Located in the city of Fribourg, the Université de Fribourg was created in 1889 and is presented by its own website as the only bilingual university in Switzerland. Courses are offered in French, in German or in both.
The university describes two official languages, French and German, and three working languages with English. Its faculties cover theology, law, economics and social sciences, humanities and science and medicine, and the official site also lists education. About 10,000 students are enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes.
Prospective students can find admission requirements, fees and current statistics on the university’s website.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Physics, Process Control, Robotics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
International partnerships for student exchange and research. Member of The Guild and Eucor. Collaborations with research institutes.
Research:
Research in areas such as soft matter and nanomaterials, bioinspired materials, cell biology, ecology and evolution, chemistry, computer science (AI, data science), and physics.
Famous Alumnis:
N/A
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2000
Current students***:
10000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
50000
Pros
Bilingual (French/German) education, strong focus on specific research niches like materials science. Good student-to-faculty ratio.
Cons
Fewer engineering programs compared to technical universities.
Best For
Students interested in sciences, particularly materials science or biology, in a bilingual (French/German) university environment.
Université de Neuchâtel is a public university with biology, computer science and hydrogeology.
Université de Lausanne, public, specialises in life sciences, geosciences and environmental science.
Université de Genève offers physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and earth sciences as a public French-speaking institution.
Universität Bern combines space research, climate science and biomedical science in a public university.
Università della Svizzera italiana is a public university working in computer science, computational science and biomedical sciences.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Libera Università di Bolzano (Italy) is a public university offering industrial and mechanical engineering and computer science.
Université de Strasbourg, in France, is public with chemistry, life sciences and health.
University of Innsbruck (Austria) is a public university covering physics, mathematics, chemistry and biology.
Universität Konstanz in Germany is public, working in chemistry, nanoscience and physics.
Université de Liège, a Belgian public university, brings aerospace engineering, materials science and life sciences.
*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
When was the university established?
It was founded in 1889. Both Wikipedia and the university's own website give this year.
Why is it called bilingual?
The university has two official languages, French and German, and most programmes can be taken entirely in French, entirely in German or bilingually. English also serves as a working language.
Which fields of study exist?
Faculties include theology, law, economics and social sciences, humanities, and science and medicine. Education appears as an additional faculty on the official site.
How large is the student body?
About 10,000 students attend, according to the university and Wikipedia. The two sources give no shared reference year, so check the latest statistics.
What does bilingual study mean in practice?
Most programmes can be completed in French, in German or bilingually. Details differ by programme.
Where in Switzerland is it?
The university is in the city of Fribourg, in the canton of Fribourg.
How can I check fees and entry rules?
The university website lists them by programme, and requirements differ for Swiss and international applicants. Language certificates may be requested.
*: 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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