study business in switzerland
Thomas Schmidheiny is a businessman and one of Switzerland's 36 billionaires. Source: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

A business degree covers many courses such as finance, accounting, management, and economics. A helpful addition would be another foreign language skill. Many companies are going global and more financial hubs are popping up around the world — they are looking for candidates who can not only converse with people around the world but also benefit the company with broadened cultural views and diverse abilities. Now, many countries have business schools and many of its cities are multicultural — so why study business in Switzerland? We’ll let the numbers do the talking: 25,500 foreign and Swiss multinationals in Switzerland; four official languages; seven Switss universities in QS World University Rankings 2019’s Top 200.

Putting aside Swiss delicacies like fine cheese and exquisite chocolate, Switzerland’s booming economy, impressive array of multinational corporations and NGOs, and alluring outdoor lifestyle cement its reputation as a real hotspot for aspiring business professionals from all over the world. Below we take a look at the top five reasons to study business in Switzerland:

The Swiss education system is revered

Switzerland, and in particular Geneva, is a popular higher education destination for international students. It boasts some of the world’s best universities such as the University of Geneva.

business in switzerland

Zurich, one of Switzerland’s biggest financial hubs for the aspiring business-minded individuals. Source: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

With four national languages, Switzerland offers students the chance to brush up on their German, French, Italian and Romansh, which means you would get to take advantage of the many international businesses that operate in the country. 

It’s the financial hub of Europe

Hubba hubba, time to bring in the big bills. Switzerland is one of the world’s most important banking and financial centres with a very diverse and highly developed banking system. Switzerland’s status as a centre of local and international service providers make it a favourite among global companies seeking to access this network as well as its low tax levels and privacy laws. Rest assured if you are studying business in Switzerland, you will be able to develop helpful connections for your career.

Expect amazing quality of life

Life is not all about burying your head in the books, even if your parents expect that of you all the time. Studying business in Switzerland offers access to a higher quality of living, and consistently tops lists of best places in the world to live. With the best fondue, chocolates, and ski slopes, who would disagree?

Getting the best cuisine from Germany, France, and Italy. Source: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

You can also expect greater job opportunities, higher earning potential, and a low rate of violent crime. Switzerland was ranked in the top five happiest countries in the world from 2015 to 2017, so some joy and cheer too. In terms of cuisines? You get the best of three worlds: German, French, and Italian, which also influences its arts, culture, and entertainment scenes. 

Well known for its innovation

The Swiss Army Knife, velcro, muesli, and direct democracy are some of the things Switzerland has invented. It goes to show if you are an entrepreneurial business student, “Svizra” could be the perfect place for you because of how creative the nation is. 

Switzerland also earns high marks on how it treats the environment, governs the country and fosters industry-university partnerships. There are many start-ups based here too, such as Colendi, Kido Dynamics, and Nummo

A multicultural environment 

A business degree from a Swiss university can pave the way to a job in this multicultural country. The combination of studying and working in a country at the crossroads of several European cultures provides one with a broadened view of the world — an asset many employers are looking for today. 

Moreover, the networking opportunities that students have with some of the world’s most successful (and richest) people are abundant. You could be networking with one of Switzerland’s 36 billionaires, sipping champagne and munching caviar as you secure the bag and sign business deals.