The University of Lausanne
Investigating the present, shaping the future
UNIL: diversity, innovation and openness to the world
Faithful to its spirit of innovation and openness to the world, UNIL offers its 17,000 students a rich and varied education. The excellence of its research and its international outlook enable the University of Lausanne to offer a rigorous and productive academic environment to the nearly 3,000 researchers who work here.
UNIL is made up of seven faculties: Business and Economics (HEC Lausanne); Arts; Theology and Religious Studies (FTSR); Social and Political Sciences (SSP); Law, Criminal Justice and Public Administration (FDCA); Biology and Medicine (FBM); and Geosciences and Environment (GSE), the last three of which are unique in Switzerland.
Building on this diversity, UNIL places great emphasis on interdisciplinarity. A number of innovative programmes are representative of this approach, such as the Master of Science (MSc) in Forensic Sciences, the MSc in Behaviour, Evolution and Conservation, the Master of Law (MLaw) in Legal Issues, Crime and Security of Information Technologies and the Master of Arts (MA) in Public Management & Policy.
Collaboration and exchange are at the heart of UNIL's academic mission, with a third of the Master's degrees offered at UNIL awarded jointly with other Swiss universities. The University of Lausanne has made academic exchanges a cornerstone of its activities and hosts an international network of academics and students. Nearly 128 nationalities contribute to the life and development of the UNIL community.
Seven faculties, three of which are unique in Switzerland
Preparing for tomorrow
The UNIL Rectorate is aware of the challenges it faces in pursuing its role at the heart of its regional and international environment. We are currently living through a period of global climatic, geopolitical, social and economic crises, compounded by a society turned upside down by ever-increasing technological advances. History shows that such developments drive change, and the decisions we are about to make will lay the foundations for our future. The most pessimistic believe that such crises will exacerbate a polarised social and political climate. However, a level of optimism is essential and includes the hope of being able to build a better world. In this context, universities, and in particular the University of Lausanne, have an essential role to play in engaging their community to rethink and reshape the world of tomorrow through the collective excellence of their research, teaching and civic engagement.
The challenge for the future of our societies is enormous, but it provides a unique opportunity for UNIL to mobilise as a community. Economic, social, environmental, legal, political, health and technological issues are among the fundamental questions traditionally addressed by UNIL.
Our university will be a key agent of change in the ongoing societal transformation. We are therefore in a strong position to fulfil our primary missions, which are to educate the next generation and promote excellence in collective research for the benefit of all. By educating the adults of tomorrow, we can transform our societies so that they become safer, more secure and more stable in environmental, economic, social and cultural terms.
Six priority challenges for UNIL:
FIVE MAJOR SOCIETAL CHALLENGES
- UNIL and the ecological transition
- Diversity, equality and inclusion
- Continuing to strengthen the place, image and impact of academic work
- UNIL and health
- UNIL and digital technologies
ONE INSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE
- Rethinking teaching, research and careers at UNIL and interinstitutional relations in a post-Covid world
These issues will require a collective interdisciplinary approach and modern, efficient communication. Our success also depends on maintaining close relationships with our university health institutions, such as Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and UNISANTÉ, the Triangle Azur university network, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and all other academic institutions in French-speaking Switzerland and internationally.
An international outlook
The University of Lausanne is home to more than 17,000 students and almost 3,000 researchers. Almost 20% of the student body and more than 30% of the teaching staff come from abroad. Numerous international partnerships are set up on a regular basis, illustrating this spirit of exchange. UNIL is one of the top 200 universities in international rankings.
A word from the Rector
"By educating the adults of tomorrow, we can transform our societies so that they become safer, fairer and more environmentally and economically stable.
Our values
UNIL is proud to uphold the five values enshrined in its charter: critical thinking, autonomy, universality, civic commitment and recognising individuals.
These are complemented by rigour, integrity and collaboration, the cornerstones of the institution's ethos.
Anchored in French-speaking Switzerland
Once located in the centre of Lausanne, UNIL is now set in verdant surroundings on the shores of Lake Geneva.
This unique setting enables the UNIL/EPFL Sports Service (SSUE) to offer a wide range of sporting activities, with 180 disciplines practised. Also on campus is the completely refurbished Bibliothèque Cantonale Universitaire de Lausanne library, with nearly 1,000 seats and over two million documents (BCUL).
The University also has several sites in French-speaking Switzerland, enabling the development of research that is rooted in the local scientific and cultural landscape. Numerous partnerships and collaborations also enable innovation through synergy. For example, close collaboration with Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) enables research to remain at the forefront of the medical field. The arrival in 2007 of the Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences (FORS), which is closely associated with UNIL, has swiftly turned Lausanne into a national centre for research in the social sciences.
It is in this unique space that UNIL offers a wide range of continuing and cross-disciplinary courses, as well as countless sporting and cultural activities (including language courses, advanced computer training, dynamic associations, cinema, exhibitions, theatre and much more).