Executive Summary

The ETH Area achieved the majority of strategic goals set by the Federal Council in the first year of the 2025–2028 funding period. The two universities ETH Zurich and EPFL demonstrate strong performance in teaching and research, while three goals were only partially fulfilled. The federal government finances 82 percent of revenues, while third-party funding grew to nearly 34 percent.

Persons

  • ETH Board (strategic leadership and oversight body)

Topics

  • University financing and strategic goals
  • Research infrastructure and high-performance computing
  • Student numbers and admission regulations
  • Entrepreneurship and spin-off founding

Clarus Lead

The Federal Council assesses the performance of the ETH Area in 2025 positively: the institutions fulfilled most strategic goals. 40,627 students and doctoral candidates are distributed across ETH Zurich and EPFL, with engineering sciences as the largest field of study. Both universities maintained their top positions in international rankings (ETH Zurich rank 11, EPFL rank 35 in Times Higher Education Ranking). The ETH Area contributes through research in artificial intelligence, energy, and climate to future-relevant fields.

Detailed Summary

ETH Zurich and EPFL recorded rising student numbers again in 2025, with growth moderated to two percent through targeted capacity measures. To manage bottlenecks, EPFL restricted admission of foreign students to bachelor's programs for four years and tripled tuition fees for international students at both schools.

In the area of research infrastructure, the ETH Area achieved significant progress: the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) inaugurated the modernized Swiss Light Source synchrotron (SLS). The Alps supercomputer at the High-Performance Computing Center CSCS in Lugano enabled the development of "Apertus," the first multilingual open-source language model from Swiss development. With Alps, Switzerland assumes a leading position globally in high-performance computing.

Entrepreneurial activity increased: 70 spin-offs were created from the ETH Area in 2025, six more than the previous year. Financing shows stability – the federal government covers 82 percent of revenues, while third-party funding grew to nearly 34 percent. Reserves were moderately reduced by 25 million francs to 916 million francs.

The Federal Council identified three partially achieved goals and called for improvements in procurement synergies, reserve reduction, real estate management, and the ongoing organizational and structural review by the ETH Board.

Key Statements

  • Majority goal achievement: The ETH Area predominantly achieved strategic goals in 2025; three goals were only partially fulfilled
  • Student numbers stabilized: 40,627 students and doctoral candidates with moderated 2-percent growth through capacity measures
  • Research infrastructure expanded: Synchrotron SLS inaugurated, Alps supercomputer establishes Switzerland as high-performance computing leader
  • Entrepreneurship strengthened: 70 spin-offs founded; third-party funding ratio grew to 34 percent
  • Financial stability: Federal government finances 82 percent; reserves at 916 million francs

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence: What concrete metrics define "majority achieved" for the strategic goals, and how transparently are the success criteria for the three partially achieved goals documented?

  2. Data Quality: Are the student numbers (40,627) and spin-off numbers (70) directly comparable to previous-year values, or have data collection methods changed?

  3. Conflicts of Interest: To what extent do the tripled tuition fees for international students affect research quality and international cooperation, particularly with EU partnerships?

  4. Causality: Can the growth of two percent actually be attributed to capacity measures, or do other factors (labor market, admission competition) play a role?

  5. Feasibility: How concrete are the requested improvements in synergies and reserve reduction, and what timeframes does the Federal Council set for their implementation?

  6. Side Effects: Could the four-year restriction on foreign bachelor's students at EPFL lead to skilled labor shortages in certain disciplines?

  7. Alternatives: Were alternatives such as tiered fee models or capacity expansion evaluated when implementing admission restrictions?

  8. Reserve Reduction: Is the reduction of reserves by 25 million francs sustainable, or does a structural deficit threaten if federal financing decreases?

Bibliography

Primary Source: Federal Council Press Release – ETH Area Achieves Majority of Strategic Goals in First Year of 2025–2028 Funding Period – https://www.news.admin.ch/de/newnsb/PQxbSe0ycw6Gu1ttiKO4r

Verification Status: ✓ 13.03.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-Check: 13.03.2026