Those who want to pursue their higher education in other countries, Switzerland could be a study destination for them.There are 26 cantons (states) in Switzerland and each of them is independent having their own laws and legislations. And the enrolment process in colleges/ universities varies according to the regulation of particular canton. A Nepali student is also able to have a promising career after completing higher education from Switzerland.

Courses Offered
In Switzerland, one can find public and private educational institutions including many private international schools rn targeting foreign students that offer courses on Science and Technology, Humanities, Management and Hospitality.

Higher education in Switzerland comprises academic studies at the 10 cantonal universities, at the two Federal Institutes of Tecnology, at the more professionaly-oriented universities of applied sciences and at the universities of teacher education. A few university-level institutions are considered public institutions of higher education.

Eligibility Criteria
Language is one of the most important thing students should consider before going to study in Switzerland, Head of Consular Section in Embassy of Switzerland in Nepal, Urs Fluckiger explains, “If a student wants to enroll in the public Universities, it is necessary for them to know that the language of instruction are German, Romansh, French or Italian. The language used mostly depends upon where the University is located.“

As per the website http://www.swissuniversity.ch, referred to by the Embassy of Switzerland, all Universities in Switzerland provide language tests before taking admission of any student. The basic admission criteria required for a foreign student to enroll in Bachelor's level is completion of higher secondary school level, which must be equivalent to Swiss programme. But, one will not be able to study the Bachelor's level course in English language in the public Universities.

For Masters Level, courses are available in English language.Meanwhile for a Master's degree programme one must have completed Bachelor's level and the degree should be acceptable to respective college where the student wants to get enrolled. To be eligible for a PhD programme, applicants must hold a Master's degree or equivalent from a recognised university.

Fluckiger informs, “The decision concerning admitting particular student to a course in any level rests with the educational institution. And students must do a research on educational institution before getting an admission in Switzerland.“

Visa application essentials
According to Fluckiger stu dents must have letter of acceptance from the Swiss college or University before applying for the visa . Once accepted by an educational institution in Switzerland, the student should present receipt for advance payment as required by the college/university before the embassy. Other requirements include passport, citizenship certificate, essay on reasons for choosing the particular college/university, future plans after completing studies, bio data with detailed information of student's education, statement to leave Switzerland after completion of the study, bank statements , sponsor letters, et cetera.

Fluckiger informs, “Visa procedure cost Rs 6,600 which can fluctuate depending on exchange rate of Swiss Franc and additional Rs 450 is charged as postal charge.“

Challenges
Cautioning the students, Fluckiger says, “One must be very careful about choosing colleges particularly the private ones as all of them may not provide quality education. Therefore, students must do a detailed research about particular college before proceeding to get admission there.“

According to him the living cost of Switzerland is very expensive and the work permit for the students differs from state to state. The cost for living and studying could be more than 30,000 Swiss Franc depending on the college and place where the students choose to live.

Fluckiger shares, “It is better to do research and check what the educational institutes are offering in their course and better not to depend on consultancies as they are only there for business.“

Important websites
http://www.crus.ch
http://www.swissuniversity.ch

source:Shrestha, Sangita(2011),"Pursuing a Swiss Degree", The Himalayan Times, 18 Jan 2012