University of Neuchâtel: Fees & Ranking

The short answer

The University of Neuchâtel (UniNE) is a French-speaking public university with four faculties. It had 4,549 students in autumn 2025.^[1] It grew out of the Academy of Neuchâtel, founded in 1838, and has carried the name University since 1909.^[2]

The semester fee for bachelor’s and master’s students is CHF 790 for foreign students whose parents live abroad and CHF 515 for “Swiss” students, a category that also covers foreign nationals who lived in Switzerland when they gained their maturity certificate. Doctoral students pay CHF 60 per semester.^[3] Non-francophone applicants with a foreign diploma generally need French at level B2.^[4] We could not confirm a QS World University Rankings 2027 position.

Key facts

Official name	Université de Neuchâtel (UniNE)
Location	Neuchâtel, Switzerland (Avenue du 1er-Mars 26, 2000 Neuchâtel)
Type	French-speaking public research university^[5]
Founded	1838 as the Academy of Neuchâtel; officially named University of Neuchâtel on 18 May 1909^[2]
Students	4,549 in autumn 2025 (59% women); 1,065 degrees awarded in 2025^[1]
Faculties	Four: Arts and Humanities; Science; Law; Economics and Business^[2]
Study programmes	13 bachelor’s and 30 master’s programmes; nearly 600 PhD students; more than 100 nationalities (figures without a year)^[2]
Languages of teaching	Mainly French; many master’s programmes fully in English or bilingual French/English^[6]
QS World University Rankings 2027	Not confirmed (no position found in the sources we read)
Semester fee, foreign students	CHF 790 (bachelor’s, master’s, ILCF French courses)^[3]
Semester fee, “Swiss” students	CHF 515, including foreign nationals who lived in Switzerland when they gained their maturity certificate, or whose parents are Swiss or live in Switzerland^[3]
Semester fee, doctoral students	CHF 60^[3]
Language level, non-francophone applicants with a foreign diploma	French B2 (certain exceptions)^[4]
Official website	unine.ch

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 5 November 2026.

About the University of Neuchâtel

The Academy of Neuchâtel was born in 1838, thanks to the geologist and palaeontologist Louis Agassiz and a strong political will to give the region its own high-quality institution. A decree of the cantonal parliament of 18 May 1909 officially named it the University of Neuchâtel; in 1910 a commercial sciences department was added and all faculties gained the right to award doctorates.^[2] Wikipedia adds that the academy was closed in 1848 and re-established in 1866.^[5]

UniNE has four faculties: Arts and Humanities, Science, Law, and Economics and Business.^[2] In autumn 2025 it had 4,549 students, up from 4,514 the year before, and in 2025 it awarded 1,065 degrees (451 bachelor’s, 508 master’s, 68 doctorates and 38 certificates or diplomas of the French-language institute).^[1] The university’s English-language facts page gives “over 4,400 students” without a year, which fits the older counts.^[2]

How is the University of Neuchâtel ranked?

We could not confirm a position for the University of Neuchâtel in the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026. None of the university pages and press reports we read names one.

UniNE’s facts page only notes that in 2016 it appeared among the world’s top twenty universities with fewer than 5,000 students in the Times Higher Education rankings.^[2] That is a historic, self-reported result. Rankings differ by publisher and year. How we compile rankings.

What can you study at the University of Neuchâtel?

UniNE lists 13 bachelor’s programmes and 30 master’s programmes (the page gives no year), spread over four faculties.^[2] A bachelor’s degree takes six semesters (180 ECTS credits); a master’s takes three to four semesters (90 to 120 credits).^[7]

French is still the most widely used language at master’s level, but many programmes are taught entirely in English or bilingually in French and English. Examples listed on the English-programmes page are Cognitive Science (120 ECTS, English) and Innovation (90 to 120 ECTS, English and French).^[6] A master’s in journalism and communication carries a special supplementary fee (see below).^[3]

How much does the University of Neuchâtel cost?

Item per semester	“Swiss” students	Foreign students
Fixed fee	CHF 60	CHF 60
Examination fee	CHF 15	CHF 15
Course and laboratory fee	CHF 425	CHF 700
Student federation (FEN) contribution	CHF 15	CHF 15
Total per semester	CHF 515	CHF 790

These amounts apply to bachelor’s, master’s and the French-language courses of the ILCF institute. The page does not state a year.^[3] Fees are charged each semester, so our calculation puts a full year at CHF 1,580 for foreign students and CHF 1,030 for “Swiss” students.

Who counts as foreign?

UniNE defines a foreign student as a person of foreign nationality whose parents live abroad. The “Swiss” category covers Swiss nationals, foreign nationals who lived in Switzerland when they obtained the maturity certificate, and students whose father, mother or spouse is Swiss or lives in Switzerland. It also includes students whose parents are members of diplomatic missions or officials of international organisations based in Switzerland.^[3]

Doctoral students, supplements and exemptions

Doctoral students pay CHF 60 per semester, and remain enrolled until the thesis is deposited in the library.^[3]
Master’s students in journalism and communication pay an extra CHF 1,500 per semester (journalism track) or CHF 1,000 (innovative journalism track); the content-creation track is not affected.^[3]
The course and laboratory fee is waived for holders of a Confederation scholarship, for exchange and mobility students, and for students on leave for at least a semester. The fixed fee is always due.^[3]

Tuition is only part of the bill: for living costs see our Switzerland guide and the Study in Switzerland guide.

How do you apply to the University of Neuchâtel?

We give no deadlines here because they change every year; check the application dates on the bachelor’s and master’s pages before you start.

Bachelor’s: you need an upper secondary diploma or an equivalent title. Swiss maturity certificates give direct access. Many foreign diplomas are accepted under country-specific conditions. After checking your file, UniNE may ask for a French test or for the Complementary Examination of the Swiss Higher Education Institutions (ECUS) if your diploma is recognised but not equivalent to the Swiss maturity.^[4] The application includes a copy of your diploma, proof of a place at a university (or of passing an admission exam) in your home country if required, and proof of payment of a CHF 100 file fee for a foreign diploma, which is deducted from the first semester’s fees.^[8] Bachelor’s medicine applications go through swissuniversities.^[8]
Master’s: you need a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. With a bachelor’s in a slightly different field you may be admitted with additional conditions or with preliminary conditions (in principle 30 to 60 ECTS credits before the master’s starts).^[9] Documents include a passport photo, ID, your diploma and bachelor’s degree, transcripts of every previous university year, and the CHF 100 file fee if your degree is not from a Swiss university.^[10]

Documents not in French, English, German, Italian or Spanish need a sworn translation into French or English. If you are admitted, foreign diplomas are generally legalised.^[10] Applicants coming from abroad need a residence permit or visa; UniNE issues an admission certificate that you need for that request.^[10]

Which language level do you need?

Non-francophone bachelor’s applicants with a foreign diploma who do not have to take the ECUS must show proof of French at level B2 of the CEFR (the European scale from A1 to C2; B2 is upper-intermediate). The proof is not needed if you passed the ECUS, hold certain French diplomas, come on an exchange or mobility programme, or passed the B2 French test of another university in French-speaking Switzerland.^[4]

For master’s programmes the pages we read do not give a language level; programmes taught in English or bilingually are listed on the English-programmes page, so check the entry for your programme.^[6] The university’s French-language institute (ILCF) teaches French as a foreign language, and service courses for non-francophone students of the faculties are free of charge.^[3]

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the semester fee at the University of Neuchâtel?

CHF 790 for foreign students (foreign nationality, parents living abroad) and CHF 515 for “Swiss” students in bachelor’s and master’s programmes. Doctoral students pay CHF 60.^[3]

Is the University of Neuchâtel in the QS World University Rankings 2027?

We found no QS 2027 position for it in the sources we read, so we do not give one.

Can you study in English at the University of Neuchâtel?

At master’s level yes, in part: many programmes are taught entirely in English or bilingually in French and English. Bachelor’s teaching is mainly in French.^[6]

Do I need French to be admitted?

Non-francophone bachelor’s applicants with a foreign diploma generally need level B2, with the exceptions described by the university.^[4]

Do foreign students pay a file fee?

Yes, CHF 100 for a foreign diploma or degree. It is deducted from the first semester’s fees; there is no fee if the bachelor’s was earned at a Swiss university.^[8]^[10]