The best hospitality schools in the world

According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, the best hospitality school in the world is EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, followed by Les Roches and Glion. All of the top five are in Switzerland, and so are ten of the top 18. BHMS in Lucerne, the school behind this site, is ranked #12.

QS publishes a separate subject table for hospitality, which is why it's the ranking families ask about most. Here's the 2026 list, then what to do with it.

QS 2026: the top hospitality schools in the world

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, Hospitality & Leisure Management. 173 institutions are ranked; these are ranks 1 to 18 as QS publishes them.

Names as published by QS (shortened where QS adds a former name). Pennsylvania State University is #20. Data read from topuniversities.com on 19 October 2026.

Why are so many of the best hospitality schools in Switzerland?

Switzerland is where the hotel-school model began. The Swiss hotelier César Ritz shaped modern luxury hotel-keeping in the late nineteenth century, and the schools that grew up here built their teaching around alternating classroom terms with real work in hotels. That format, plus deep links with the hotel industry, is still the common thread among the Swiss schools in the table. If you're weighing the country itself, our page on hospitality schools in Switzerland covers the case, cost included.

Where does BHMS rank, and what does that mean?

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 — #12 worldwide in Hospitality & Leisure Management. BHMS also holds a QS 5-star institution rating.

What the ranking doesn't tell you about BHMS:

• A paid internship after every academic semester: three six-month placements across the bachelor, 18 months in total, at CHF 2'390 a month gross for placements in Switzerland.
• A UK degree as well: the BA is dual-awarded with Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (UK).
• An exit award every year: Diploma, Higher Diploma, then the BA.
• A city campus: Lucerne, about an hour from Zurich Airport by train.
• All-inclusive fees: CHF 39'700 for Year 1 in 2027, accommodation and meals included. Full fees.

BHMS announced the result itself in its news piece on the QS 2026 ranking.

The best hospitality schools outside Switzerland

Eight of the top 18 are elsewhere. In the US, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (#6) and Cornell University (#16) lead, with Pennsylvania State University at #20. In Europe, Hotelschool The Hague (#7), Vatel in France (#11), Sant Pol near Barcelona (#14) and the University of Surrey (#18). In Asia, the Macao University of Tourism (#10) and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (#15).

How to use a ranking when you choose

A ranking is a good way to build a shortlist. It's a poor way to make the final call. Five questions decide more:

1. Who awards the degree? A school diploma, a university degree, or both.
2. Is work experience built in, and paid? One optional placement and three paid six-month ones are very different CVs.
3. What does the fee include? Accommodation, meals and insurance can add a lot when they're not inside the price.
4. City or resort campus? Think about ordinary weekends and placement interviews, not the brochure photo.
5. Can you leave with something after one year? Life changes; an exit award protects you.

Our seven-question comparison of Swiss hotel schools walks through each one, and the two-minute fit check tells you which BHMS programme matches your background. For master's options, see our sister site Master's Degrees in Switzerland.

Sources: QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 — Hospitality & Leisure Management (topuniversities.com, read 19 October 2026). BHMS facts: bhms.ch and the BHMS fees flyer 2027.