From your first day on campus you will become part of a diverse and ever expanding international community. Our students come from all over the world. Today we have students from Switzerland, Germany, France, Portugal, Greece, Ukraine, Russia and other European countries. We have students from Canada, USA, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Japan, Korea, India and many more. From the moment you leave IMI you are unlikely to need to book a hotel room ever again. You will have friends all around the globe. To celebrate our cultural diversity we have an international night each semester where students have a chance to introduce elements of his or her heritage to the rest of the student body. It is one of the most popular nights of any semester and is a true celebration of the myriad of cultures and backgrounds from which our students are drawn.
As a student at IMI, both inside and outside the classroom, your life will be varied and constantly enriched by new experiences. Although the pace of the programme is intensive and your schedule will be filled with lectures, group work and study, your life does not stop when classes finish for the day. You can choose one of the many sports Switzerland is famous for like skiing, skating, swimming or hiking, or join one of the many sporting clubs around Luzern. You can find tennis, kite surfing, golf, climbing, skiing or paragliding to name just a few. Luzern is also famous for hosting international music festivals, for its Fasnacht parades and its galleries and museums. The many restaurants, clubs and bars serve the student population well and the ever reliable public transport means that you can always get safely home after a night out.
Our students have a strong belief in the old adage “work hard, play hard” and like to indulge in a wide variety of extracurricular activities. To help plan the social calendar, each semester a Student Representative Council is elected from among the student body to organise social and sporting events. Representing students from all programmes, this organisation is central to the community spirit that thrives on campus. There are some events which are staples of life at IMI, international night, sports day and movie night but each semester also grows a character of its own. It was the SRC who helped to organise our twentieth anniversary party celebrations and you will see from the pictures that they did a fantastic job. However you decide to spend your days, we hope that you will look back on your semesters at IMI as the best time of your life.
While studying at IMI, students can opt to stay on-campus in single or twin rooms, with a breathtaking view of either Lake Luzern or the Alps. We have 180 on-campus rooms and 80 off-campus in Central Luzern only 12 minutes by bus. For our new students we recommend that for your first months at IMI you stay on campus in Kastanienbaum. This gives you time to adjust to your new surroundings and means that you are only minutes from your lecture halls. When you are more confident in finding your way around you can choose to live in town.
All our rooms on campus are equipped with a television, a refrigerator and most have a direct phone line where students can be reached in their rooms. This line only receives external incoming calls but can also be used internally.
For those students who enjoy the idea of being in the centre of the vibrant city of Luzern we can offer accommodation in Hotel Central. This is supervised accommodation for IMI students and guests in Morgarten Strasse, only five minutes walk from the main station in Luzern. The accommodation is fully equipped and spacious. You can choose to share a Twin Room or you can have it as a single. All rooms are en-suite with sink, bath/shower and WC. Rental price includes all costs, shared kitchen and wireless Internet.
Breakfast, lunch and supper are provided seven days a week. We serve a large variety of different food: meat, fish, fresh vegetables, salads, soups, cheese and sweets which are prepared by our four chefs every day. We try to support the local farming community and only use fresh ingredients. Students can decide to eat in either the self service buffet restaurant or the classical "Swiss Room" restaurant.
Special diets, either for religious or health reasons, are catered for. Students may use the shared kitchen to prepare their own meals if they wish. At weekends as well as during term breaks, due to popular demand, we serve a late brunch instead of breakfast.
In summer BBQ's are often served on our beautiful lakeside terrace. Every Friday we prepare special international delicacies from one of the current intake’s countries. You can see the daily menus on our facebook fan page.
IMI has study rooms which are available 24 hours a day and are equipped with an Internet link and individual e-mail facilities for students. Wireless computing with 24 hour internet access is also available at the school free of charge. IMI's own IT Services assists students free of charge with all matters concerning their laptops. The use of the printer in each computer room is also free of charge. Paper is available for sale at the Reception.
The school has demonstration and production kitchens, spacious and well-equipped classrooms, restaurants, self-service laundry facilities, a fitness room and lounge areas. There is a well-stocked library with a regularly updated supply of books, professional magazines, CD-ROM reference materials and on-line access to publication databases including EBSCO. Various online systems and libraries give access to thousands of professional journals.
All our permanent staff are readily available to support students’ academic learning and to cater for their welfare and emotional needs. The Student Counsellor and Head of Housekeeping have a responsibility for the day-to-day care of students.
We pride ourselves on being one of the most caring universities in Switzerland and, as we are small, we can provide personal and individual attention. By offering only the best tuition and advisory services, we aim to ensure that our students’ experiences at IMI are happy, fulfilled and successful.
We want all students to feel supported throughout their time at University and have a dedicated member of staff available for anyone wanting to discuss any welfare issues. If a student is unhappy or worried, there is always someone who will listen and give whatever practical support is possible.
