BHMS students preparing a grand chandeliered dining hall for fine-dining service

BHMS · Lucerne, Switzerland

Hotel school in the country that invented it

BHMS is a hotel management school in Lucerne, Switzerland, where every year of study comes with a paid job — three six-month internships, a dual UK bachelor degree, and CHF 43,000+ gross earned before you graduate. Switzerland invented the hotel school, and this is still how it teaches one.

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 — #12 worldwide in Hospitality & Leisure Management

  • Nothing payable to apply — deposit only after acceptance
  • 3 paid internships built in — CHF 2,390/month gross
  • Visa and admin support included — no hidden extras

Why BHMS

The numbers behind the name

#12

worldwide in Hospitality & Leisure Management — QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026

CHF 43,000+

gross internship earnings across the three-year bachelor, at Swiss rates

18 months

of paid industry experience on your CV at graduation — three placements, six months each

2

degrees at graduation — BHMS and Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (UK)

180

ECTS across the bachelor, equivalent to 360 UK credits

5★

QS five-star institution rating, listed on the BHMS accreditations page

How it works

Apply in 2 minutes. Accept your offer. Fly to Lucerne.

  1. 1

    Apply

    A two-minute form to start — nothing payable now. Admissions reviews your application and follows up with a decision or anything still missing.

  2. 2

    Accept

    Receive your Letter of Acceptance, then secure your place with a deposit. Confirm the current deadline with admissions.

  3. 3

    Arrive

    Visa and administrative support get you here, and your first airport pickup is included — then your first semester begins in Lucerne.

Earn while you learn

The Swiss half-year rhythm

BHMS runs its bachelor on a repeating six-months-study, six-months-paid-work rhythm — the model Swiss hotel schools built — so every graduate leaves with 18 months of hotel operations on their CV rather than a summer placement or two.

3 internships × 6 months × CHF 2,390 gross = CHF 43,000+ before graduation

CHF 2,390 is the gross monthly figure BHMS publishes for placements in Switzerland, before deductions for room, board and social insurance. Realistically you keep around CHF 1,500 a month where accommodation and meals are provided, or CHF 800–1,000 in a city where they are not. BHMS says so plainly, and so do we.

How the internship model works
A BHMS student during their hotel internship placement in Switzerland

The degree

Swiss training. British degree.

The bachelor is awarded jointly by BHMS and Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (UK) — so you graduate with a Swiss hotel school education and a UK university degree recognised by employers and postgraduate admissions worldwide. 180 ECTS, 360 UK credits.

The hospitality programmes are accredited by the Institute of Hospitality (UK), and the school holds the Swiss eduQua quality label.

The dual bachelor in detail
A BHMS hotel management class in session at the Lucerne campus

Campus

Lucerne, and everything in one fee

Two campuses — Lucerne and Zurich — in one of the most photographed corners of Europe. Accommodation in a shared apartment, meals, Swiss health insurance, your first airport pickup and visa administration are all inside the fee, not bolted on afterwards.

Campus, rooms & meals
The Chapel Bridge over the Reuss river in Lucerne at sunset
Students in business dress dining under chandeliers in the BHMS dining hall The BHMS city campus building in Lucerne The Rigi cogwheel railway climbing above Lake Lucerne

Questions

Are the internships really paid? What's the total cost? When can I start?

Are the internships really paid?

Yes. BHMS publishes a gross figure of CHF 2,390 per month for internships in Switzerland, before deductions for room, board and social insurance. Every academic semester is followed by a six-month placement — three of them across the three-year bachelor, so you finish with 18 months of paid industry experience.

What do I actually take home from an internship?

BHMS answers this directly: if your placement is outside the cities and the employer provides accommodation and meals, you might have around CHF 1,500 left after tax, meals and insurance. In a big city without accommodation provided, expect roughly CHF 800–1,000 a month. The gross figure is CHF 2,390; the rest is deductions.

What degree do I graduate with?

A Bachelor of Arts in Hotel & Hospitality Management, awarded jointly by BHMS and Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, UK — 180 ECTS, equivalent to 360 UK credits. Years 1 and 2 also carry their own exit awards: the Diploma and the Higher Diploma in Business & Hospitality Management.

What does the whole degree cost?

Year 1 is CHF 38,600, Year 2 CHF 39,600 and Year 3 CHF 40,500 — about CHF 118,700 for the three years. That is all-inclusive: tuition, career services, shared accommodation, meals, Swiss health insurance, first airport pickup and visa support. Budget about CHF 500 a month on top for personal expenses.

Do I need to speak German?

No — all programmes are taught in English, and German communication is a Year 1 module. It does matter for one thing: BHMS notes that internship placements inside Switzerland depend very much on your German, French or Italian language skills. Placements are also available worldwide.

When can I start, and how early should I apply?

Bachelor intakes are 17 August 2026, 16 November 2026 and February 2027. Swiss student visas take 8 to 12 weeks to process for non-EU citizens and 4 to 6 weeks for EU citizens, so apply around four months before your intake.

Three intakes a year. A degree that pays you back before you graduate.

Next intakes: 17 August 2026 · 16 November 2026 · February 2027 · Lucerne, Switzerland

Every academic semester is followed by a six-month paid internship — CHF 2,390/month gross in Switzerland, three times across the bachelor. How the internship model works →