Visas
Non-EU students who wish to enter Switzerland must have a valid passport and be in possession of a study visa issued by a Swiss Embassy or Consulate. Please note that a tourist visa does not authorize a student with a foreign passport to study in Switzerland. Applications for a study visa must be submitted to the Swiss Embassy in your home country which is then forwarded to the Cantonal authority in Switzerland. The whole process takes 6 to 8 weeks.
All foreign students (EU & Non-EU) living in Switzerland require a Student B permit.
Switzerland is now part of the Schengen zone which means that once you have a Student B permit , you are allowed to travel to the following countries without a visa: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
Note: Part-time study options are not accepted as sufficient reason by Swiss authorities to grant a study visa for students from outside the EU/Schengen area.
Housing & Accommodation
Short stays & visits
For short stays we recommend L’hotel located in the city centre (Lausanne Flon) and offering competitive prices.
Accommodation during your studies
As Lausanne is a popular place to study, it can be difficult to find a place to live. To avoid problems in finding accommodation, we strongly suggest you to start your research at least three months before the starting date of your program.
Apartments and Rooms for rent
Download our housing and accommodation document to start you off with practical information and websites for all sorts of housing, agencies to help and more.
Once you are a fully accepted student, you will also find accommodation groups on our Facebook and Yammer platforms, where many students advertise rooms or flats.
Lausanne Tourism
Lausanne Tourism provides a list of furnished apartments available in Lausanne and the area updated every month. You can find the list on their website.
Health Insurance
Health insurance is mandatory in Switzerland.
The cost of student health insurance in Switzerland is around 80-120 chf per month, provided you choose an aggregated insurer who works with students. If you do not, you may find yourself paying upwards of 250 chf per month.
We as an establishment work with the group Evasan SA. Upon arrival in Switzerland, you will have a period of 90 days to get insurance if needed. You can place an inquiry with them here.
Other companies available to get student health insurance rates from are: Swisscare, CSS – Student Care, TradiConsult and Allianz Worldwide.
EU students
If you have an obligatory European health insurance scheme in your home country that covers the same medical cost as the basic insurance scheme during your stay in Switzerland, it is possible that you may be exempt from taking out health insurance in Switzerland, however you will need to check with the local commune in which you live in Switzerland.
Before starting studies abroad, all EU Students must obtain a European health insurance card from their home country’s public medical care.
Upon arrival in Switzerland, a copy of that card must be submitted to the Swiss authorities (OVAM) together with the student permit application. This office will be the only one to be able to issue an exemption from taking out Swiss insurance.
Non-EU students
We strongly advise you to contact a Swiss health insurance prior to your move to Switzerland in order to be fully covered in case of accident or illness. Our partner, Evasan SA, offers competitive rates for students living in Switzerland.
Important Information
Before leaving Switzerland, you must cancel your insurance at least one month before your departure. Please read all cancellation policies carefully.
