Admission requirements vary among Swiss universities. The requirements for foreign applicants are relatively lenient in the French-speaking part of the country: for non-EU citizens, it is only necessary to present a high school diploma with good grades and pass a single exam in five subjects (foreign language, mathematics, history - mandatory, and two electives - a second foreign language, physics, chemistry, biology, or geography). The exam is held simultaneously for all applicants based on the University of Fribourg. 9-month preparatory courses are organized to prepare for the exam. For example, the University of Geneva only accepts applicants based on their diploma and an exam in French. As a result, the number of admitted students is significantly higher than what the university actually needs. At the end of the first year, almost half of the students are screened out after the exams.

Universities in the German-speaking part of Switzerland prefer to admit students who have already studied for a couple of years at universities in their home country. Some universities have quotas for admitting foreign students (for example, in St. Gallen - 25%).

At EPFL and ETHZ, students can enroll immediately after high school, but before being admitted to the entrance exams, all foreigners are enrolled in a preparatory department, where they undergo intensive mathematics courses. Based on the results of the exams at the end of this year-long education, about 30% of applicants are admitted to the university course.