How much do graduates of universities of applied sciences earn?
Studying at a university of applied sciences pays off. This is shown by the UAS Salary Study 2025. There are still major differences when comparing sectors, although it is noticeable that some are catching up. The UAS salary study is carried out by UAS Switzerland, the national umbrella organization for graduates of universities of applied sciences.
11,906 people took part in the survey for the UAS Salary Study 2025 in the first quarter. All of them graduated from a Swiss university of applied sciences and most of them work as employees (94%). 67 percent of participants are up to 40 years old. A third of all respondents work in a middle or upper management position. At just under 63%, male participants are in the majority.
Health and social services sectors grow
The composition of the survey participants has an influence on the available salary data. The median salary* of all participants in 2025 is CHF 112,851 per year. As in other years, the finance and insurance sector is the most affluent. The healthcare and social services sectors have also caught up. However, the proportion of men here remains low at 26%.
Salary by sector 2025 (median*, in francs per year)
*In contrast to the average, the median is the middle value - half of the wages are below this, the other half above. Individual outliers therefore have no distorting effect.
Many university of applied sciences graduates in management positions
A look at the positions held by UAS graduates shows that a good 30% hold a management position in middle or upper management. Of the almost 2,000 respondents in middle management positions, 50% earn between 109,510 and 170,900 francs (median: see table). For senior management positions (almost 1,700 participants), this range is between 123,765 and 206,000 francs. "These are impressive salaries and even higher than in the last survey two years ago. It also shows that graduates of universities of applied sciences play a key role in the Swiss economy and are well remunerated," summarizes Toni Schmid, Managing Director of FH SWITZERLAND.
The largest subset of respondents is made up of lower management and the group of specialists without a traditional management function (clerical/specialist). For these groups, the range for 50% participants is CHF 95,000 to 140,000 and CHF 85,000 to 117,000 respectively.
Zurich at the top
A comparison of the regions reveals the familiar picture. Zurich takes the top spot in German-speaking Switzerland, followed by Northwestern Switzerland with the two Basel regions and Aargau, followed by Central and Eastern Switzerland.
Training and further education: Master's degree courses are gaining in popularity
Participants were also asked about their intention to undertake training or further education in the near future. Interest in further training is unbroken. Shorter formats such as CAS and DAS are clearly the most popular. More than one in ten people would like to complete a specialist or management course. Almost as many are planning a demanding Master's course such as MAS, MBA or EMBA. As in previous years, it is clear that women are more willing to undertake further training than men, although this gap has widened. Only 34% of women state that they do not plan to continue their education, compared to 45% of men. In 2023, this ratio was 37% compared to 42%.
Particularly striking in this year's study is the significant increase in interest in a consecutive* Master's degree program (Master of Science, MSc or Master of Arts, MA). 11.7% of participants plan to specialize in their subject in this way. In the 2023 study, a good 2 percent still stated this.
Further results of the FH wage study are available on www.fhlohn.ch (subject to a charge). Using an input mask, the salary profiles can be refined according to criteria such as age, type of qualification, sector or region as well as other parameters. The survey results from 2023 for comparison.
Source: FH Switzerland
