You can study abroad in Switzerland at a public university or at a private school. Public universities charge low tuition but teach most bachelor's degrees in German, French or Italian and set strict rules for foreign school certificates. Private schools like BHMS in Lucerne teach in English, cost more, and at BHMS every year ends with a six-month paid internship.
This guide is written by the admissions team at BHMS Business & Hotel Management School. We'll tell you where we fit and where we don't. If you want a German-taught engineering degree, a public university is the right door. If you want an English-taught degree in hospitality, culinary arts or business with Swiss work experience built in, keep reading.
Can international students study in Switzerland?
Yes, and you've got two kinds of school to choose from. The public sector is made up of cantonal universities, the two federal institutes of technology (ETH Zurich and EPFL) and universities of applied sciences. Then there are private schools, many of them in hospitality and business, which recruit students from all over the world.
The public universities decide admission country by country. For the 2026/27 academic year, for example, the cantonal universities ask a US applicant for a high school diploma plus Advanced Placement tests in six subjects, each scored 3 or higher. A Mexican or Brazilian applicant usually needs a grade average of 7/10, proof of admission to a university at home in the same subject, and the ECUS supplementary exam. Our guide to universities in Switzerland goes through these rules in detail.
At BHMS, Year 1 of a bachelor's asks for a high school diploma or equivalent, a minimum age of 17 and English at IELTS 5.5 or equivalent. If you've already completed a year or two of hospitality or culinary studies, you can apply for direct entry into Year 2 or Year 3; every transcript is reviewed individually.
What does it cost to study in Switzerland?
Switzerland is expensive, so look at the full year, not only tuition. Here's a public university and BHMS side by side. US-dollar figures are approximate, at the October 2026 rate.
| ETH Zurich (public) | BHMS Lucerne (private) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | CHF 2'190 per semester for students who move to Switzerland to study (since autumn 2025) | CHF 29'800 in Year 1, part of the all-inclusive total |
| A full year | About CHF 28'100 for study and living costs together (ETH's own estimate) | CHF 39'700 in Year 1 (about US$48,000); culinary track CHF 40'200 |
| Housing and meals | Not included; ETH estimates CHF 11'300 rent and CHF 7'200 meals a year in Zurich | Shared room and meals included for the 24-week academic semester |
| Teaching language | German in the bachelor's (C1 required) | English |
| Paid work built in | No | Six-month paid internship every year, CHF 2'390 a month gross in Switzerland |
The two totals aren't measuring the same thing. ETH's figure covers twelve months of living in Zurich. The BHMS total covers tuition, the academic semester's room and meals, Swiss health insurance, visa administration, internship placement and your first airport pick-up. For the other six months you're working, and six months at CHF 2'390 comes to CHF 14'340 gross (about US$17,000) before deductions for room, board and social insurance. Every line is on our 2027 fees page.
Do you need a visa to study in Switzerland?
If you hold an EU or EFTA passport, you don't apply for anything in advance. You arrive, move in, and register with the residents office for your address within 14 days.
For everyone else, any stay longer than 90 days follows the nationality rules of the State Secretariat for Migration. Some passports need a national (type D) visa from the Swiss embassy before you travel. Others enter and register with the cantonal authorities within 14 days of arrival. The Swiss embassy page for your country tells you which applies to you.
At BHMS the visa and residence-permit administration is part of the yearly fee, and admissions walks you through the file. Plan for one thing early: the Lucerne immigration office asks for the sponsor's personal bank statements for the last three months, in English or German.
Can you study in Switzerland in English?
At the public universities, mostly not at bachelor's level. ETH Zurich's language rules say plainly that the main teaching language of its bachelor's studies is German, and a C1 certificate must arrive by the 31 March deadline. English-taught programmes are far more common at master's level and at private schools.
All four BHMS bachelor's degrees are taught in English, in Lucerne:
- BA in Hotel & Hospitality Management
- BA in Global Business Management
- BA in Culinary Arts
- BA in Culinary Arts and Patisserie
Each one is three years, 180 ECTS, and a dual award: you graduate with degrees from BHMS and Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, UK. BHMS is ranked #12 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 for Hospitality & Leisure Management.
How do the paid internships work?
Every BHMS year has the same shape: six months of study in Lucerne, then six months of paid work in a hotel, restaurant or company, in Switzerland or abroad. Year 1 ends with a Diploma, Year 2 with a Higher Diploma and Year 3 with the bachelor's. By graduation you've worked for three different employers.
BHMS works with an established network of industry partners to guarantee internship placements during your studies. One honest caveat: most positions inside Switzerland depend on German, French or Italian, so start a language early if a Swiss placement is your goal. More on the internships page, and on bhms.ch's own study in Switzerland page.
A semester abroad or a full degree?
"Study abroad" often means one semester away from your home college. Switzerland works for that, but think about what you come home with. A full degree gives you a European bachelor's and up to eighteen months of paid work experience on your résumé.
US community college students have a third option: try Lucerne first on the ten-day Swiss Summer Abroad 2027 (28 June – 7 July 2027, CHF 3'300), then come back for the final year. We compared that route with two more years at a US four-year university in this article on time, cost and paid work.
Coming from a culinary or hotel programme rather than a general one? Our sister sites cover those paths in more depth: hotel management school in Switzerland and culinary school in Switzerland.
How to apply to BHMS
You'll need five things, all in English (a simple translation of transcripts is enough to apply):
- The application form, filled in
- Your CV
- A motivation letter, about one page
- Your high school diploma, or your latest transcripts if you haven't graduated yet (plus college transcripts for direct entry)
- A scan of your passport
Then comes an interview in English, the acceptance letter and the visa file. Start on the application page; it takes about two minutes.
Published 19 October 2026 by the admissions team of BHMS Business & Hotel Management School, Lucerne.