PhD in Switzerland

Pursuing a doctorate in Switzerland as a foreigner

Swiss PhD programmes

Switzerland’s universities have experienced considerable growth in recent decades and have ambitious plans to increase the number of doctoral researchers in the country. The Swiss are rightfully proud to be home to universities that are regularly ranked among the best in the world, including the renowned ETH Zurich (which has produced over 20 Nobel laureates, including Albert Einstein), the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EFPL) and the University of Zurich. The country's academic history stretches back to the 15th century, when the first university was founded in Basel in 1460, an institution that remains top-notch today.

The universities’ offerings have been so successful in recent decades that SwissInfo ran the headline in February 2024: “Are Swiss universities victims of their success?” The online news outlet, part of the public broadcaster SRG SSR, also reported in the same story that EPFL is considering capping slots for international students to ensure it can maintain its high quality of education. The university reported that fully 85.7 percent of its doctoral candidates are from abroad. Still, with universities booming, it is unlikely we will see the alpine nation shut its doors to international doctoral students anytime soon.

Currently, students seeking to study in Switzerland have four types of universities to choose from:

• 10 cantonal universities (Universitäten), which are run by individual Swiss cantons
• 2 federal institutes of technology (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschulen)
• 9 universities of applied sciences and arts (Fachhochschulen), including eight public institutions and one private university
• 20 universities of teacher education (Pädagogische Hochschulen)

PhD students are most likely be based at a Swiss cantonal university or a federal institute of technology, since they are the only institutions of higher learning in the country [CH3] allowed to award recognised PhD titles. While universities of applied sciences and arts are not entitled to award doctorates, they may offer doctoral studies in collaboration with other universities that provide the primary PhD supervision and award the degree.

With four national languages, multilingualism is an inherent part of Swiss identity, and that linguistic diversity is also present in academia. Universities normally teach in the language of their canton (German, French or Italian) or in English. And although Romansh is spoken in some areas, it is not a language of instruction at universities.

As in other countries, the Swiss PhD is research-based and entails independent work towards an original thesis that contributes significant new knowledge to the field of study. There are two typical routes towards a PhD in Switzerland:

•  Traditional or general PhDs at a single university with one or more advisors: Students spend most of their time working on their doctoral thesis, but opportunities for additional training and development may also be offered.
•  Structured PhDs, a relatively new development, come more formal training, which may include coursework, and often entail collaboration between different institutions, including partnerships between different types of institution.

PhD salaries in Switzerland

Sometimes Swiss universities advertise PhD opportunities as paid research positions or assistantships. In this case, they normally hire PhD candidates as research assistants or PhD candidates. If awarded one of these positions, students do not have to pay fees while pursuing their PhD and receive a regular salary. Those hired may also be entitled to additional benefits, including sick pay and holiday leave.

In return, PhD candidates hired in these positions are normally expected to assist with undergraduate teaching and other administrative responsibilities. Job portals like academics.com publish positions for PhD students, but it is a good idea to check whether the prospective university offers these positions and what conditions they stipulate. Additionally, it is common practice to contact a professor or research group directly and ask about opportunities.There are also research positions at companies and universities of applied sciences, but they are less common.

PhD candidates at the ETH Zurich can expect to earn a salary of between 50,700 CHF and 83,200 CHF gross per year. PhD candidates in exact sciences and medicine are usually paid better than PhD candidates in life sciences, chemistry, arts and humanities.

However, a candidate’s salary and working conditions depend on specific contracts and workload, city of residency, marital status and number of children. The personnel consultants from human resources are responsible for determining salaries and are generally happy to provide that information if asked.