According to the reference scenario from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the number of students of all Swiss higher education institutions should grow by 1% per year until 2020, reaching 255,000 students at the start of the 2020-2021 academic year (247,000 in 2017, i.e. +8000 students between 2017 and 2020). Thereafter, a more moderate increase in student numbers is expected with growth remaining at around 0.6% on annual average, slowed down by the expected population decline in the relevant age groups. The number of students in Swiss institutions of higher education should thus reach 267,000 in 2027, i.e. an increase of 8% over the period 2017-2027 (+6% at universities and institutes of technology, +10% at universities of applied sciences and +12% at universities of teacher education).
In autumn 2018, numbers of students at universities and institutes of technology (UIT) should increase by 0.5% (+700 students), those at universities of applied sciences (UAS) by 1.5% (+1200 students) and those at universities of teacher education (UTE) by 2.2% (+400 students).
In terms of new graduates, the most considerable increases over 10 years should be seen in Technology of Information and communication at the UIT (+53% of master's degrees awarded between 2017 and 2027, i.e. +200 graduates), in health personal at the UAS (+28% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, i.e. +300 graduates) and in the teaching for pre-school and primary level course at the UTE (+20% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, i.e. +500 graduates).
Update: September 2018
