Created in the second half of the 1990s, the public universities of applied sciences (UAS) cover 12 different fields. There are also additional private UAS which teach in the areas of economy, health and art. Some UAS also train teachers.
The development of education and training programmes notably in the areas of health and social work has notably allowed a great increase in the percentage of women at universities of applied sciences over time. While women made up 26% of students at universities of applied sciences at the beginning of the 2000s, they accounted for 49% of people in education in 2023/24. Students of foreign origin make up one fifth of students at universities of applied sciences. Accounting for less than 15% of students at the beginning of the 2000s, their percentage has stabilised to around 20% since 2010/11.
| Entrances | Students | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Total | % Female | % Foreign | |
| Architecture, Construction and Planning | 1 064 | 4 256 | 33.0 | 23.3 |
| Engineering and IT | 3 479 | 14 337 | 14.5 | 18.6 |
| Chemistry and Life Sciences | 725 | 3 422 | 52.4 | 18.5 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 139 | 537 | 44.5 | 6.0 |
| Business, Management and Services | 5 641 | 28 368 | 44.7 | 20.4 |
| Design | 735 | 3 546 | 63.8 | 30.5 |
| Sport | 38 | 185 | 35.7 | 4.3 |
| Music, Theatre and other Arts | 1 013 | 7 041 | 56.1 | 53.8 |
| Applied Linguistics | 255 | 942 | 76.0 | 8.9 |
| Social Work | 1 792 | 8 004 | 72.1 | 11.4 |
| Applied Psychology | 531 | 2 943 | 73.6 | 7.9 |
| Health | 2 599 | 10 003 | 81.1 | 17.3 |
| Total | 18 011 | 83 584 | 49.3 | 21.5 |
Almost 84 000 people studied at a university of applied sciences in 2023/24. The areas which attract the largest number of students are economics and services (34% of students) and technology and IT (17%). The number of women varies greatly depending on the field of study. While more than three quarters of students are women in the areas of applied linguistics and health, they account 15% of students in engineering and IT. Foreign students are particularly well-represented in the artistic fields. In the fields of music, theatre and other arts, the percentage of foreign students is higher than that of Swiss students.
We highly recommend checking the results published in the tables available under the heading "Tables" beforehand.
Further information
Contact
Federal Statistical Office Section Educational ProcessesEspace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland
- Tel.
- +41 58 483 93 61
Monday to Friday
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