USI and SUPSI to raise tuition fees from 2027

From the autumn semester of 2027/2028, tuition fees will rise at both the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and the Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI). The two Ticino institutions announced the increase.

At USI, the semester fee will rise to 5,000 francs. It will stay at 2,000 francs for Swiss students and equivalent categories, including foreign students who were domiciled in Switzerland when they obtained their maturità, and asylum seekers holding a permit: the full fee is therefore two and a half times higher. Students already enrolled will not be affected by the increase and will keep paying the fee that applied when they first enrolled.

At SUPSI, the fee will rise from 800 to 1,000 francs for residents and from 1,600 to 2,000 francs for non-residents. The SUPSI Council has also allocated a further 200,000 francs to the fund supporting students in financial hardship: the boost to the fund accompanies the fee increase, to cushion its impact on lower-income families. The increase applies only to SUPSI's four Departments, not to its affiliated schools: Accademia Teatro Dimitri, Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana - Scuola universitaria di Musica, SUPSI Landquart and Fernfachhochschule Schweiz.

Cuts to public funding

The decision follows cuts to federal and cantonal contributions planned from 2027. USI's interim rector, Gabriele Balbi, told RSI: "Questo momento serve essenzialmente per arrivare a coprire quello che sono stati i tagli da parte sia della Confederazione sia del Cantone" (this step serves essentially to cover the cuts made by both the Confederation and the canton).

The new fees weigh mainly on foreign students outside the equivalent categories, while the share paid by Swiss and resident students remains largely unchanged. The move shifts part of the cost of studying from taxpayers to those who benefit from it directly. It remains to be seen whether the extra revenue will be enough to fully offset the reduction in public funding, or whether the two institutions will also need to act on other spending items.