The University of Geneva (UNIGE) is a public research university founded in 1559 by John Calvin as the Academy of Geneva.[1] Times Higher Education counts 17,886 students, 42 percent of them international, and ranks it 163rd in its World University Rankings 2027.[2]
UNIGE’s fee page states semester fees of CHF 500 (CHF 65 fixed administrative fees and CHF 435 tutoring fees) and names no separate rate for foreign students.[3] A 2024 report of the Geneva parliament’s higher-education committee confirms that the fee was the same for Swiss and foreign students then.[4] To study at UNIGE you generally need French at level B2; depending on your situation you may have to pass a French exam, which can be eliminatory.[5]
Key facts
| Official name | Université de Genève (UNIGE) |
| Location | Geneva, Switzerland (24 rue du Général-Dufour, 1211 Geneva 4)[3] |
| Type | Public research university[1] |
| Founded | 1559 by John Calvin as the Academy of Geneva; officially secular since 1873[1] |
| Students | 17,886, of which 42 percent international (Times Higher Education, World University Rankings 2027 data)[2] |
| Faculties | Nine: Science, Medicine, Humanities, Social Sciences, Economics and Management, Law, Theology, Psychology and Education, Translation and Interpreting[3] |
| Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 | 163rd[2] |
| Semester fees | CHF 500 per semester (CHF 65 fixed administrative fees + CHF 435 tutoring fees); the page names no academic year and no separate rate by nationality[3] |
| Fees for Swiss and foreign students (2024) | Identical at CHF 500; a bill to charge CHF 1,500 to other students was not taken up by the committee[4] |
| French requirement | Generally level B2; a French exam may be required and may be eliminatory[5] |
| Exemption from the French exam | Among others DELF B2 or DALF C1/C2 (at least 60 points, including 15 for written production), TCF B2, TEF B2; diplomas not older than 4 years[6] |
| Master of Advanced Studies | No particular French level required; check the study regulations of the programme[7] |
| Official website | unige.ch |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 5 November 2026.
About the University of Geneva
The University of Geneva was founded in 1559 as the Academy of Geneva by the French theologian John Calvin. It began as a seminary run by the Company of Pastors, and in 1873 it dropped its religious affiliations and became officially secular.[1] Wikipedia calls it the third largest university in Switzerland by number of students.[1]
The university has nine faculties: Science, Medicine, Humanities, Social Sciences, Economics and Management, Law, Theology, Psychology and Education, and Translation and Interpreting.[3] Its buildings stand in several districts in the east of Geneva and in nearby Carouge.[1] For other Swiss universities see our Switzerland ranking.
How is the University of Geneva ranked?
In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 the University of Geneva is 163rd. THE’s profile of the university shows 17,886 students, 42 percent of them international, and 7.8 students per member of staff.[2]
We could not confirm a position in the QS World University Rankings 2027, because QS blocks automated access and none of the sources we read gave the 2027 figure. Wikipedia’s infobox lists “=155” for the QS edition of 2026.[1] UNIGE’s own statistics pages answered our requests with a security check, so we use the THE student figures instead of the university’s own. Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.
What can you study at the University of Geneva?
UNIGE teaches in nine faculties and offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes, continuing education and micro-certificates.[3] Two programme types come up in the language rules: the Diploma in French as a Foreign Language (DEFLE) at the École de langue et civilisation françaises (ELCF), and the Master of Advanced Studies (MAS), for which no particular French level is required.[5][7]
The University’s course catalogue and the faculty websites list the individual programmes. We did not read them, so we give no programme counts here.
How much does the University of Geneva cost?
| Item | Amount per semester |
|---|---|
| Fixed administrative fees | CHF 65 |
| Tutoring fees | CHF 435 |
| Semester fees in total | CHF 500 |
UNIGE’s fee page states “CHF 500 per semester” and does not name an academic year or any separate rate by nationality or residence.[3] The report of the Geneva Grand Conseil’s higher-education committee of 2 September 2024 gives the same CHF 500 and describes it as identical for Swiss and foreign students. In that report the committee voted 11 to 2 against taking up a bill that would have charged CHF 1,500 per semester to students who do not meet the Swiss-residence conditions.[4] We found no later change in the sources we could read, but confirm the current amount with the university before you budget.
Exemptions
- Statutory exemptions apply automatically, for example for assistants, students on a leave of absence, students on an internship outside UNIGE, and doctoral students except in their first and last semester; they are deducted from the CHF 500.[3]
- If you are in financial difficulty and receive no cantonal grant or loan, you can ask the Financial Aid Service for an exemption from the tutoring fees.[3]
Tuition is only part of the bill. For rent and living costs in Geneva see our Switzerland guide and the Study in Switzerland guide.
How do you apply to the University of Geneva?
UNIGE’s admission conditions are on the website of its Admissions Office (unige.ch/admissions). That site blocked our automated requests with a security check, so we could not read the conditions for a Swiss maturity certificate or an equivalent foreign diploma. Check them there before you apply. We give no deadlines here because they change every year.
What we could read: the French-exam pages speak of a Swiss or foreign upper secondary diploma “meeting the UNIGE enrollment conditions”, so the conditions apply before language is assessed.[6] For re-enrolment in a new bachelor’s programme, UNIGE sends applicants to its Application Portal and asks for a SWITCH edu-ID account; each programme needs its own application.[8]
Which language level do you need?
To study at UNIGE you generally need French at level B2 (upper-intermediate on the CEFR scale from A1 to C2). Depending on your situation you may have to take a French exam, which may be eliminatory.[5]
Who does not need the exam
- Swiss and Liechtenstein citizens.[6]
- Holders of a Swiss or Liechtenstein upper secondary diploma that meets the UNIGE enrolment conditions, and holders of a foreign one that meets them and whose language of instruction was French.[6]
- Holders of a first university degree of at least three years (180 ECTS) taught in French.[6]
- Holders of a DELF at B2 or higher with at least 60 points including 15 for written production, a DALF at C1 or C2 with the same thresholds, a TCF or TEF at B2, or UNIGE’s own French certificates; the diploma must have been issued in the 4 years before the chosen term.[6]
Faculty rules
- Humanities, bachelor’s: general and complementary exam, both eliminatory; for information only in a complementary study in German, English, Spanish or Italian.[5]
- Economics and Management (GSEM), bachelor’s: general exam, eliminatory; for information only if your upper secondary or bachelor’s programme was officially taught in English or you hold a recognised English certificate. In that case you cannot change your major.[5]
- Translation and Interpreting, bachelor’s: general exam, eliminatory, unless French is in your language combination and you passed the faculty’s entrance exams.[5]
- MAS programmes: no particular French level; see the programme’s study regulations.[7]
Frequently Asked Questions
How much are tuition fees at the University of Geneva?
Is the University of Geneva cheaper for Swiss than for international students?
Do I need French to study at the University of Geneva?
How is the University of Geneva ranked?
It is 163rd in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027.[2] We could not confirm a QS 2027 position.
How many students does the University of Geneva have?
Times Higher Education lists 17,886 students, 42 percent of them international, based on data for its 2027 ranking.[2] UNIGE’s own statistics pages were not accessible to us.
More about studying in Switzerland
- Switzerland: best universities
- Study in Switzerland: complete guide
- Cost of Studying Abroad
- International Student Scholarships
- University Ranking Methodology
More university profiles in Switzerland
- Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH)
- EPFL
- ETH Zurich
- FHNW
- Franklin Switzerland
- Geneva Graduate Institute
- HES-SO
- IMD Business School
- Università della Svizzera italiana (USI)
- University of Basel
- University of Bern
- University of Fribourg
- University of Lausanne
- University of Lucerne
- University of Neuchâtel
- University of St.Gallen (HSG)
- University of Zurich
- Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)
- Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK)
Sources
[1] Wikipedia: University of Geneva (history and campus; QS 2026 infobox entry)
[2] Times Higher Education: University of Geneva (page without a date; World University Rankings 2027 data)
[3] UNIGE Vie de campus: Semester fees (page updated 27 Jul 2026; names no academic year; the page layout also lists the faculties and the university address)
[4] Grand Conseil de la République et canton de Genève: PL 13411-A, rapport de la commission de l’enseignement supérieur (in French) (report dated 2 Sep 2024; a parliamentary bill, not a statement by the university)
[5] UNIGE Vie de campus: French exam requirements, by faculty (page updated 20 Jul 2026)
[6] UNIGE Vie de campus: French exam exemptions (page updated 17 Dec 2025)
[7] UNIGE Vie de campus: Re-enrollment for a master’s, French exam (page updated 20 Jul 2026)
[8] UNIGE Vie de campus: Re-enrollment for a bachelor’s, procedure (page updated 20 Jul 2026)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.