Socioeconomic Background
The term ‘socioeconomic background’ generally refers to the various scholastic, social and economic origins of an individual, such as the level of education of their parents or the type of university entrance qualification they have. ETH Zurich welcomes people from different socioeconomic backgrounds to study and work.
Social selectivity and first-generation students
What is it about?
Social selectivity refers to inequalities in access to, progression through, and success in higher education and academic careers linked to students' social backgrounds. In Switzerland, as in other countries, young people from modest socioeconomic backgrounds face more challenges than their peers from more privileged backgrounds. Young people whose parents have not had a university education also generally encounter this situation.
These inequalities are not limited to financial resources. Research shows that these inequalities are rooted in an unequal distribution of capital, including economic, social (i.e., networks of relations and family support), and cultural capital (i.e., familiarity with university codes and norms).
While 78% of the Swiss resident population comes from families where neither parent has a college degree, this proportion drops to 53% among university students. On the other hand, although only 23% of 20- to 35-year-olds come from families where at least one parent has a college degree, they account for 47% of students in higher education institutions (SFSO, SSEE 2020).
These discrepancies are too often misinterpreted as individual shortcomings. In reality, they reflect structural barriers.
This explanatory text was formulated as part of the FirstGen+ project.
First-generation at ETH Zurich
Around one third of all students at ETH Zurich belong to the so-called "first-generation students" or "first-generation academics". For example, in the survey HowsETHgoing2024, 27 percent of the students and academic staff surveyed said they felt they belonged to this group. The external page federal government's study on the social and economic situation of students and an external page analysis by EPFL show that this figure is lower than at other universities and colleges: across Switzerland.
As ETH Diversity, we are committed to ensuring that the situation of first-generation students and academics at ETH Zurich is addressed more broadly, with all the opportunities and challenges that this entails. We are involved in networks and support services on this topic and are available to the ETH community with our expertise and collaborations.
What are the key requirements of an education system that ensures that everybody has the same opportunities?
"Having equal access to educational opportunities means that people
bring their own skills and their own vision. And then they can choose
what they want to do." (Julia Dannath, ETH VP for Human Resources Development and Leadership).
A conversation about social mobility in Switzerland, with an ETH doctoral student, ETH Vice-President for Human Resources Development and Leadership, and an ETH professor.
Projects and Initiatives at ETH Zurich
ETH Diversity has supported the creation of the FirstGen-ZRH network and works closely with its members. The network was founded by first-generation academics and supports people who are the first in their family to study or pursue an academic career. It is open to anyone interested in attending from ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and neighbouring institutions.
FirstGen-ZRH organises regular get-togethers and a book club, supports initiatives by and for first-generation people, career workshops, and much more. external page To the First Gen Network website.
On the annual national ‘Future Day’ (Zukunftstag), schoolchildren from the age 10 to 13 are given practical insights into a range of different professions. Various departments and units of ETH Zurich offer a range of special projects designed to spark the children's curiosity about different scientific fields.
Children of ETH members as well as children with no connection to the university are welcome. In order to promote social mobility, quotas have been created: One-third of the places are allocated to children of ETH members, one-third to children of non-ETH members and one-third to children from families with KulturLegi.
A report on the Zukunftstag 2022 at ETH Zurich
A report on the Zukunftstag 2024 at ETH Zurich
external page Website of the Nationaler Zukunftstag (German)
ETH Zurich offers praxis-oriented pre-apprenticeships for young refugees. These apprenticenships facilitate their way to aquiring professional training. With this programme, ETH contributes to the fast and sustainable integration of regocnised refugees and temporarily admitted refugees in the job market and society in general. More Information on pre-apprenticeships (German).
The project "external page Social selectivity by social origin" was conducted in the realm of the federal program P7 Equal opportunities (equity) and development at universities 2021-2024. University of Fribourg is the leading house on this cooperation project, which is also supported by the Universities of Bern, Lucerne, St. Gallen and Zurich.
This work culminated in the organization of a national conference in 2023, which laid the foundations for the first concrete measures and raised awareness of the issue on a wider scale. This also led to the drafting of a catalogue of recommendations for Swiss universities and other higher education institutions, as well as the creation of an information platform for prospective and current students and graduates.
ETH Diversity is in close contact with the project team.
ETH takes part in the project “First Gen+ - Advance First-Generation Students and Academics in Swiss Higher Education”, which is taking over as part of the new Equity Program - Chancengerechtigkeit – F?rderung der Gleichstellung, Diversit?t und Inklusion auf allen Ebenen der Hochschulen 2025-2028.
The aim of this new phase is to build on the momentum already established and expand the network of partner institutions, which this time number eight: in addition to Berne, Fribourg and Lucerne, they now include EPFL, ETHZ, and the universities of Geneva, Neuch?tel and Italian-speaking Switzerland.
Key actions planned for this year include
- Publication and public communication of the online platform,
- Distribution of the catalog of recommendations to Swiss universities and other higher education institutions,
- Training courses for partner institutions,
- Creation of a national network of first-generation students and academics.
- Collaboration between partner universities for advocacy work and the sharing of best practices between institutions,
The “First Gen+” project goes beyond simply facilitating access to university. It also aims to strengthen the sense of belonging, academic success, and well-being of the students throughout their educational journey.
By recognizing inequalities as structural, it promotes a shift in perspective: valuing trailblazing paths and working towards a university that is fairer, more accessible, and more representative of society’s diversity.
Offers and Counseling at ETH Zurich
There are numerous options for securing funding as a researcher employed at or wishing to join ETH Zurich: Overview of options for research funding.
This page offers an overview of support for young reseracher at ETH Zurich with information on the most important career and project funding instruments (scholarships, fellowships, project funding).
ETH Career Center is the central platform on the topic of starting a career. Numerous activities connect companies with ETH students, doctoral students and postdocs. The Career Center is therefore a helpful point of contact for First Generation Students and Academics.
The team of the Financial Aid Office advises students on issues relating to financing their studies. This includes the semester invoice, scholarships, loans, funding for foreign students, financial hardship due to illness, travel expense contributions, as well as information on other funding opportunities.
Find information on funding your studies, scholarships and fees on the page 'Financial'.
The Counselling & Coaching Centre offers a wide range of counselling services and various support offers for prospective students and students. Counsellors offer assistance in the face of challenges such as crisis, low motivation, study management, or exam stress. They can also be reached for situations that require additional coordination, and offer workshops, e.g. on study strategies or oral exams. This service is free and confidential.
The ETH Zurich Study Advisory Service provides advice on Bachelor’s degree programmes and supports prospective students.
For questions concerning ETH Master's degree programmes, please contact the person responsible for the respective programme directly .
The Housing Office arranges accommodation between private individuals and members of university and ETH Zurich by providing a search portal and by delivering several information about (affordable) living in Zurich.
Further Helpful Links and Resources
- external page National Survey: Social and Economic Conditions of Student Life (SSEE)
- external page Data Evaluation: Social Diversity Among Students at EPFL
- external page TREE Study University of Bern: Transitions from Education to Employment
- external page Soziale Selektivit?t: Empfehlungen des Schweizerischen Wissenschaftsrates SWR
The initiative external page ArbeiterKind.de, active in German-speaking countries, is committed to promoting university studies for the children of non-academics with the aim of increasing the proportion of children of non-academics at universities and supporting them on their way to successfully completing their studies. Many of the resources are also of interest to first-generation ETH students, such as the external page ArbeiterKind-Podcast (German) for anyone who is the first in their family to study, has studied or wants to study.
With a focus on improving equal opportunities in adolescence, external page Allianz Chance + is pursuing the vision of a Switzerland in which individual educational success is determined by performance and not by socioeconomic background.
Since 1996, the external page KulturLegi has been giving people living on a low budget access to discounted cultural, sports and education offers, thus allowing them to have an active social life and facilitating pro-active integration. The eligibility criteria for a KulturLegi vary depending on the canton of residence. These may include people who receive scholarships, who are on social assistance or who have an income that is demonstrably at the subsistence level.
On the Zukunftstag (Future Day) of ETH Zurich a section of places are reserved for children from families with KulturLegi.