University funding: a national debate is needed

This success was made possible by the federal government’s generous support and funding of the ETH Domain – for which we would like to express our sincere thanks. However, the funds allocated have been outpaced by growth for the last two decades. the dire nature of the government’s finances,Parliament, the Federal Council and the Gaillard group of experts appointed by the Federal Council have once again will be faced by a shortfall of one billion francs. 

Against this backdrop, it makes sense for students to make a contribution to their education. The return on studying at ETH or EPFL is excellent, especially for foreign students. This justifies the increase in tuition fees decided upon by the ETH Board and Parliament.

This could set an alarming precedent, however. A tripling of fees today could be followed by a five-fold or even ten-fold increase in future years Let’s not forget that foreign students make an enormous contribution to Switzerland. According to a study conducted by Avenir Suisse in 2023, 50 percent of start-up founders – entrepreneurs with a particularly innovative business idea – have a foreign passport.

In addition, foreign students in Switzerland have very high living costs, with those from Germany being faced by annual expenses that are two to three times higher than at home. Domestic students are also affected, with the Gaillard group suggesting a doubling of their tuition fees.

Undesirable side-effects

It would be unwise to view students as cash cows instead of success factors for our country. Many talented people in Switzerland are being denied equal access to universities. According to a long-term study conducted by the University of Bern, children from families without an academic background are only half as likely to graduate from university as children of parents with a university degree. Incidentally, we – the authors of this article – come from the former group. We are grateful to have been able to benefit from low financial barriers to an excellent university education in Switzerland when we were young.

Universities in the Anglo-Saxon world are regarded as the gold standard. But that doesn’t mean we have to emulate them in all respects. Stanford and MIT charge around CHF 50,000 per year in tuition fees, Cambridge up to CHF 80,000, depending on the subject. Students often run up debts that last a lifetime.

On the other hand, these universities are dependent on tuition fees, which has negative consequences for their financial planning. restriction in annual foreign student admissions at Canadian universities is currently causing serious financial problems.

Only no education is even more expensive

Such circumstances must not be allowed to prevail in Switzerland. Highly qualified young people, regardless of where they come from, have always been a central pillar of Switzerland’s innovative strength and, ultimately, its prosperity. Another pillar has been the public sector’s stable and adequate funding of higher education. In our opinion, a higher education system in which these conditions no longer apply is contrary to Switzerland’s values. While the Swiss system is not cheap, it is well worth the price. Abraham Lincoln put it in a nutshell: “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”

We as a society should therefore discuss the tasks that universities and federal research institutes need to fulfil in the interests of Switzerland. This should form the basis for determining the conditions, including those of a financial nature, that our universities need to meet if they are to deliver on their mission. Let’s engage in this dialogue today!

This article first appeared in slightly abridged form as an opinion piece in external page Tagesanzeiger and external page Le Temps.