Switzerland,19.09.2017

Confederation very popular with foreign students

According to a survey published by the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD), Switzerland is a very popular place for foreign student to study. For example, more than half of those working for a doctorate here are from abroad; only in Luxemburg is the proportion higher.
 
The survey went on to mention how 17% of all students at Swiss universities were from abroad, a figure far higher than the average in OECD countries, where it is 6%.
 
The subjects which are particularly attractive for foreign students are the natural sciences. In fact there are more foreign students studying these than Swiss ones; and there are three times more foreign students studying the natural sciences, mathematics and statistics than Swiss ones.
 
The survey also noted how women, both foreign and Swiss, were under-represented on courses relating to the natural sciences, as it also mentioned how, in 2015, only 17% of newly registered students on courses relating to engineering, including manufacturing engineering and construction, were women, whereas 70% of all students embarking on courses relating to health, education and the social sciences were female.
 
When it comes to apprenticeships, more men complete these than women, with more Swiss young people taking this route to a professional qualification than in other OECD countries.

The report concluded that both young people who had completed an apprenticeship or graduated from university stood a good chance of getting a job in Switzerland, with the subsequent difference in wage levels narrower here than in other OECD countries. It was also mentioned how those with master’s degrees or PhDs could expect to earn 64% more than those who had “just” completed an apprenticeship, whereas in other OECD countries this figure rose to 98%.