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Switzerland has a high quality system of education that is relatively accessible to foreign students. The student population of some universities, for example, consists of over 40% foreign students, and
this trend is on the upswing. Swiss academic degrees are the Licentiate, the Diploma and the PhD. The Licentiate and the Diploma correspond to the American Masters degrees. As a general rule, most Swiss universities ask for a Licentiate, or even a Diploma, as a prerequisite for a PhD. Working while studying To obtain your residence permit, you need to prove – first to the Embassy and then to the Aliens Police – that you have the financial means to support yourself during your studies in Switzerland (a bank statement or similar authenticated document will do). The idea is that you cannot finance your studies solely through supplementary work in Switzerland. Education not work must be the main reason for your stay. However, once you’ve proven you have the financial resources necessary to study in Switzerland, you can work alongside your studies. The student residence permit allows for profit-earning activity, as long your university provides a statement confirming that your employment will not prolong the length of your studies. For foreign students, the number of weekly work hours is limited to 15, but this is fairly flexible depending on the canton (in Geneva, for example, you can work up to 30 hours per week). Nevertheless, most people will advise you not to take on extra work, since the university workload is already quite heavy, depending on the faculty. It is easier to find employment in the large urban centers like Geneva and Zurich. Each university has a job placement office that provides information on student employment. Wages vary between SFR 20 and SFR 35 according to the job and your skills. |
