Though we are often told that a university education sets you up for life, many may still question whether a degree is worth it once the exams are done and the mortarboard is thrown. Now, a new study from FH Switzerland has given an indication of how much graduates earn once they leave Swiss higher education.
Instead of covering all universities, the study focused on Swiss universities of applied sciences. These institutions, located across the cantons, offer degree-level qualifications in more practical skills. That said, their bachelor's and master's courses are hugely diverse, ranging from public transport and tourism to communications, banking and pharmaceuticals.
They found that the median salary for someone who attended higher education in Switzerland stands at 112.851 francs a year, higher than the 104.000 francs reported back in 2023 and well above the national average of around 80.000. 30 percent of university of applied sciences graduates are in management-level positions, with wages of up to 206.000 francs a year.
For lower management and specialist positions, annual wages range between 95.000 and 140.000 francs and between 85.000 and 117.000 francs, respectively. "These are impressive salaries, even higher than in the last survey two years ago. It also shows that graduates from universities of applied sciences play a key role in the Swiss economy and are well paid," FH Managing Director Toni Schmid told 20 Minuten.
What’s more, recent graduates from Swiss higher education can expect a starting salary of 80.000 Swiss francs a year. With 11,7 percent of current students expected to pursue master’s level qualifications - around 9 percentage points more than two years ago - this number is only expected to rise.
In terms of region, Canton Zurich still offers the highest pay to graduates, with jobs in the region offering median wages of 120.000 francs a year. Northwestern Switzerland (118.000 francs), central Switzerland (116.000), eastern Switzerland (113.333 francs), the Mittelland (111.156 francs) and the Lake Geneva region (97.500 francs) followed.
As it stands, graduates of Swiss higher education are the best paid if they join the banking and finance sectors. Graduates in the field were found to earn a median salary of 139.720 francs a year.
Pharmaceutical and chemical workers took second place with median wages of 130.500 francs a year, while graduate staff at water and energy providers completed the top three with 130.000 francs a year. The group of graduates with the lowest median wages were in the hotel/restaurant and tourism industries, at 84.500 and 85.000 francs a year, respectively.
For more information about the report, check out the FH website - though be warned, payment is required to access the study.