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How much do international schools cost in Switzerland?

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How much do international schools cost in Switzerland?
Pupils learning in a classroom. Photo by Taylor Flowe on Unsplash

Tuition for private (as opposed to public) education in Switzerland is not exactly cheap — in fact, it is the most expensive in Europe, a new study shows.

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Switzerland is the most expensive country in Europe for international education, a new study carried out by International Schools Database, which compares fees and tuitions in cities across the world, reveals.

Ninety-four schools in 10 Swiss cities are geared specifically to students whose parents are foreign nationals and want their children to get an international education that is recognised abroad more widely than a solely Swiss schooling is — especially outside the EU.

Classes are typically conducted in English, though some schools have sections (or lessons) in a national language as well.

This map shows where these schools are located in Switzerland. 

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How much do these schools cost?

The fees vary from one school and region to another.

However, the study showed that costs are highest in Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne / Vaud, regions that are not only most expensive overall, but also have (along with Basel) the highest concentration of foreign residents.

These are just some examples of costs in these three cantons:

International School of Zurich: from 25,900 francs to 36,600 francs (from $28,330; 26,158 euros to $40,000; 37,000 euros).

St. George's International School, Montreux Vaud: 27,300 francs to  36,700 francs ($29,000; 27,500 euros to $40,000; 37,000 euros).

International School of Geneva: from 25,000 francs to 35,830 francs ($27,300; 25,250 euros to $39,000; 36,190 euros).

You can see costs of all of Switzerland’s international schools here.

Exactly how much more expensive are these schools in comparison to elsewhere in Europe?

The study has analysed schools in 31 cities in 20 European countries.  It found that “the median price of Zurich, the most expensive city in Europe, is six times higher than the least expensive city (Copenhagen)."

Outside of Switzerland and London (another expensive location), median prices range from $10,000 to $20,000 per year (9,100 francs; 9,230 euros to 18,288 francs; 18,450 euros).

Why are these schools more expensive in Switzerland?

The cost of living is higher in Switzerland (and particularly in Zurich, Geneva and Vaud), but also teachers and other staff earn more money than their counterparts in other countries.

All these higher costs are, obviously, reflected in the tuition fees.
 

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Carl Rodgers 2023/01/18 20:34
Beware of SOME of the International schools. The quality of teaching is not always up to standard and that SOME of them are more focused on their financial objectives at the cost of quality teaching staff. Beware SOME are very good at selling and presentation very much “snake oil salesman".

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