30 Economy
28
SocSci
26
24 Hist+Cult
22
20
18
2016
16 Lang+Lit
Theo
14 Exact
12 Pharma Natural
Con+Geo
10 Agri+For VetMed
8 Mec+Elect
Dentist
6
4
2
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32
2007
1
abbreviations see p.38
Student-to-staff ratio at UAS and UTE G17

22
EcServ 1
20
Social
18
16
14 Health UTE
12 TechIT
2016
Design
10 ACP
ChemLS
8 AF
MTA
6
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
2007
1
abbreviations see p.38
23
5
5 Finance of higher education institutions
The following information has been taken from financial reports from
the controlling unit of the respective higher education institutions.
It is based on the absorbed costs of a calendar year and shows
the operating costs for the individual higher education institutions,
separated into staff, material and infrastructural costs. The cost
calculations also provide information on revenue and the funding
of all services. However, the UNI, UAS and UTE each use their own
cost calculation model whereby the model used by the UTE heavily
relies on the UAS model.
5.1 Cost development
Since 2007 – the first year of the introduction of cost calculations

for all types of higher education institution – the total costs have
continuously increased (G18). Costs for the UNI grew by more than
a third and exceeded the CHF 8 billion mark in 2016. During the same
period, the costs of the UAS increased by 58% to CHF 2.6 billion.
The costs of the UTE in 2016 were CHF 657 million, i. e. an increase
of 46% since 2007.
Development of costs by type of institutions

In CHF million G18
657
UTE
443
2 645
UAS
1 646
8 042
UNI
5 956
0 1 000 2 000 3 000 4 000 5 000 6 000 7 000 8 000 9 000
2007 2016
Source: FSO – SHIS-FIN © FSO 2018
The distribution of costs between the departments of universi-

ties and institutes of technology has hardly changed. At the UAS
(including the UTE), costs in the departments of technical sciences
and information technology (IT), music, theatre and other arts and
teacher training have also increased proportionately at the expense
of all other departments.
24
5
5.2 Types of activities
The universities perform five types of activities : Teaching for basic

tertiary education, teaching for advanced studies, research and de-
velopment (R&D), continuing education and services. For this type of
higher education institution, R&D accounts for the largest budgetary
item with over half of the costs. This is the only sector that increased
its share between 2007 and 2016. Teaching for basic tertiary educa-
tion followed in second place, accounting for around a quarter of the
costs of universities.
The universities of applied sciences and the universities of teacher
education are the courses designed to teach skills for a specific oc-
cupation. They provide practice-based education, which is why basic
education accounts for the main activity at both of these types of
higher education institution with around two thirds of the total costs.
The applied R&D is the second largest and the only proportionately
increasing expense of the UAS, accounting for a quarter of their
costs. At the UTE, research and continuing education generate the
same amount of costs (G19), in contrast with 2007 when research
accounted for a far smaller share.
Type of activities by type of institutions

In CHF million G19
UNI: 2007/2016 UAS: 2007/2016 UTE: 2007/2016
102 /6% 81/3% 42 55

532/9% 605/8%
197/7% 10% 8%
227/4% 247/3% 117 /7%
86
79 13%
290 652 18%
18% 25% 79
34 12%
8%
3 075 4 590
52% 57%
1 137 1 715 288 437

459/8% 67%
677/8% 69% 65% 65%
1 662 1 923
28% 24%
Provision of other services Teaching for advanced studies

Continuing education Teaching for basic studies
(Applied) research
and development
25
5
The costs for all activities at all types of higher education insti-
tution increased in absolute terms between 2007 and 2016 ; lower
costs were only incurred for activities at the UAS.
In G19 the areas correspond to the absolute costs (in CHF mil-
lion), the percentages are represented by the height of the blocks.
5.3 Types of costs
The ratio of operating costs to infrastructural costs hardly changed

between 2007 and 2016 for the UNI, while at the UAS the share of
infrastructural costs in the total costs increased over the same pe-
riod. For the UTE, there was no change in the ratio between staff
and material costs. Infrastructural costs are not published in detail
due to differences in handling by the supporting cantons and lack
of comparability.
Cost categories by type of institutions

In CHF million G 20
UNI: 2007/2016 UAS: 2007/2016 UTE: 2007/2016
800 1 022 219 365 61 87

13% 13% 10% 14% 13% 13%
363
1 775 416
17%
22% 16%
400 571
5 156 87% 87%
87%
1 536 1 868
5 245 72%
65% 71%
Infrastructure costs Staff costs

Material costs
Due to rounding differences, the total of the columns may add up to a value other than 100%.
26
5
Staff costs account for 75% of operating costs at the UNI, 82%
at the UAS and 87% at the UTE. The higher material costs at the UNI
and the UAS are likely to be associated with greater research and
development (G 20).5
In the graph G 20, the areas correspond to the absolute costs
(in CHF million), the percentages are represented by the height of
the blocks.
5.4 Costs per student
The cost indicator considered here is calculated as the ratio of costs

for basic tertiary education to the number of students in basic edu-
cation (headcount).
The graphs G 21 and G 22 show the costs per student in 2007 com-
pared with 2016. Values below the diagonal line equate to a decrease
in costs per student.
The cost indicator fell between 2007 and 2016 for 10 out of 14 UNI
departments. There was a rise in costs only for the departments
history and cultural sciences, language and literature, veterinary medicine
and dentistry. At the UAS the value of the indicator decreased for all
departments.
Costs per student UNI,

2007 in comparison with 2016 G 21
50 000
Dentist
VetMed
40 000
30 000 Pharma
Agri+For
Con+Geo
2016
Natural
Mec+Elect
Theo
20 000
Lang+Lit
Exact
Hist+Cult
10 000 Law SocSci
Economy
0
0 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000
2007
5
Separate data for staff and material costs for the UNI have only been available
since 2010.
27
5
Costs per student UAS and UTE,

2007 in comparison with 2016 G 22
50 000
MTA
ChemLS
40 000 AF
Design
ACP
TechIT
30 000
2016
Health
UTE
20 000
Social
EcServ
10 000
0
0 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000
2007
Costs per student and student-staff ratio 2007/2016

In the graphs G 23 and G 24, the change in costs (in CHF) per stu-
dent (in basic education) is shown against the student-staff ratio
(academic staff for basic education in FTE) between 2007 and 2016
using an arrow.
The start of the arrow shows the value in 2007 and the end of the
arrow the value in 2016. An arrow represents a department.
The combination with the student-staff ratios at the UNI shows
that the decrease in costs per student is largely accompanied by an
increase in the number of students per teacher. The four exceptions
form two subgroups : Per person, students of dentistry and language
and literature generated more costs and had more teachers available
to them, whereas the departments of veterinary medicine and histori-
cal and cultural sciences showed high costs per student but also more
students per teacher.
The combination with the student-staff ratios at the UAS shows
that the decrease in costs per student is consistently accompanied
by an increase in the number of students per teacher. The only ex-
ception is the department of agriculture and forestry in which there
was a decrease in the number of students per teacher.
The arrows start with the values for 2007 and end with those for
2016 : except for teacher training these are always absorbed costs
(in CHF).
28
5
Fields of studies at UNI:

Costs per student and student-to-staff ratio
Basic training curriculum G 23
35
Student-staff ratio – no. of students/FTE acad. staff
Law
30
SocSci
25
Economy
Hist+Cult
20
Lang+Lit
15 Theo
Exact Natural
Pharma VetMed
10
Dentist
Mec+Elect Con+Geo
5 Agri+For
0
0 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000
Cost indicator
Fields of studies at UAS and UTE:

Costs per student and student-to-staff ratio
Basic training curriculum G 24
23
Student-staff ratio – no. of students/FTE acad. staff
21
19
EcServ
17 Social
15
13
UTE AF
11 TechIT
ACP
9
Health Design
7 ChemLS
MTA
5
10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000
Cost indicator
29
6
6 A look at STEM degree courses
Due to the economic importance of the STEM fields Science, Tech-

nology, Engineering and Mathematics and the numerous initiatives
intending to promote education in these subjects, it would also be
useful to consider the change in students and diplomas for these
degree courses and the resources used for these in higher education.
6.1 Students, entrants and final examinations
In 2016/17, around 70 000 students were following a course in the

STEM subjects, i. e. just under a third of the total number of stu-
dents. More than two thirds were enrolled at a UNI. Half of STEM
students were concentrated in the fields of technology, chemistry and
life sciences. Women were also unevenly distributed in the STEM sub-
jects. Their presence was particularly important in the field of chemis-
try and life sciences (54% at the UNI and 43% at the UAS). In contrast,
women were under-represented at the UAS in both technology (10%)
and informatics (14% at the UNI and 12% at the UAS).
Final examinations in the STEM subjects

In 2016, the UNI awarded just under one third of master degrees
(around 4400 diplomas) in STEM subjects. The highest share
of STEM qualifications was seen at doctorate level. Within a dec-
ade, the share of STEM doctorates increased from 50% in 2007 to
56% in 2016, i. e. positive growth of 35%. The field of chemistry and
life sciences was generally the field in which the UNI awarded the
largest number of STEM qualifications. The share of examinations
in this field exceeded 40% at all levels. A third of bachelor degrees
(4300 diplomas) awarded in 2016 by the UAS were in the STEM sub-
jects. The share of masters in STEM subjects was lower (20%, i. e.
546 diplomas). Most STEM bachelor and master degrees at the UAS
were in the field of technology.
30
6
Proportion of qualifications awarded in STEM

and non-STEM fields by type of institutions and
the level of graduation G 25
100%
90%
80% 44
50
70% 62
71 69 67
60% 80
50% 100
40%
30% 56
50
20% 38
29 31 33
10% 20
0%
2007 2016 2007 2016 2007 2016 2007 2016
Master 1 Doctorate Bachelor 2 Master
UNI UAS
STEM fields Non-STEM fields

1 former licentiate degrees/diplomas included
2
former diplomas included
The UTE do not offer any STEM fields
31
6
6.2 Staffing resources
52% of staff at the UNI are employed in the STEM subjects. Between
2007 and 2016, the share of the STEM subjects at the UNI thus
slightly increased (2007: 50%). Most staff worked in research and
development (R&D) whereby the share in STEM subjects was 62%
and thus far higher than in the non-STEM subjects (52%). Teaching
staff accounted for the second-largest share (STEM subjects 32%
and non-STEM subjects 39%). Service staff accounted for around 6%
of staff in the STEM subjects and was thus far lower than that of the
non-STEM subjects (around 9%). For both subject groups, the share
of R&D increased proportionately compared with other activities.
At the UAS, the staff ratio remained stable (44% STEM subjects,
G 27). Teaching staff (basic tertiary education and postgraduate de-
gree programmes) accounted for the largest share (STEM subjects :
47% and non-STEM subjects : 66%). In the STEM subjects, the share
of staff in applied research and development (applied R&D) followed
with 42%. In non-STEM subjects, the share of staff in applied R&D
and other services was just equally high (17%). More weight has also
been given to research and development in recent years (6 –10%
more) with the same consequences, only teaching in non-STEM
subjects has remained unchanged (66%).
32
6
Staff of STEM and non-STEM fields at UNI, 20161 G 26

100%
1 127 1 566
90% 278
767
80%
70%
Staff UNI in FTE
60% 11 991 9 206
50%
40%
19 227 17 703
30%
20%
5 832 6 165
10%
0%
Provision of other services Research and development (R&D)

Continuing education Basic training curriculum and
advanced studies
1 excluding central field staff
Staff of STEM and non-STEM fields at UAS, 20161 G 27

100%
521
90% 1 054
121
80% 554
70%
2 084 Staff UAS in FTE 1 078
60%
50%
40% 4 928
6 202
30% 3 516
2 201
20%
10%
0%
Remaining (Applied) research and development

Continuing education (aR&D)
Basic training curriculum
1 excluding staff from non-attributable fields
33
6
6.3 Costs
STEM area subjects contributed to 48% of UNI costs. R&D had the

largest share of the costs : in the STEM subjects this amounted to
62% and was thus higher than in the non-STEM subjects (53%).
R&D was followed by teaching in the STEM-subjects which ac-
counted for 32% of costs (compared with 38% in the other subjects).
Costs for services accounted for around 6% in the STEM subjects
and were far lower than in the non-STEM subjects (9%).
At the UAS the focus continued to be on teaching however the
share of applied R&D at the UAS also increased by 5 to 12 percentage
points. STEM area subjects contributed to 43% of costs. Teaching
accounted for the largest share (STEM subjects : 62% and non-STEM
subjects : 80%). This was followed by applied R&D with costs in STEM
subjects making up 36% of the total costs, i. e. over twice as much
as in the non-STEM subjects (17%). Costs for services were between
three and four percent for both subject types.
The ratio between the STEM and non-STEM subjects evolved
between 2007 and 2016 to the benefit of the non-STEM subjects
(2007: 48%). This was largely due to new courses.
34
6
Costs of STEM and non-STEM fields at UNI, 2016 G 28

100%
241 364
90% 52
195
80%
70%
Costs UNI in CHF million
60% 2 400 2 191
50%
40%
3 890 4 153
30%
20%
1 197 1 403
10%
0%
Provision of other services Research and development (R&D)

Continuing education Basic training curriculum and
advanced studies
Costs of STEM and non-STEM fields at UAS, 2016 G 29

100% 26 47
32
90% 144
80%
355 217
70%
Costs UAS in CHF million
60%
50%
40% 993
1 291 883
30% 580
20%
10%
0%
Provision of other services (Applied) research and development

Continuing education (aR&D)
Basic training curriculum
35
7
7 Sources
SHIS
The Swiss university information system (SHIS) is an institution in
which representatives of higher education institutions, university can-
tons and the Confederation work together to develop Swiss statistics
on higher education. The FSO’s Population and Education Division
is the governing body.
Higher education students and diplomas

The Swiss university information system’s student and graduate
database (SHIS-studex) was created in the 1970s to meet a growing
need for coordination and planning by the Confederation and the
cantons in the university sector. It provides information on the situ-
ation with regard to higher education institutions, how courses are
run and various socio-demographic factors. All persons enrolled have
an individual identification number that enables personal data to be
treated anonymously and flow analyses to be carried out. The da-
tabase serves as the basis for the scientific analysis of courses at
Swiss higher education institutions. The FSO uses these to calculate
the university indicators and to make forecasts about trends on the
number of students. Since the academic year 2012/13, the OASI
number has enabled longitudinal analyses to be made for all levels
of education and training.
University staff statistics

Statistics on staff of higher education institutions have been con-
ducted at universities and federal institutes of technology since 1980,
at universities of applied sciences since 2000 and at universities of
teacher education since 2005 (SHIS-PERS). The surveys concern the
administrative data contained in the UNI, UAS or UTE staff registers.
These staff statistics were revised in 2012. Since this revision, the
OASI number has been used in the statistics to identify persons which
will enable the educational path of students and staff to be studied in
the mid-term. The reference periods were also modified: since 2012,
the data on persons relate to a reference date (31.12) whereas the
data in FTE relate to the civil year for all types of higher education
institution. Staff categories have been harmonised.
36
7
Financial statistics of higher education institutions

In the higher education sector, analytical accounting provides in-
formation on the costs and activities of the three types of higher
education institution. It indicates both public and private sources
of funding (funding of student tuition fees, R&D mandates of en-
terprises, etc.). The expenses of universities have been surveyed
by the FSO since the 1996 financial year and their costs surveyed
since 2006 ; the costs of universities of teacher education have been
surveyed since 2008. The costs of universities of applied sciences
are compiled by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and
Innovation (SERI; data compiled since 2000).
37
8
8 List of higher education institutions and

departments
Universities and institutes of technology (UNI)

Uni Basel BS
Uni Bern BE
Uni Freiburg FR
Uni Genf GE
Uni Lausanne LS
Uni Luzern LU
Uni Neuenburg NE
Uni St. Gallen SG
Uni Zürich UZH
Università della Svizzera Italiana USI
ETH Lausanne EPFL
ETH Zürich ETHZ
Universitäre Fernstudien Schweiz* FS CH
Universitäres Institut Kurt Bösch* IKUB
Departments of universities and institutes of technology

Theology Theo
Language and literature Lang+Lit
Historical and cultural sciences Hist+Cult
Social sciences SocSci
Economic sciences Economy
Law Law
Exact sciences Exact
Natural sciences Natural
Human medicine* HumanMed
Dentistry Dentist
Veterinary medicine VetMed
Pharmacology Pharma
Civil engineering and surveying Con+Geo
Mechanical and electrical engineering Mec+Elect
Agricultural and forestry sciences Agri+For
Interdisciplinary and other Studies* Inter
Universities of applied sciences (UAS)

Berner Fachhochschule BFH
Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale HES-SO
Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz FHNW
Fachhochschule Zentralschweiz FHZ
Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana SUPSI
Fachhochschule Ostschweiz FHO
Zürcher Fachhochschule ZFH
Kalaidos Fachhochschule* KAL
HES Les Roches-Gruyère* LRG
38
8
Departments of universities of applied sciences

Architecture, construction and planning ACP
Technology and IT TechIT
Chemistry and life sciences ChemLS
Agriculture and forestry AF
Economy and services EcServ
Design Design
Sport Sport
Music, theatre and other arts MTA
Applied Linguistics ALing
Social work Social
Applied Psychology APsy
Health Health
Teaching and education at UTE UTE
Universities of teacher education (UTE)

Haute école de travail social – Genève, HES-SO HETS-GE
Pädagogische Hochschule FHNW PH FHNW
Hochschule Luzern – Musik, FHZ* FHZ Musik
SUPSI – Dipartimento formazione e apprendimento SUPSI-DFA
Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, ZFH* ZHdK
Interkantonale Hochschule für Heilpädagogik Zürich HfH
Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich PHZH
Haute école pédagogique BEJUNE BEJUNE
Haute école pédagogique du canton de Vaud VD
Haute école pédagogique du Valais VS
Haute école pédagogique Fribourg FR
Pädagogische Hochschule Bern BE
Pädagogische Hochschule Luzern LU
Pädagogische Hochschule Schwyz SZ
Pädagogische Hochschule Zug ZG
Schweizer Hochschule für Logopädie Rorschach* SHLR
Pädagogische Hochschule Thurgau TG
Pädagogische Hochschule Schaffhausen SH
Pädagogische Hochschule Graubünden GR
Pädagogische Hochschule St. Gallen SG
Swiss Federal Institute
for Vocational Education and Training* SFIVET
*n
o financial information available; not included in finance statistics
39
Orders
Tel. +41 58 463 60 60
Fax +41 58 463 60 61
order@bfs.admin.ch
Price
free of charge
Downloads
www.statistics.admin.ch (free of charge)
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Statistics www.statistics-counts.ch
counts for you.

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2018

Statistics of higher education

The sites of higher education institutions  4

3 Students, entrants and final exams7

3.1 Students at higher education institutions 7

4 Staff at higher education institutions15

4.1 Staff numbers 15

5 Finance of higher education institutions24

5.1 Cost development 24

6 A look at STEM degree courses30

6.1 Students, entrants and final examinations 30

8 List of higher education institutions and departments38

This brochure provides a statistical overview of Switzerland’s higher

The sites of higher education institutions

The following graphs show the sites of higher education institu-

Students at universities, 2016/17 G1

Universities of applied sciences Number of students

Universities of teacher education Number of students 2

Source: FSO – SHIS-studex © FSO 2018

Development of higher education institution

Graduates Staff FTE

Source: FSO – SHIS © FSO 2018

3 Students, entrants and final exams

During the 2016/17 academic year, more than 244 000 people were

3.1 Students at higher education institutions

The distribution of students in basic tertiary education and training

Distribution of students in basic training curriculum

Arts and humanities 64 36

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

UNI UAS UTE

Source: FSO – SHIS-studex © FSO 2018

The international character of higher education

Students at UNI and UAS by level and place

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Swiss and foreign students with swiss school education

Source: FSO – SHIS-studex © FSO 2018

3.2 Higher education entrants

Average age on entry

Average entrance age at bachelor

Source: FSO – SHIS-studex © FSO 2018

Certificates before the start of studies granting access to higher

The UTE welcome in particular holders of the academic Matura

New students at bachelor and diploma levels

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Vocational Matura Other Swiss certificate

Source: FSO – SHIS-studex © FSO 2018

3.3 Final examinations at higher education institutions

This chapter looks at diplomas at different educational levels issued

Number of diplomas in relation to the type

UNI UAS UTE

Continuing education First university Master

Source: FSO – SHIS-studex © FSO 2018

Age on obtaining diploma

Average age at graduation by type of institutions

Bachelor Master Doctorate Diploma

The UTE special education fields of study are not considered.

Source: FSO – SHIS-studex © FSO 2018

4 Staff at higher education institutions

The task of higher education staff depends on the level at which

4.1 Staff numbers

At the end of 2016, higher education institutions were employing a

Development of number of staff and full-time

0 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000 60 000 70 000

The sites of higher education institutions 4

3 Students, entrants and final exams7

3.1 Students at higher education institutions 7

4 Staff at higher education institutions15

4.1 Staff numbers 15

5 Finance of higher education institutions24

5.1 Cost development 24

6 A look at STEM degree courses30

6.1 Students, entrants and final examinations 30

8 List of higher education institutions and departments38