Switzerland 2023/24 - grants and loans

Student grants

Switzerland offers need-based grants to full-time home students up to the age of 35; no merit-based or universal grants are reported. There is no minimum grant. The maximum follows the standard set in the Intercantonal Agreement on grants and loans, and individual cantons can set a higher one.

In 2023/24 the maximum grant was EUR 16,464 a year and the average grant was about EUR 9,453. Only a small share of students get a grant: about 5.5% in the first cycle and 1.3% in the second cycle (grant only).

Loans

Publicly subsidised loans are available to full-time home students in Bachelor's and Master's programmes up to the age of 35, and they can be combined with a grant. Very few students use them: about 0.2% of first- and second-cycle students have only a loan, while 0.4% (first cycle) and 0.2% (second cycle) combine a loan with a grant. There is no data on loan amounts.