Survey on Student Life
Share what you carry on your shoulders.
Why are we conducting this survey?
The Federation of Student Associations (FAE) aims to defend the interests of students.
To act effectively, we need to understand your daily reality. This helps us take concrete steps: improving access to grants, making housing more affordable and closer to campus, and advocating for more flexible study programs for students who work alongside their studies.
Your voice matters
It is through a precise understanding of your daily life that we can achieve tangible progress. At present, we lack up-to-date data on precarity and living conditions within the student community at UNIL. By responding to this survey, you give us the means to turn your individual experience into political leverage.
Concrete examples of the impact of your responses
• Reform of study grants: To advocate for an adjustment of the cantonal scale, we must demonstrate the gap between current allowances and market realities (high rents, rising cost of living, insurance expenses). Your data on your monthly budget is our strongest evidence.
• Housing and mobility: By understanding the average distance between your home and campus, as well as the amount of your rent, we can call on political actors to create more affordable housing near UNIL.
• Balancing work and studies: Many students work out of necessity. We need to quantify this phenomenon (number of hours per week, sector of employment) to raise awareness within the University about the need for more flexible study programs and to ensure that paid work does not become a barrier to academic success.
• Health and well-being: Your perception of workload and your psychological state will help us advocate for stronger support services and better consideration of mental health in exam organization.
A long-term project for lasting change
The FAE has been working on the development of this survey for over two years. This project stems from a simple observation: without reliable data, our demands are often perceived as anecdotal by the authorities. Help us ease, even just a little, what you carry on your shoulders!
Tell us how you experience your studies and the challenges you face, so that we can better represent you and improve your study conditions.
✨ 5 vouchers worth 100 CHF each to be won!
By taking part in this survey, you will be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win one of five CHF 100 vouchers.
How to take part in the survey?
An initial email was sent to you from on April 20, 2026. You will find the link to the survey in that email.
Each link is personal and non-transferable.
The survey can only be completed once per person.
Results and methodology
This survey is conducted in collaboration with FORS (the Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences), an institution that supports social science research in Switzerland. FORS is a key infrastructure that helps researchers produce, share, and use reliable data to better understand society.
After the data has been analyzed, the results of this survey will be published during the Fall semester 2026.
From that point on, they may be used in negotiations with key stakeholders involved in protecting students’ interests.
Any questions on this servey ?
You can reach us by writing an e-mail at ✉️.
Images: Club Photo EPFL – UNIL (Florent Daburon)