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An OFS publication shows that in 2020 there was an increase of 4% compared to 2019 in the number of foreigners enrolled in Swiss universities.
For the start of the 2020 school year, “nearly 12,300 new international students have enrolled in a high school.
Raphael Moser
The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) published on Tuesday “The arrival of international students in Swiss universities”, a document which “presents a detailed overview of the flows of international students in Switzerland and what characterizes them “. As a press release indicates, “in 2020, despite the crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on mobility, the number of new international students continued to increase (+ 4% compared to 2019 ) ”.
For the start of the 2020 academic year, “nearly 12,300 new international students have enrolled in a higher education institution, including 9,000 in higher education institutions (HEU), 3,000 in higher education institutions (HES) and 300 in higher education institutions ( HEP) ”. By way of comparison, it was “only” 10,900 registered for the 2017-2018 academic year. Despite everything, the OFS reveals slight setbacks in HEP and at the bachelor’s level in UAS.
Each year, around 22% of international entrants do not reside in Switzerland.
OFS2022 / Screenshot
The OFS publication also presents a series of characteristics of these international entrants:
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The reason for arriving in Switzerland
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The moment of arrival
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Nationality of international students
“The results indicate that more than three quarters of international entrants arrive in Switzerland for the purpose of studying. However, around 10% arrive in Switzerland as part of a gainful activity and 7% for family reasons. ” This shows that one in six did not plan to start studies when they arrived.
Women arrive more often for family reunification (10% once morest 3%) or gainful activity (12% once morest 8%).
OFS2022 / Screenshot
The fact that they have various reasons for entering Switzerland influences the time of their arrival in the country. Although the majority of them arrive during the year of enrollment, the OFS notes a difference: “The younger the international entrants, the more they tend to arrive at the time of the start of the academic year, ie between August and September (75% in HEUs and 50% in UAS / HEP). Conversely, the oldest are often already present on Swiss territory for at least several months before the start of studies (7% in universities and 15% in UAS / HEP) ”.
Finally, the OFS looked into the nationality of these new students. “In universities, the bachelor’s and master’s levels for the year 2020 are characterized by an increase compared to 2019 in the number of certain nationals, in particular French (+ 4%), German (+ 8%) and Chinese entrants, for whom the increase is particularly marked (+ 27%). For the HES and HEP, the numbers have increased markedly among the French (+ 12%) and the Germans (+ 16%) ”
The OFS publication thus makes it possible to see that, “during the year 2020, the pandemic had little overall effect on the arrivals of international students”. A situation which seems to continue for 2021, because “the estimates obtained show that, in any case until July, the numbers of international entrants correspond to a large extent with those of previous years”, concludes the report.
(comm/aze)