Hundreds of hospitality schools and courses exist around the world, yet EHL Hospitality Business School, founded in 1893 as the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, remains the best-ranked and most appreciated by employers for many years. Here are some of the most common questions that students and parents ask about EHL and the EHL Campus Lausanne.

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Our Lausanne Campus

EHL Campus Lausanne is located in Epalinges, right above Lausanne. It’s a perfect location for outdoor activities and a fun city lifestyle.

From the bus stop on EHL’ s doorstep to St.François Place (the center of Lausanne) it’s only 30 minutes by public transportation or 17 minutes in a private vehicle.
Public transportation to the campus is extended on Friday and Saturday, so students can safely ride home after spending a night out on the town.
Epalinges is just one bus stop away with everything students need for daily life: grocery stores, pharmacies, a post office, restaurants, banks, etc.
The campus is next to Chalet-à-Gobet, a beautiful forested area and open space, where people enjoy walking, biking, and horseback riding, plus sledding, and cross-country skiing in the winter.
 EHL has several student housing buildings with a variety of room types (shared rooms, single rooms, studios, and apartments) with plenty of space for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The campus has 12 F&B outlets offering a wide variety of meals, snacks, and drinks.

Our Student Community

EHL’s student body is both very international and uniquely Swiss! Our students come from around the world, representing 125 nationalities. Plus, approximately 30% of our students are Swiss nationals, while 70% are international. This mix of global culture and true Swiss-ness offers unique advantages.

At EHL, international students get a taste of what it’s like to be an integrated citizen of Switzerland and Europe by mixing with our local students who create real-world exposure to the local culture by sharing their favorite activities, places, and foods. A student from Singapore speaks about this connection with local friends in her blog post:

Fun, fondues, and history: A Singaporean’s Swiss adventure at EHL Lausanne

English is the official language of the school, but around 84% of our students speak three or more languages and our Swiss students and staff members often speak French, German, and/or Italian. This makes it possible for students to gain exposure to these languages without being forced out of their comfort zone.

French is not required to study at EHL.

At EHL, we have a good mix of Swiss/European and global students. So our students from further abroad don’t find themselves stuck in a “foreign student island” where they won’t be well integrated or have the real Swiss and European student experience. Here’s the breakdown of our student body by region of the world:

  • Southern, Western & Northern Europe (Including Swiss) 63.9%
  • Asia & Oceania 18.8%
  • Eastern Europe 5.8%
  • North America 5.2%
  • Latin America & Caribbean 3.2%
  • Africa & Middle East 3.2%
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The New Lausanne Campus Extension

EHL Campus Lausanne is a huge campus (78,150m2) that is getting even bigger in the very near future. So our students and faculty members have plenty of room to work, study, and have fun. The new campus extension is designed to improve the living and learning facilities for EHL students and faculty, and offer more housing onsite for students, not to significantly grow the number of students at EHL.

 

Why is EHL extending the campus?

The new campus extension is designed to improve the living and learning facilities for EHL students and faculty, and offer more housing onsite for students, not to significantly grow the number of students at EHL.

What's the new campus extension adding to EHL?

  • +850 more beds to house more EHL students
  • +450 seats in the restaurants
  • New Sports Facilities: basketball courts, swimming pool, gymnasium, fitness center, and running trail
  • Organic kitchen garden & fruit tree orchard

When is the extension scheduled to open?

Some parts, such as the kitchen garden, are already open to students. The rest of the site will be inaugurated in 2022. 

Questions about academic quality

EHL is the only hospitality business school in Switzerland to be accredited by NECHE (USA) and be associated by convention to the HES-SO, the largest of the eight Universities of Applied Science (UAS) in Switzerland. It’s a mark of academic quality and it guarantees the quality of EHL’s academic programs and students.

Being recognized by the Swiss federal government, EHL offers a Bachelor of Science HES-SO in International Hospitality Management, the Executive MBA, the Master in Global Hospitality Business, Master in Hospitality Management, and the Master in Wine and Hospitality. Our degrees are recognized by the Swiss federal government, and they use the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). EHL is accredited by NECHE, the New England Commission of Higher Education, which is recognized by the USA Department of Education.
EHL’s bachelor’s degree takes 4 years to complete, including the Preparatory Year which contains the first of the two, mandatory 6-month internships, and six months of practical learning on campus. This degree meets the Swiss university-level professional degree standards and the requirements for ECTS bachelor’s degree credits (180 ECTS).

At EHL, the admissions standards comply with Swiss university requirements and guarantee that all the students have the necessary academic level and English skills to be successful in the program and contribute to the quality of the classroom experience.

Clearly, the English requirements determine how well students on the program communicate in English, which influences the classroom discussions and group work projects. To learn more visit: EHL Admissions Requirements.

  • Preparatory Year: Classes are small, usually 12-15 students per teacher, 32 practical lecturers for around 500 students in their first semester, 1 teacher for every 17 students.
  • Bachelor of Science: Classes range from 20-35 students on average, auditorium-style seating is reserved for visiting lecturers, most classes take place in a normal classroom, much of the academic work takes place in small groups.
  • Academic faculty: 50% of our academic faculty members hold a Ph.D. qualification. 28 Academic assistants are employed to help students and professors.
  • Student Affairs: 23 qualified/certified professionals work to support students in their personal, academic, and professional growth.

What electives & real-world projects can students choose?

In the final semester of the bachelor’s degree, EHL students focus on two things: Advanced Electives and a Final Project. These modules are designed to prepare graduates to be business specialists and/or to launch their own businesses upon graduation.

In this module, students acquire specialist knowledge to be able to analyze, evaluate, and recommend organizational actions in their area of choice. They choose three electives from the following list:
  • Hotel Planning & Development
  • Hospitality Luxury Brand Management
  • Guest Experience in Luxury and Hospitality
  • Concept brief development for restaurants and bars
  • Creating the Future of Food Service
  • Wine Economics & Finance
  • Strategic Hotel Investments
  • Hospitality Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Portfolio Management
  • Private Equity and Venture Capital
  • Branding - thinking beyond products and services
  • Data-Driven Marketing in the Hospitality Industry
  • Marketing: Consumer Behavior and Influencing Choice
  • Technology trends in the hospitality industry – Programming skills for businesses
  • Hospitality Technology Strategy
  • Developing Entrepreneurial Projects
  • Prototype your digital startup in 5 days
  • Innovation Management
  • Influence & Leadership: Negotiation & Communication Tools
  • Crisis/Strategic Communication
  • Decision Making: Techniques for better managerial decisions
  • People analytics
  • Diversity and Inclusion (New course Spring 2022)
  • Business Ethics
  • Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Innovations
  • Introduction to Management Consulting
To see the current list of electives and course descriptions, visit the academic catalog.

The business project choices are as follows:

  • Student Business Project: Working in a group of 6, students collaborate together full-time for 9 weeks to resolve a challenge for a real industry partner, under the guidance of two expert coaches. They produce a professional-quality report and presentation.
  • CSR Student Business Projects: One project with sustainable development or social impact objectives is assigned every semester to a local business as a part of EHL’s Contributing Beyond Education commitments. They produce a professional-quality report and presentation.
  • Thesis: This personal project is done independently over the course of 9 weeks on a topic of the student’s choice, under the guidance of one faculty member.
Working in a group of 6, students collaborate together full-time to develop and launch a startup in the EHL Hospitality Business Incubator. This option encourages our aspiring entrepreneurs to make their ideas into a real business and shape the future of hospitality.

Does EHL offer any international study options?

Following the Preparatory Year at EHL Campus Lausanne, students in the bachelor’s degree program can choose to study in Singapore or simply spend a semester or two in Singapore or Passugg for a broader cultural experience. These campuses are entirely aligned with EHL’s curriculum and student services, offering a seamless transition to a new location.

Students can choose to study entirely in Singapore for the bachelor's degree years 1-3 or to spend a semester or two in Singapore before returning to Lausanne for the final year. 


This campus offers a Singapore lifestyle and a perfect balance between convenience, calm and big-city vibes: 

  • Great location, an urban oasis with newly renovated facilities
  • Nearby shopping and leisure activities, close to Singapore Botanical Gardens
  • Convenient accommodation in professionally-run apartments, ideal for students
  • Easy access to the city center: 15-minute walk to Orchard Road, 15-minute ride to the city center

The professional pathway to the Bachelor’s degree begins in the cozy, hotel-resort setting of the Passugg campus and finishes with a final semester on the Lausanne campus. It takes students deeper into culinary arts, customer experience, and hotel management.

This campus features a traditional Swiss hospitality culture and the beauty of the Swiss mountains.
  • State-of-the-art classrooms and cozy meeting places
  • Variety of affordable accommodation options directly on campus
  • International students and an authentic Swiss experience
  • Graubünden region, Switzerland's top destination for Alpine tourism
Students coming from other hospitality schools or similar university programs can transfer credits to EHL to complete the bachelor’s degree in 3 or 4 semesters, depending on their qualifications. They can choose to study in Lausanne, Singapore, or Passugg. To learn more about these options, visit this page about Transferring to EHL.

How does EHL help students find internships and career opportunities?

Education is an investment in one’s future and EHL has been ranked the number one hospitality school by employers for three years in a row (QS University Rankings, 2019-2021) because it truly prepares graduates for successful careers and fulfilling lives. The process of transforming young people into dynamic, confident, socially-conscious leaders starts as soon as they enter the school and continues throughout their studies. We’ve developed a few new pages on the website and blog to inform students and parents about this process.

Yes, of course. The level of support varies depending on if it’s the first or second internship in the bachelor’s degree program, or if it’s a master’s degree industry placement. See here for more information: Internships for the Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality
EHL has a dedicated team of qualified professionals who help students to prepare for their first steps in the industry. Learn more about it here: Career Development Services & Resources

One of the unique aspects of hospitality education is that it is two-fold. On one side, students receive hands-on training in hospitality operations on campus, and they complete real-world internships as a part of their studies. The advantages to this approach are immeasurable as hospitality training develops professional skills along with soft skills that are both highly valuable to employers and transferable to any type of business. Learn more about the benefits of internships.

Questions about EHL in general…

EHL Hospitality Business School is a part of EHL Holding SA that is owned by the EHL Foundation, which has the status of a non-profit foundation. This status allows EHL to reinvest all profits to further enhance the quality of our student's education. This structure supports the development of a variety of products and offerings in both Swiss and international markets. It enables students, faculty, and administrative personnel to evolve in an environment that is in line with the hospitality industry's expectations. Most importantly, being a not-for-profit company facilitates our work in developing academic programs and resources, thereby reinforcing our status as the world's leader in higher education in Hospitality Management.

Unlike most Swiss hotel schools, which are the property of private for-profit entities, EHL Hospitality Business School and its campus in Singapore, as well as the EHL Swiss School for Tourism and Hospitality, are a part of EHL Holding SA, which is owned entirely by the not-for-profit EHL Foundation. Additionally, EHL Hospitality Business School is associated by convention to the HES-SO, the largest of the eight Universities of Applied Science (UAS) in Switzerland.

The EHL Foundation for Scholarships and Honorary Loans is committed to providing a scholarship and financial aid program for deserving foreign students, and Swiss students who do not benefit from HES-SO grants.

Learn more here: https://www.ehl.edu/en/admission-fees/fees-scholarships/international-scholarships-for-bachelor-students

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Chat with EHL Students or Admissions Staff

Do you have questions about student life?  EHL students are available to give you insights about life in Switzerland, what EHL classes are like, impressions from their first day on campus, or to answer any other question you may have.  EHL Admission officers are also available for your questions