Graduates in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and in computer and communication sciences are in high demand on the Swiss labour market. ETH Zurich and EPFL, as well as the research institutes PSI, WSL, Empa and Eawag, are specialised in these domains and thus can actively help to alleviate the shortage of experts in these fields together with the other universities and universities of applied sciences. However, this is only possible if they can develop and evolve under favourable conditions.
Given that graduates from ETH Zurich and EPFL are in high demand on the job market, and that the shortage of experts in the STEM and computer sciences is acute, it would seem justified to train even more students in these fields. In that sense, it is not surprising that ETH Zurich and EPFL are facing a steady rise in their student populations. In the context of the skills shortage, this should be viewed as a positive development and be supported by the owner, the Swiss Confederation.
While the growth of the student population is coherent with the mandate conferred upon the ETH Domain by its owner , this does pose a considerable challenge. At the time of publication of the Strategic Plan 2025–2028 of the ETH Board for the ETH Domain (July 2022), ETH Zurich was projecting an increase in student and doctoral student numbers of approximately 3.5% per year both for 2021–2024 and for 2025–2028. EPFL was projecting an increase of 2.8% for 2021–2024 and of 2.2% for 2025–2028. According to the latest data for 2022 the number of bachelor and master students at ETH Zurich and EPFL increased by 3.4% between 2021 and 2022, in line with the projected future trend.
At the same time, the financial outlook for the coming years is uncertain: given the scenario of a maximum budget growth of 1.5% p.a. (in real terms), the institutions of the ETH Domain expect the recruitment of additional staff, especially professors, to be severely constrained. Since the number of students is expected to continue rising, the ratio of students to professors would deteriorate significantly and thus jeopardise the quality of teaching and learning. In addition, restrictions on building development greatly limit the capacity to accommodate a growing population of students.
Most of the objectives and measures described in the present strategy will require additional funding for education. Measures aimed at compensating for the discrepancy between the student population growth and the increase in federal funding are being put in place but are rather limited. They include a higher teaching load for professors within ETH Zurich and EPFL, a wider distribution of the teaching assignments, involving other staff members in teaching as well as external lecturers (especially from the four research institutes), the introduction of new tools in education and administration and, finally, pushing the capacity limits of existing infrastructure. However, these measures pose a significant risk of overloading staff with teaching duties. Furthermore, a stronger prioritisation of education by redirecting funds will be at the cost of the world-class research carried out at the ETH Domain institutions. Together with the status of Switzerland as a non-associated third country in Horizon Europe, this places the ETH Domain in an extremely challenging position and threatens its excellence. Ultimately, after exhausting all the other alternative measures, the only way to cope with a continuous increase in student numbers will be to increase the number of professors and other teaching staff as well as space capacity.
According to the results of the ETH Domain-wide internal consultation for the present strategy, it seems that some courses and programmes are already close to their capacity limits. External factors such as housing for students are also limiting factors. Based on these considerations, the ETH Board concludes that the schools’ possibilities for ensuring high-quality education are reaching their limits. The situation calls for urgent measures on the part of ETH Zurich and EPFL. The measures are developed along three fields of action as described in the present strategy: (i) identification and definition of quality and capacity thresholds, (ii) implementation of measures to ensure quality and capacity in the long term and (iii) limits on student admissions as a last resort. Should all other measures prove insufficient to compensate for future growth rates, the institutions may have no choice other than to limit the growth of their student populations. This would be counter-productive to past and current efforts to train more students in order to address the shortage of experts in the STEM and computer sciences fields.
Considering the international situation and the successive crises, the ETH Board fully understands the tense financial situation in which the Confederation finds itself. However, in such a context, education and research should have priority, as both are fundamental to preparing the country for future challenges and to overcoming the skills shortage. In addition, it is only by developing and promoting innovative education that Switzerland will be able to remain a competitive global innovation centre, and to attract and retain globally relevant companies active in research, technology and innovation. Overall, the financial framework and the global budgets assigned to the ETH Domain must enable the Domain’s institutions to fulfil their purpose as defined in the ETH Act and the objectives set out in the Strategic Objectives by the Federal Council.
