2005-2020: 15 years of a stimulating journey

2020 marks the 15th anniversary of USI's International Relations and Study Abroad Service and this newsletter is a nice occasion for taking stock of its development and its accomplishments, with an eye to the future.

Since the official start of the Service (October 2005) 1,299 USI students have taken advantage of an exchange programme; during the same time period, USI has had the chance to host 1,391 students coming from partner universities located in other Swiss Cantons, in Europe but also in countries further away from the Old Continent. The complete figures are available at: USI in figures.

Many are the memories and vicissitudes that distinguish these first 15 years of existence. Most of them are very positive: the stimulating meetings and the fruitful cooperation with the colleagues and the moments shared with the students are always very rewarding: they compensate for the efforts made and push us to do better and to think about new projects.

Yet, two events will always be remembered as the most challenging for international relations teams: the consequences of the vote of 7 February 2014, which led to the suspension of Switzerland's participation in the Erasmus+ programme, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been affecting students exchange programmes.

All in all, we are proud to have contributed, on the one hand, to enriching the educational path of the students who have boarded on of our exchange programmes and, on the other, to USI's desire to be a hub of opportunity open to the world. It is no coincidence that this year USI distinguished itself in the World University Rankings by ranking second place in the International Outlook pillar.