Amidst the Alps

Think Switzerland and its hotel management speciality comes to the fore.

The country’s USP
Switzerland has some of the oldest and the best Hotel Management schools in the world. Besides, the country has two Federal Institutes of Technology (Zürich and Lausanne) that produce highly qualified engineers, architects and scientists. Since 1997, Switzerland has had seven universities of applied sciences, which are organised regionally.

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Hot for what?
Hotel Management, of course.

Top institutes
There are 10 Cantonal Universities in Switzerland: University of Basel, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, St. Gallen, Zürich and Lugano.

HT Horizons dishes out the details of the Swiss education process

Courses begin in August/September. The duration of the diploma is two years, including six months of internship each year or once in two years completed towards the end of the course. Some Swiss schools also offer degree programmes of about 3.5 years’ duration.

How to apply: When you have received confirmation of acceptance by a Swiss school or university, contact the Swiss Embassy in your country for information on entry formalities for Switzerland. For details, visit www.bfm.admin.ch and the homepage of Swiss Embassy in New Delhi, www.eda.admin.ch/newdelhi

Standardised tests: Few Swiss schools ask for experience. However, language test scores in TOEFL, IELTS are demanded. The minimum age for applying cannot be less than 18 in most schools.

Tuition fee: Most programmes are expensive. The expenditure that you have to incur includes tuition fees, school supplies, equipment, meals, insurance and accommodation.

Cost of Living: The living cost in Switzerland is steep, anything between Swiss Francs 16,000 and 24,000 per year, depending upon the location of the school.

Scholarships
The Swiss Government offers scholarships through the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students. These comprise a fixed stipend per month for nine months. (For more information, log on to http://www.eda.admin.ch/newdelhi or write to Vertretung@ndh.rep.admin.ch). Forms are available at the Swiss Embassy starting May 2006. The last date of submission of scholarship applications is October 31, 2006.