Application deadline

Fall semester 2024: 
Nomination deadline: 5 May 2024
Application deadline: 15 May 2024              

Spring semester 2025:
Nomination deadline: 15 November 2024
Application deadline: 30 November 2024

Step 1 - Nomination
Partner universities nominate students by email international.office@clutterfhgr.ch and provide the following information:

• name of student
• study programme at University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons
• e-mail
• age
• nationality

Step 2 - Application
Students e-mail their application documents to: international.office@clutterfhgr.ch

• application form
• motivation letter
• provisional Learning Agreement
• semester grade reports
• language certification (see language requirements) 
• copy of passport
• passport photograph

Step 3 – Next steps

• University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons reviews the application dossier, gives feedback about the provisional learning agreement and sends students an official letter of acceptance.
• Students are sent information about housing and are requested to send several documents for their visa and residence permit application.
• Students are allocated a Swiss “buddy” to help them with any questions about living and studying in Chur.
• The International Office sends information about the mandatory “welcome days” which take place two days before the start of the semester.

The University of Applied of the Grisons teaches Tourism at bachelor and master level in English. There are also several General Management courses taught in English at Master’s level.

In addition, we offer Media and Digital Business students the English-taught Creative Media and Digital Innovation-programme, which is available in the Autumn semester. 

All other study programmes are taught in German.

Course selection
 

English-taught programmes

Bachelor

• Tourism HS24
• Tourism HS24/FS25
• Creative Media and Digital Innovation (for Media and Business IT students, Fall Semester only)

Master

• Tourism and Change
   

German-taught programmes

Bachelor

• Architecture
• Business
• Civil Engineering
• Computational and Data Sciences
• Digital Business Management
• Digital Supply Chain Management
• Information Science
• Mobile Robotics
• Multimedia Production
• Photonics
• Sport Management

Master

• Data Visualization
• New Business*
• User Experience Design
• Sustainable Business Development

* Some modules are taught in English

For study programmes taught in English, the required minimum language level is B2. For programmes taught in German, the required language level is C1.

EU/EFTA nationals can either provide a language diploma or their language tutor can confirm their level using a language assessment form.

Non-EU nationals are required to submit an official language diploma for visa application purposes. The following language diplomas are recognised:

• English: IELTS/TOEFL/FCE/CAE/BEC Vantage/BEC Higher
• German: DSH Level 3/Goethe-Zertifikat C1

Autumn semester: 16 September 2024 to 7 February 2025
(Creative Media & Digital Innovation programme starts on 09/09/24)
Spring semester: 17 February 2025 to 4 July 2025
Mandatory welcome days: 2 days before the semester starts.

Please find the detailed semester dates in our academic calendar.

Exchange students from University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons’s European Erasmus+ partner universities are given a mobility grant funded by the Swiss-European Mobility Programme.
This project is financially supported by Movetia. Movetia promotes exchange, mobility and cooperation within the fields of education, training and youth work – in Switzerland, Europe and worldwide. 

DK, FI, IS, IE, LI, LU, NO, SE, UK = CHF 1900 per semester

AT, BE, BG, CY, CZ, DE, EE, ES, FR, GR, HR, HU, IT, LT, LV, MK, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, RS, SI, SK, TR = CHF 2200 per semester

SEMP worldwide partner = CHF 2500 per semester

Exchange students from partner universities outside of the European Union are provided with a mobility grant funded by the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons. For the academic year 2023/24 this amount is CHF 1000.

As part of the initiative to make Exchange and Mobility greener, a «Green Travel Top-Up» of CHF 100 is now available to students who travel to and from their destination using a means of transport generating lower CO2 emissions than the plane. Movetia’s Greener Mobility kit gives students helpful tips and links for sustainable travel.

University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons’s institutional fact sheet for exchange students

Who needs a student visa?

Citizens of EU and EFTA member states do not require a visa to enter Switzerland. 

Non-EU/EFTA citizens are required to have a national “D” visa to enter and study in Switzerland.

Non-EU/EFTA citizens, who already have a valid Swiss residence permit for purposes other than studying, are not required to have a student visa, but must send a copy of their  residence permit to the International Office prior to the start of their studies.

Which documents are needed and what is the visa process like?

The visa procedure for Switzerland is initiated upon receipt of CHF 4’550 (enrolment fee CHF 1’550 and security deposit CHF 3’000). The following documents must be sent to the International Office:

• Proof of financial means: You must provide proof of sufficient financial means to cover your living expenses in Switzerland. This means you need to have at least CHF 2,000 available per month of stay. To demonstrate this, you must submit bank statements from the last 6 months showing a balance of at least CHF 24,000. The bank providing these statements must be recognized by the central supervisory authority in your home country. Loans and credit card statements are not accepted.
• Sponsorship: If you have a sponsor, whether a parent living abroad or a financially solvent person residing in Switzerland (Swiss citizen or foreigner with a B or C resident permit), they must provide an official sponsorship letter. This letter must guarantee that the sponsor will cover all your living expenses during your stay in Switzerland (CHF 2,000 per month), as well as costs for accidents, illness, and your return journey. The sponsorship letter must also specify the relationship between the sponsor and you as the student. Additionally, the following documents from the sponsor must be submitted: a copy of their passport or Swiss residence permit, bank statements from the last 6 months, their most recent tax return, and an extract from the debt collection register.
• Proof of health insurance: As a prospective student in Switzerland, you are obliged to have a health insurance policy that covers illness and accidents throughout Switzerland.
• English-taught study programmes: only IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge diplomas (FCE/CAE) at level B2 are accepted for visa purposes.
• German-taught study programmes: If the prospective student’s native language is not German, the student must submit a B2-level German Diploma (DSH or Goethe-Zertifikat).

Upon receipt of the required documents the International Office will forward your visa application to the migration authorities in Chur. The Swiss immigration authorities will charge a visa processing fee of approx. CHF 100.

At the same time, you will need to submit your visa application in person at the Swiss embassy or consulate general at your place of residence (at least 3 months before you plan to enter Switzerland). The Swiss embassy/consulate general will charge a visa processing fee of approx. CHF 100.

Once you have submitted your part of the application, it will be forwarded to the authorities in Switzerland for approval. This process usually takes several weeks. Once the "Visa Authorisation Letter" from Chur has arrived at the International Office, it will be forwarded to you. This document allows you to go back to the Swiss embassy/consulate general to have the visa printed in your passport.

Where can I live? 

Please be aware that non-EU/EFTA citizens with an L permit for study purposes will have to live in the canton Grisons during their studies. On our website you will find helpful information about the housing situation in and around Chur: Housing options - University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons (fhgr.ch)

All international students are required to have a residence permit for the duration of their studies in Switzerland. 

The International Office contacts students prior to their arrival in Switzerland to request supporting documents and applies for the residence permit on their behalf (EU/EFTA students living outside of canton Grisons are responsible for this process themselves). Students will receive a short-term residence permit “L”. Students are responsible for the annual renewal of the residence permit themselves.

Once the application has been processed by the migration authorities, you will be invited to register your biometric data at the passport centre. The residence permit will then be issued in credit card format. The Swiss cantonal immigration authorities will charge a residence permit processing fee of approx. CHF 180.

If you already have a valid Swiss residence permit, please send an electronic copy to: international.office@clutterfhgr.ch.