Engineering, Life Sciences, Information Technology
The Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) is one of the leading universities of applied sciences in Switzerland, with campuses in Winterthur, Zurich, and Wädenswil. It comprises several schools, including the School of Engineering and the School of Life Sciences and Facility Management.
The Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, ZHAW, or Zurich University of Applied Sciences, is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in Switzerland. It was created in 2007 by merging several schools of the canton of Zurich, and it has about 14,000 students and 2,500 staff, with around one student in ten from abroad. The main site is in Winterthur, a city of about 120,000 people north-east of Zurich, with further sites in Zürich and Wädenswil.
ZHAW is organised in eight schools: applied linguistics, applied psychology, architecture, design and civil engineering, engineering, health professions, life sciences and facility management, management and law, and social work. Teaching is practice-oriented, with a mix of lectures, projects and placements, and professors are expected to have experience outside the university. Graduates enter work directly, and the employment rate is high.
Winterthur has a tradition in mechanical engineering and industry, linked to the company Sulzer, and the school works with firms in the region on technology, energy, data science and medical technology. Research is applied, with projects in renewable energy, food science, health, linguistics, psychology and social work. The School of Life Sciences and Facility Management in Wädenswil, on Lake Zurich, works on food, horticulture, biotechnology and environmental management.
Tuition fees are low by international standards, around 720 francs per semester at present. Check the current tariff. Bachelor’s programmes typically take three years and are mostly taught in German, with some in English, and a number of master’s programmes are in English. Admission usually requires a vocational Matura or a general Matura with work experience, and the master’s programmes are open to graduates of bachelor’s degrees.
Winterthur is smaller and cheaper than Zurich, with museums and a lively old town, and it is about 20 minutes from Zurich by train. Student housing is scarce, so applying early is advised.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Ergonomics, Fluid Dynamics, Food Science, Geotechnics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Metrology, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Project Management, Quality, Robotics, Signal Processing, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Diploma, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Extensive network of partnerships with industry, public sector, and other academic institutions, both locally and internationally. Strong emphasis on applied research and development (aR&D) projects that address real-world challenges.
Research:
Applied research across its schools in areas like sustainable energy, digital technologies, health solutions, environmental science, aviation, automotive engineering, and food technology.
Famous Alumnis:
N/A
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2500
Current students***:
14000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
70000
Pros
Offers a wide range of practice-oriented bachelor’s and master’s programs with strong research backing, good infrastructure, and high graduate employability.
Cons
Distributed across multiple locations. More focused on applied research.
Best For
Students seeking practice-oriented higher education in engineering, life sciences, or IT, with strong applied research opportunities in the Zurich area.
On content, Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz and this school are close, as both teach metrology, quality and bioinformatics; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and diploma programmes.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of ergonomics, metrology and agriculture can consider Berner Fachhochschule, and it covers software engineering as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 7,800 students against roughly 14,000 here.
Where this institution leans on ergonomics, metrology and agriculture, Haute École Spécialisée de Suisse occidentale does the same, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and diploma programmes.
Also strong in ergonomics, metrology and quality, Hochschule Luzern makes a sensible second look at home; it is smaller, enrolling about 8,000 students against roughly 14,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Among national alternatives, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich stands out for its focus on metrology, food science and quality, and it covers astroscience and aerospace as well, and is larger, enrolling about 24,500 students against roughly 14,000 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg in Germany is the nearest foreign match on food science, quality and bioinformatics; it is also a public institution and does not run the diploma programmes found here.
On content, Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hof in Germany and this school are close, as both teach quality, nanotechnologies and optics; it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
University of Tsukuba (Japan) works on the same fields as this school, chiefly food science, bioinformatics and geotechnics; it is slightly larger, at about 17,000 students against roughly 14,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Seen from abroad, UTokyo (Japan) is a close relative on subject matter, since bioinformatics, geotechnics and nanotechnologies are central to both, and it also offers doctoral programmes and covers astroscience and marine science as well.
For a study option in Poland with a comparable spread of metrology, quality and bioinformatics, Wrocław University of Science and Technology is the reference point: it covers aerospace and transportations as well, and is larger, enrolling about 26,000 students against roughly 14,000 here.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
What is ZHAW?
The Zurich University of Applied Sciences, one of the largest universities of applied sciences in Switzerland.
Where is it?
The main address is Gertrudstrasse 15 in Winterthur, Switzerland. Other sites are in Zürich and Wädenswil.
When was it created?
In 2007, by merging several schools of the canton of Zurich.
How large is it?
About 14,000 students and 2,500 staff.
What are its schools?
Applied linguistics, applied psychology, architecture, design and civil engineering, engineering, health professions, life sciences and facility management, management and law, and social work.
What is the teaching style?
Practice-oriented, with a mix of lectures, projects and placements.
How long is a bachelor's degree?
Typically three years.
How do you get in?
Usually with a vocational Matura or a general Matura with work experience. Master's programmes are open to graduates of bachelor's degrees.
What does it cost?
Tuition fees are low by international standards, around 720 francs per semester at present. Check the current tariff.
How far is Winterthur from Zurich?
About 20 minutes by train.
Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Product Development, Sustainable Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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