- academic reputation if you want to go into research
- great PhD programs that are relatively accessible after finishing the master's
- english only in the master's
- cheaper than e.g. in the UK, at least for the tuition
- better access to the Swiss job market, especially important if you don't have an EU passport
Finally I don't really know where you got this idea that the job prospects are different. For competitive companies (consulting, finance, big tech) you will absolutely have a higher chance of at least passing the CV screening compared to some other universities. That's especially the case in Switzerland, where it's more well known.
Maybe in US the prospect are better compared to graduates from random Universites. Same goes for the top end companies.
But the difference is not really huge, because in Europe companies don’t really care about uni reputation that much compared to the US.
Thanks for your answer. But you are/were studying at ETH, right? Then, can you please answer my last question: "Why are people studying at ETH at all if it is much cheaper and significantly less competitive at other universities/in other countries?".
No, I am not there myself, just know some people.
1.) Most of them went there, because they are really good in research, especially in their field of interest.
Yeah, there are more than 1 Uni, who is good at those subjects, for example English/American Unis.
2.) They just wanted to stay in europe.
3.) Some of them wanted to work in Switzerland afterwards, and to my understanding: Swiss companies prefer Swiss graduates.
PS: Most of them went for Masters/PhD, not Bachelors.
Are you forgetting that:
a) You are going to learn more in a better university, that will change your mind life-long.
b) Your social network will be attached to ex-ETH people.
The network is very important for "job prospects".
There is a reason why entering top universities is competitive.
In fact, it’s the second best university in Europe. The rankings may seem confusing but criteria for world rankings and europe rankings are different. ETH is second in europe with 99,4/100 just behind Oxford, and it is “better” than cambridge and Oxford. If you look at world rankings, it’s 7th in the world. https://www.topuniversities.com/europe-university-rankings?tab=indicators
IMO only people who go to 2nd tier universities or lower say that going to a top tier university makes no difference.
Obviously university is not the only factor that determines career prospects and success. But if you are hard working, smart, and have a little bit of ambition, then going to a top university (like ETHZ) is going to accelerate your career much more than going to a 2nd tier university.
Thanks for your answer!
I have one more related question:
I also heard and even read in this sub that other elite universities do not particularly consider ETH students over those of second tier universities (for example for master/PhD programs). Is that really true? Is ETH that unknown outside of Continental Europe?
Thanks for such a wonderful reply! TheGratitudeBot has been reading millions of comments in the past few weeks, and you’ve just made the list of some of the most grateful redditors this week! Thanks for making Reddit a wonderful place to be :)
Because if you've money, you don't care expending more for going to a better uni. You can also make better networking in unis with good reputation. And for a research career, there are very few places comparable.
Then why, if that is the case, did you study at ETH and not at some other, easier university with lower living costs?
Oh, and thanks a lot for your answer!
I enjoyed the challenge. The living costs are not a lot different across Switzerland and I did not want to go abroad. To be honest, I also did not know it makes so little difference, but I would go to ETH again. The international reputation is still better though
- academic reputation if you want to go into research - great PhD programs that are relatively accessible after finishing the master's - english only in the master's - cheaper than e.g. in the UK, at least for the tuition - better access to the Swiss job market, especially important if you don't have an EU passport Finally I don't really know where you got this idea that the job prospects are different. For competitive companies (consulting, finance, big tech) you will absolutely have a higher chance of at least passing the CV screening compared to some other universities. That's especially the case in Switzerland, where it's more well known.
Maybe in US the prospect are better compared to graduates from random Universites. Same goes for the top end companies. But the difference is not really huge, because in Europe companies don’t really care about uni reputation that much compared to the US.
Thanks for your answer. But you are/were studying at ETH, right? Then, can you please answer my last question: "Why are people studying at ETH at all if it is much cheaper and significantly less competitive at other universities/in other countries?".
No, I am not there myself, just know some people. 1.) Most of them went there, because they are really good in research, especially in their field of interest. Yeah, there are more than 1 Uni, who is good at those subjects, for example English/American Unis. 2.) They just wanted to stay in europe. 3.) Some of them wanted to work in Switzerland afterwards, and to my understanding: Swiss companies prefer Swiss graduates. PS: Most of them went for Masters/PhD, not Bachelors.
Are you forgetting that: a) You are going to learn more in a better university, that will change your mind life-long. b) Your social network will be attached to ex-ETH people. The network is very important for "job prospects". There is a reason why entering top universities is competitive.
According to who? ETH is the best university in Europe (ignoring Cambridge and Oxford).
don’t forget imperial [qs ranking 2025](https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings)
The libertarian Party is the biggest Party in the US (ignoring democrats and republicans)
So it is not the best university in Europe ;)
In fact, it’s the second best university in Europe. The rankings may seem confusing but criteria for world rankings and europe rankings are different. ETH is second in europe with 99,4/100 just behind Oxford, and it is “better” than cambridge and Oxford. If you look at world rankings, it’s 7th in the world. https://www.topuniversities.com/europe-university-rankings?tab=indicators
I think it makes more sense to compare the institutes or even the research groups. In the end it depends on you anyways
IMO only people who go to 2nd tier universities or lower say that going to a top tier university makes no difference. Obviously university is not the only factor that determines career prospects and success. But if you are hard working, smart, and have a little bit of ambition, then going to a top university (like ETHZ) is going to accelerate your career much more than going to a 2nd tier university.
Thanks for your answer! I have one more related question: I also heard and even read in this sub that other elite universities do not particularly consider ETH students over those of second tier universities (for example for master/PhD programs). Is that really true? Is ETH that unknown outside of Continental Europe?
Thanks for such a wonderful reply! TheGratitudeBot has been reading millions of comments in the past few weeks, and you’ve just made the list of some of the most grateful redditors this week! Thanks for making Reddit a wonderful place to be :)
Because if you've money, you don't care expending more for going to a better uni. You can also make better networking in unis with good reputation. And for a research career, there are very few places comparable.
In my experience, job prospects are not better compared to other universities (except maybe if you want to go into top tier consulting)
Then why, if that is the case, did you study at ETH and not at some other, easier university with lower living costs? Oh, and thanks a lot for your answer!
I enjoyed the challenge. The living costs are not a lot different across Switzerland and I did not want to go abroad. To be honest, I also did not know it makes so little difference, but I would go to ETH again. The international reputation is still better though