Swiss university system climbs to third in global study

The Swiss university system has entered the top three globally in the latest QS rankings, thanks largely to the continued strong performance of the federal technology institute ETH Zurich.

The annual ranking, released on Wednesday by London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), places Switzerland in third spot overall, behind the US and the UK. Australia and Canada, previously ranked higher than the Alpine nation, dropped to fourth and fifth.

ETH Zurich, which QS ranked last year as the top overall university in continental Europe (7th in the world), was crucial to the Swiss score, coming out in the top ten worldwide for 22 of 48 indicators.

Along with ETH Zurich, which was once again the number one global school in the bioscience category, the Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne (EHL) came out on top of the hospital and leisure management indicator.

In total, four Swiss schools featured in the top ten of this hospital and leisure category, more than any other country.

The Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and the University of Zurich also helped the Swiss score with improved rankings in the computer science and dentistry categories respectively.

QS first published their ranking in 2004. Along with the Times Higher Education and Shanghai rankings, it is one of the most cited indicators of university quality.