Switzerland home to Europe’s most international universities

Zurich - The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne are among the four most international universities in the world. This is a finding from a report published by Times Higher Education. Top spot went to the University of Hong Kong. The University of Zurich was ranked in 21st position.

Times Higher Education (THE) has published its new rankings of the world’s most international universities, in which a couple of Swiss universities placed among the global elite. For example, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) was ranked in second place on a worldwide basis, while the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) shared third place with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Thereafter follows Oxford University in the UK.

Switzerland home to Europe’s most international universities

Europe's most international universities are found in Switzerland

The University of Hong Kong was named as the most international university worldwide. However, at present, Switzerland boasts the two most international universities in Europe, namely ETH Zurich and EPFL. The University of Zurich was another impressive Swiss performer this year after securing a ranking of 21st place.

In addition to the highly qualified workforce and specialists with international experience in Zurich, we also appreciate the fact that many internationally active companies have their headquarters here.
Reinhard Waldinger - Managing Director, Rackspace International GmbH

Wealth of international researchers

Among other aspects, the number of international students and researchers at the individual universities is taken into account for the rankings. Moreover, cross-border scientific cooperations also play a role in determining the scores.

According to Times Higher Education, ETH Zurich is home to more than 22,000 students from more than 120 countries. The university is also regularly voted the best university in continental Europe. For its part, more than 11,000 students are currently based at EPFL, around 62 percent of whom are international students.

Access to talent

Top talent finds a home in Greater Zurich

Are you looking for a location with a broad and diverse availability of highly-qualified employees? Access to highly skilled talent and specialists is one of the most important success factors for companies and plays a key role in location decisions. According to the INSEAD Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2020 and the IMD World Talent Ranking 2021, Switzerland, particularly the Greater Zurich Area, is the world's most appealing location for attracting, retaining and developing talent. This is thanks to key factors like the excellent Swiss education system, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons with the European Union, the country’s cosmopolitan attitude, attractive conditions for employees and employers, social mobility and the high quality of life. 

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