Adjust the financing of ETH and EPFL to Swiss economic growth. — Problem

Problem

More and more foreign students are studying at ETH and EPFL. We finance their education, and the know‑how partly flows abroad (e.g., China). The tuition fee should be adjusted in accordance with the economic benefit for Switzerland.

Discussion

• Oliver Herren (2026-04-03): The problem lies less in a lack of interest from graduates or the economy, and more in bureaucratic hurdles: While we train top talent from non‑EU countries at ETH and EPFL with high tax revenues, we push them out of the Swiss labor market after graduation through strict quotas and a preference for locals. This is an economic blunder.
• Oliver Herren (2026-04-03): The tuition fees for international students were tripled for fall 2025. The tuition fees are also regularly adjusted for inflation. The topic was recently examined and the fees were increased accordingly. [Triple fees for international students: implementation approved](https://ethz.ch/staffnet/de/news-und-veranstaltungen/intern-aktuell/archiv/2024/12/dreifache-gebuehren-fuer-auslaendische-studierende-umsetzung-verabschiedet.html)