Higher education institutions
Discover the centers of learning in Lugano.
Campuses and Research Institutes
Academic institutions and research institutes in Lugano are the places where passion for knowledge meets innovation. Explore Lugano’s intellectual landscape.
6000+
Students
3
Main higher education institutions
65+
Research Institutes
70MIO+
due to research efforts
Lugano is a university, scientific, technological and innovative city
Lugano, a university, scientific, technological and innovative city, is home to the faculties of the Università della Svizzera italiana, the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland and Franklin University Switzerland, the Centre for Banking Studies, the Dalle Molle USI-SUPSI Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the Swiss Centre for Scientific Computing equipped with one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, and biomedical research and advanced therapy centres, including the Cardiocentro and the Neurocentro, which have been joined by the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of USI.
Lugano's higher education institutions​
USI - Università della Svizzera italiana
USI is active in several areas of study and research, namely architecture, communication, law, economics, computer science, medicine and biomedicine, public health, computational science, data science and humanities.
SUPSI - University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland
SUPSI offers Bachelor’s, Master’s and Diploma programmes in the fields of Architecture and Construction, Design, Economics, Teacher Training, Engineering, Technology and ICT, Social Work, Music and Theatre, and Healthcare.
FUS - Franklin University Switzerland
FUS is a private English-language university accredited in both the United States and Switzerland. Areas of study and research are related to the liberal arts: history, international relations, economics, political science, environmental studies, management, languages and the arts.
Other excellences highlighted in Lugano
Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence Studies (IDSIA USI-SUPSI)
CSCS - Swiss National Supercomputing Centre
Centro Studi Villa Negroni
Istituto Cardiocentro Ticino
Istituto di Neuroscienze Cliniche della Svizzera Italiana
University of Music - Pre-College - School of Music
Facoltà di Teologia di Lugano
Did you know that...
Some recent news:
Professor John Ioannidis of Stanford University produced a standardised index of the most influential female researchers in various disciplines and published the results in the journal PLOS Biology. The University of Lugano and its affiliated institutes appear 28 times in the top 2% of most cited authors. Find out more
Researchers from SUPSI’s Department of Innovative Technologies have been included in the World Ranking of Top 2% Scientist’s by Standford University. Find out more
27 Million CHF Competitive Research per year at USI (Source: USI data)
48 million CHF of SUPSI’s research volume (Source: SUPSI data)
92.8% of the graduates of USI Master’s programmes (USI data) are employed 1 year after graduation, and 96% of SUPSI Bachelor and Master graduates are employed 1 year after graduation (SUPSI data)
- USI in the Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings (QS), among the world’s most popular and well-known general rankings; latest data available. Find out more
- USI is the most international university in Switzerland
(Data source Movetia: find out more)
FUS is the only university in Ticino accredited both in Switzerland and the United States.
FUS is the most sustainable Swiss university according to the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings.
In the fourth edition of the innovative ranking system of the World’s Universities with Real Impact (WURI), Franklin University Switzerland was ranked 26th among the 100 most innovative universities. Find out more
At USI, the UNESCO Chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in world heritage sites. Find out more.
Scholarships and financial support
In Lugano, the passion for learning is encouraged and supported, offering committed students the chance to realise their academic dreams. Explore the extraordinary scholarships available and get ready to embark on a path of growth and success in the city of Lugano!
Consult the dedicated page of your university.
Highlighted excellence in Ticino
- Accademia di architettura USI Mendrisio
- IRB USI Bellinzona: Istituto di Ricerca in Biomedicina
- Campus SUPSI di Mendrisio – Dipartimento ambiente costruzioni e design
- SUPSI – Dipartimento formazione e apprendimento / Alta scuola pedagogicambiente costruzioni e design
- The House of sustainability is intended to be a place for education in the culture of sustainability, where students can reflect on this issue while interacting with the local area, the scientific community, and the population.Â
- Accademia DIMITRI Physical Theatre – scuola universitaria professionale di teatro
