Glion Institute of Higher Education

Glion Institute of Higher Education is a private hospitality and luxury business school with campuses in Glion above Montreux, in Bulle and in London. The Swiss Accreditation Council has accredited it as a university of applied sciences institute, which puts it among the few hospitality schools on the swissuniversities list. The bachelor’s runs four years including the introductory Experiential Year and contains three internship semesters. For a 2027 start the full compulsory budget is $278,320 (CHF 231,900), of which tuition is $211,830 (CHF 176,500).

Glion suits students aiming for management roles in luxury hotels, premium retail or events who want an accredited Swiss degree rather than a degree from a UK partner university. It is built for families prepared for one of the highest budgets in the sector.

Look at alternatives if the whole bachelor’s must stay near $150,000: BHMS or the SEG schools with UK degrees are more realistic. If you want a French-taught bachelor’s or a preparatory year inside the public HES-SO system, look at EHL.

Glion awards its own bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Its accreditation page lists the Swiss Accreditation Council, the US New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) and the UK’s QAA, which relates to the London campus. The Swiss applied-sciences status can be confirmed on the public swissuniversities list.

Two practical questions are not answered directly by the federal SEM directives. Part-time work of up to 15 hours a week and a six-month post-study job search are written for universities and universities of applied sciences under the Higher Education Act, and accredited private institutes are not mentioned. Ask Glion whether its students have received term-time work permits in Vaud, and check post-graduation options with the cantonal migration office.

Ranking. Glion reports 3rd place worldwide in the QS 2026 subject ranking for Hospitality & Leisure Management and 3rd for employer reputation. EHL is first in that table, and the top five are all Swiss schools.

The first practical semester of the Experiential Year takes place in Glion, a hillside campus above Lake Geneva and Montreux. On the 2027 schedule, the bachelor’s academic semesters run in Bulle, a town in the neighbouring canton of Fribourg. The London campus follows UK rules, with IELTS UKVI and a UK student visa.

The campus matters because the residence permit comes from the canton where you study, and cantons differ slightly on funds and housing. Rooms and catering close from 20 December 2027 to 1 January 2028.

Applicants with relevant vocational training or industry experience can enter the BSc without the Experiential Year. Everyone else starts with a practical semester in the training kitchen, restaurant and front office, then leaves for the first internship.

Certificates must be issued within 12 months before the programme starts, and IELTS is accepted only from official test centres. If your score falls short, Glion offers a 15-week Pathway to English Proficiency in the first semester for an extra CHF 2,500 ($3,000).

A timeline for a Fall 2027 start.

1. Autumn to winter 2026. Choose between International Hospitality Business and Luxury Business and sit the English test with the 12-month validity in mind.
2. Winter to spring 2027. Apply, pay the CHF 275 ($330) fee and complete the motivation interview; some applicants also get a case task.
3. After acceptance. Pay the non-refundable CHF 5,000 ($6,000) pre-payment, which is credited to the first invoice and unlocks room selection.
4. By 15 May 2027. Pay the first semester in full for the fall intake; the spring deadline is 15 November.
5. Summer 2027. Apply for the type D visa no earlier than three months before entry; the canton decides.

• Passport.
• School certificate and transcript with translation.
• English certificate issued within 12 months of the start date.
• CV and motivation letter.
• For the type D visa: acceptance letter, proof of payment, sponsor documents, bank statements and an undertaking to leave Switzerland after your studies.

Glion assesses foreign school certificates for equivalence with Swiss and European entry standards, so ask for a preliminary profile review before booking a test. Our Swiss student visa guide explains the embassy process and timelines.

Glion publishes its schedule by semester and by line item, so a single “per year” figure is misleading. No tuition is charged during internship semesters, but insurance still is.

The first semester in Glion costs $66,730 (CHF 55,600) with every line included. BSc semesters 4 and 5 show no lodging line and a reduced CHF 2,000 meal plan, so ask the school early where students live at that stage and at what cost.

Also budget for: the CHF 275 ($330) application fee; a refundable CHF 1,250 ($1,500) damage deposit; a single room in Glion at CHF 2,500 ($3,000) extra per semester; personal spending, which Glion estimates at CHF 500 ($600) a month; and travel to internships.

Discounts. International students can receive 10% off tuition when the financial sponsor manages or owns a hotel, restaurant or other hospitality business, and 5% for a second child from the same family. The 35% reduction is reserved for Swiss citizens and children of B or C permit holders. The MSc in International Hospitality Business for a 2027 start costs $59,830 (CHF 49,850) for tuition, resources and insurance, with housing and meals charged separately.

In the early semesters students share a double room with a private bathroom, chosen on the school’s platform on a first-paid, first-served basis. If you are assigned a standard double room with a shared bathroom, the invoice drops by CHF 500 per semester.

For the Glion campus, the canton of Vaud expects a canton-recognised private school, proof that at least the first semester is paid, funds for the whole course or a reliable guarantor, and housing. Glion requires a national type D visa; arriving on a tourist visa to study is not allowed.

Three of the eight semesters are internships: one in the Experiential Year and two in the BSc. Placements must be with organisations approved by Glion. Visa and labour rules restrict choices in some countries, so agree the destination with the careers team before signing a contract. Glion states plainly that internship pay does not cover tuition.

For a paid internship in Switzerland the employer requests the permit, and under SEM rules practical training may not exceed half of the total study period. Graduates can continue to a master’s at Glion or elsewhere; the receiving university decides whether it recognises the degree.

Common mistakes: comparing Glion’s tuition line with BHMS’s all-in package; taking IELTS too early and missing the 12-month window; forgetting housing in the later semesters; paying late and losing the chosen room.

Under an agreement with StudyU we compare Glion’s full budget with other schools, check your school certificate and English, and prepare the application, motivation letter and visa file. Glion decides admission, the cantonal migration office decides the visa and residence permit, and the canton approves a paid internship at the employer’s request. Start with a consultation request.

• Glion: tuition fees and payment terms
• Glion: bachelor’s fee schedule for Spring or Fall 2027 starts (PDF)
• Glion: admission requirements
• Glion: accreditations and memberships
• Glion: home page with its QS 2026 ranking statement
• swissuniversities: Glion among accredited institutes
• SEM: federal directives on residence for study (Weisungen AIG, section 5.1)
• Canton of Vaud: residence for study

Francs are converted at the ECB reference rate for 29 September 2026, when €1 was worth $1.1355 and CHF 0.9461 (CHF 1 ≈ $1.2002); results are rounded to $10. Glion’s fees, requirements and the visa conditions were checked against official pages the same day.