COSTS THAT DO NOT ARRIVE EVERY MONTH

A monthly budget can look balanced and still collapse when a semester fee, deposit, annual subscription or medical bill arrives.

A RARE EXPENSE IS NOT NECESSARILY AN UNEXPECTED EXPENSE.

Separate two groups.

1. START-UP COSTS

Deposit, first rent payment, permit or visa, initial equipment, transport card and starting study materials and supplies.

2. PERIODIC COSTS

Tuition fees, annual subscriptions, insurance, materials, planned travel or a service renewal.

TURN AN ANNUAL COST INTO A MONTHLY PROVISION

An annual expense of CHF 120 is CHF 10 per month if you decide to set it aside gradually.

At EPFL, the current standard semester invoice is CHF 780. To prepare for two invoices over twelve months: CHF 780 x 2 / 12 = CHF 130/month.

This CHF 130 is not an EPFL monthly payment: it is a personal provision method. In some social-support forms, EPFL spreads the invoice over five months, which equals CHF 156/month during the period considered.

For some international students subject to the higher fee, one invoice can reach CHF 2,240. The same annual provision is about CHF 373/month; spread across five months, it is CHF 448.

MONTHLY BUDGET IS NOT THE SAME AS START-UP CASH

A student can have a viable monthly budget and still need to advance a large amount of money at the beginning.

Demonstration scenario: a newly arrived student living at Ochettes and subject to the higher EPFL tuition fee:

• FMEL deposit: CHF 1,200;
• first rent payment: CHF 510;
• semester invoice: CHF 2,240;
• visa / permit / biometrics: about CHF 225.

Total before food and equipment: about CHF 4,175.

This is not a universal arrival price. It simply shows that you need to ask two different questions.

ARE YOU PREPARING TO ARRIVE IN SWITZERLAND?

Your first month may cost much more than an ordinary month. A rental deposit, first rent payment, tuition fees, permit, visa and initial equipment may be one-off expenses, or may tie up money without recurring every month.

Before you leave, calculate your start-up budget as well.

• How much do I need to live for one month?
• How much cash do I need to get started?

HEALTH: KNOW YOUR EXPOSURE

With the current standard CHF 300 deductible and a 10% co-payment capped at CHF 700, the deductible plus co-payment can total about CHF 1,000 in a calendar year for covered care. Non-covered services may be added.

The message is not 'you must keep exactly CHF 1,000'. It is: know your deductible, what you have already paid and what a large bill could require from you.

SMALL SHOCKS / LARGE SHOCKS

A small reserve can absorb an unexpected journey, medicine, a repair or a forgotten administrative expense.

For a large shock, first check the protections that already exist.

In Switzerland, an employee is insured against occupational accidents. From eight hours of work per week with the same employer, that insurance also covers non-occupational accidents. Otherwise, a student must keep accident cover in their compulsory health insurance.

A serious accident can also disrupt your studies. EPFL provides emergency arrangements and financial-support measures for certain exceptional difficulties; UNIL also offers social support.

A RESERVE ABSORBS SMALL SHOCKS. FOR LARGE SHOCKS, CHECK YOUR INSURANCE, RIGHTS AND AVAILABLE SUPPORT.

EXERCISE — EXPENSES THAT DO NOT ARRIVE EVERY MONTH

List the expenses that do not arrive every month: amount, date, frequency and possible monthly provision. First, stop calling an expense 'unexpected' when it was already predictable.