Living and family

Along with the cafés, restaurants, shops, and sports facilities, accommodation and childcare facilities play a vital role in everyday campus life. ETH Zurich and its partner organisations offer various services to support ETH members and their families in matters surrounding housing and childcare.

Living on the Hönggerberg Campus

Two building complexes on the campus, built in 2016, provide accommodation for around 900 students. ETH Zurich wants to create the best possible learning and study conditions for its students, so with their excellent infrastructure and proximity to the lecture halls and laboratories, the two residential units are ideal. The buildings are in line with ETH Zurich’s strategy of consolidating and revitalising its campus.

The two residential buildings, HWW and HWO, contain numerous workstations for students as well as space for the student association (VSETH), the doctoral association (AVETH), the Language Center of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, another day nursery, and other offerings such as a hairdresser. In this way they support the development of the Hönggerberg campus as a district with local services and a resource-saving approach to mobility.

More information on the two residential units on the Hönggerberg campus can be found in the ETH Zurich media release dated 13 July 2016, «Living on the Campus».

Living and studying on the ETH Zurich Campus (YouTube, 7 February 2018)

About the Swiss College video

Renier van Breda & Taulant Bixhaku studied ETH Zürich's two-site strategy and conducted interviews on student accommodation on the Hönggerberg campus as part of a school project, which they submitted to the Kantonssschule Baden in 2017.

Accommodation

ETH Zurich does not have accommodation for all its students, researchers, and staff. Generally, ETH Zurich members independently find their accommodation on the local and regional housing and property market. Members of ETH Zurich who are looking for a room, an apartment, or house do however have access to a variety of support, guidance, and placement services:

For students and researchers

The Housing Office of University/ETH Zurich enables ETH Zurich/UZH members to find accommodation on the private market via an online search facility. It also provides information about living in Zurich. This service is aimed at Swiss and international students, doctoral candidates, professors, and academic guests of ETH Zurich and UZH. In addition to the information and search facility available online, a team is also available to provide support in person, by phone, or via email.

For Students:

The external pageWOKO Student Housing Cooperative rents around 2,000 rooms to students. The services offered in Zurich and Dietikon are intended exclusively for students who are enrolled in a full-time course of study or doctorate.
Room pool for Master's students: ETH Zurich has a small contingent of rooms for international Master’s students.

For new staff members at ETH Zurich:

Welcome Center: New staff members coming to ETH Zurich from abroad can find comprehensive information on finding accommodation, renting apartments, and the Swiss working environment at the Welcome Center. Flats or rooms are not arranged here. Further information can also be found on the website of the ETH Housing Office.

For professors:

Dual Career Advice office: Professors receive support from the Dual Career Advice office in matters such as housing, family, pensions and insurance, tax, language and culture.

For all ETH Zurich members:

Human Resources: Information on accommodation und living in Zurich can be found under Employment & Work.

kihz Flex. (Photograph: Gian Marco Castelberg)

Family

ETH Zurich sees itself as a university and employer that enables its members to strike an appropriate balance between study, career and family. This commitment can be seen in everyday campus life in the childcare facilities near the university.

ETH Zurich offers various services to promote a better balance between work and family life. The Hello Kids! service point provides extensive information on its website, helps ETH employees and students to find extrafamilial childcare and gives advice that is tailored to people’s childcare needs. If you have any other questions regarding issues related to work and family life, Hello Kids! can put you in touch with the specialist department in charge.

For example, there are special offerings to support doctoral candidates and post-doctoral students with young children when they attend conferences, and ‘kihz flex’ provides flexible childcare on the Hönggerberg campus for times when an unexpected event throws the usual childcare plans into disarray and Profawo, the specialist service provider supports for unforeseen gaps in childcare.

Balancing work and family life

The Dual Career Advice office supports professors and their families as they integrate into Swiss everyday life and the Swiss world of work.

Information on how to balance work and family life can be found at Equal!

At Work environment an overview of offerings for families can be found and there is additional information on Services for children.

The Hello Kids! service point provides extensive information on childcare, helps ETH Zurich members to find supplementary childcare and suggests solutions tailored to their childcare needs.

The Welcome Center can provide you with information on topics such as immigration, finding accommodation, childcare, and living in Switzerland.

Immigration, finance, insurance and taxes

Information on immigration, arrival, language, and culture in Switzerland, as well as financial matters such as scholarships, income, insurance, and pensions or taxes can be found at Study for students, at Doctorate for doctoral candidates, and at Welcome Center for academic staff.