Given the growing importance of developments in higher education policy at the international level, it is essential for the Swiss Student Union to identify these developments at an early stage, monitor them closely, and build up knowledge about them. With the emergence of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the associated integration processes such as the Bologna Process, the national and international levels are becoming increasingly intertwined. The Swiss Student Union maintains international contacts and is politically active at the international level. The board member responsible for international affairs coordinates cooperation with the European Students’ Union (ESU), the umbrella organization for student unions in Europe, together with SOLIC (formerly CIS) to ensure that the interests and positions of the Swiss Student Union are also represented at the European level. In the TOPICS Network, the Union works with other progressive European student associations both within and outside the ESU. The Union also carries out solidarity work by campaigning for the rights of students and striving for better conditions for students worldwide. In cooperation with partners such as the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), the association also supports foreign students in Switzerland.
Students at Risk
The programme Students at Risk (StAR) aims to offer students worldwide, who are at risk of being formally or de facto denied the right to education in their country of origin, an opportunity to take on and complete their studies in Switzerland.
Students at RiskErasmus+
A large part of the work in the area of internationalization deals with student mobility. Since 2014, the Swiss Student Union has been campaigning for Switzerland to regain full membership of the Erasmus+ program so that students in Switzerland can benefit from the best possible study conditions.
Website Erasmus+International and Solidarity Commission (new: SOLIC, formerly CIS)
The Executive Board and the SOLIC work closely together in the area of internationalization. The commission’s work focuses on the Europeanization and internationalization of education through Bologna, the European Higher Education Area, and related processes. The SOLIC is jointly responsible for international networking with national student representatives and the European Students’ Union. The commission is also responsible for solidarity work.
Find out more about the SOLIC