When applying to Swiss universities, several important things must be distinguished from the admission process from other countries. In this article we will review specifically these differences, without paying attention to other, more classic points, that are not different from any other country:
1. Language of teaching: If you are applying to public university, student must have good level of one of the official languages (if you are interested in this topic, look another post “What languages are used in Switzerland); private universities almost always use English as the language of teaching;
2. Switzerland is a part of the Schengen area, which means as a EU/EFTA student you do not need a student visa – only to register upon your arrival in the designated Canton of your residence. As for non EU/EFTA international students, you will have to first apply for student visa, using the documents from your university;
3. Upon your arrival, you will need to register in the Commune of your residence, so the short-term resident permit B can be issued. This document will serve as your primary ID in Switzerland and it will be used for every administrative and other everyday life tasks.