ENTRY REQUIREMENTS & ADMISSIONS

At this point we have provided information regarding entry requirements and admissions processes at universities of applied sciences, universities and federal technical universities (ETH/EPFL) in Switzerland.

  • Admissions to higher education in Switzerland
    There is no central service in Switzerland which is responsible for recognising foreign upper-secondary school leaving certificates prior to admission. This falls under the remit of higher education institutions. We recommend you get in touch with the institution of your choice.

    You will find most information on institutional websites and you can refer to berufsberatung.ch for an overview (available in German, French or Italian).

    Entry requirements tend to be different at Bachelor’s and Master’s level. Do not expect the admissions process to be the same across all institutions in Switzerland. University admissions for foreign students are determined by the Lisbon Recognition Convention as well as bilateral agreements.

    Always make sure you ask staff at the admissions office to give you information in writing. They will be happy to help in case you have difficulties understanding.

  • Admissions to universities and federal technical universities (ETH/EPFL)
    • Bachelor's degrees
      In order to be admitted for an undergraduate course, you will require an upper-secondary school leaving certificate permitting admission to universities. The Swiss equivalent is the Baccalaureate.

      Access the country list on swissuniversities.ch to find the requirements applicable for your country of origin. You will usually need to prove that you have been awarded an upper-secondary school leaving certificate which is equivalent to the Baccalaureate in Switzerland. As well as this, you will require an enrolment certificate and need to complete the complementary examination of the Swiss higher education institutions ECUS. Make sure you have looked into the language requirements at the institution of your choice. Refer to the Documents section of the website.

      Degree courses with a limited student intake may require you to sit an admissions exam. Some universities of applied sciences, universities of teacher education and federal technical universities (ETH/EPFL) also have individual admissions exams. Obtain this information directly from the institution of your choice.

    • Master's degrees

      In order to be admitted for a Master’s degree, you will need to provide proof of a Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university. You will subsequently use your cover letter to request admission to the programme of your choice.

      Not all programmes have language requirements. If there are no formal requirements, it is your own responsibility to be sufficiently proficient in the language of instruction.

      If your Bachelor’s diploma is recognised, but the university requires you to have completed certain modules or to have acquired specific knowledge upon admission, you may be asked to take additional modules at Bachelor’s level in compensation. However, if these modules exceed 60 ECTS, you will not usually be admitted for the Master’s programme.

  • Admission to undergraduate courses at university of applied sciences
    Admission to universities of applied sciences usually works on a case-by-case basis. Requirements can be very different depending on the department or degree course of your choice. Get in touch with the university of applied sciences before submitting your application.

    Admission requires sufficient command in the language of instruction, professional experience and previous training. In some cases, applicants might be required to complete the complementary examination of the Swiss higher education institutions ECUS. Proof of previous education and training as well as language requirements will be examined by an admissions committee. Click here to get an idea of the process.

  • What is an upper-secondary school leaving certificate?
    Upper-secondary school leaving certificates are accepted and will permit university admission if you have taken six of the below subjects in the course of your three final years in school education. They draw from distinct subject areas and have allowed you to acquire a general and comprehensive education:

    1. First language (mother tongue)
    2. Foreign language
    3. Mathematics
    4. Science (biology, chemistry or physics)
    5. Humanities and social sciences (geography, history, business studies or law)
    6. Another subject of your choice (another foreign language, science or humanity)
    Click here to learn more.

  • Recognition of modules completed in your previous studies

    Each higher education institution is responsible for recognising modules from your previous studies and decides if those modules shall count towards your course. For modules to be recognised, you require documents describing the module content, workload and associated credits. Ideally, you have access to the original documents and translations. Check with the institution what proof they require.

    – Do you need officially certified translations?
    – Would it suffice if you described the course content yourself?
    – What form do these descriptions need to take?
     

    Request a sample document.

  • Deadlines for enrolment
    It is absolutely essential you respect existing deadlines to enrol on your course. You can enrol twice a year for university study: in time for the Spring or the Autumn semester. This process begins several months before the start of term.

    If you are starting your first term at Bachelor’s or Master’s level, it might be that you can only enrol for the Autumn semester.

    Make sure you know about application and enrolment deadlines. Get all documents ready at least three months ahead of the deadline. The process of having documents translated or officially certified can be lengthy.

  • What does the university admissions process look like?
    The admissions process can be different depending on the university. The following gives you a rough idea of what it will look like.

    1. You fill out the application form before the deadline ends (you may be able to do this online or, alternatively, be required to print off a hard copy) and submit all required documents. Have your AHV/AVS number at hand. You will be required to provide it on a lot of application forms.
    2. You will be notified should any documents be missing.
    3. You submit documents which were missing in the first place or you explain in writing and with some detail why you are unable to submit the required document(s).
    4. You pay the application fee. You will be issued an invoice.
    5. Your application for the course of your choice is examined to see if you are eligible for enrolment. After having examined your portfolio, the admissions office will send you a letter containing details about the process in due course. There are three possibilities:
    – You are admitted and asked to submit your original diploma.
    – Your admission is subject to you meeting certain requirements (compulsory), e.g. sitting a language test or completing the complementary examination of the Swiss higher education institutions ECUS.
    – You are not admitted.
    If you are not admitted, you should ask the institution to outline their reasons to you in writing.

  • I have been made a conditional offer. How do I proceed?

    Your admission to the institution is subject to you meeting certain requirements until enrolment, e.g. improving your language skills, submitting an original document etc.

    Make sure to find out more about conditions and requirements. Discuss them with your adviser or an expert. How long will it take you to meet the requirement? Can you enrol for the start of the next term?

    If you think that you will not be able to start your course in the next term, get in touch with the higher education institution. Check if your offer will still be valid the following semester/year if this leaves you enough time to meet the requirements.

  • What does the admissions process look like at a university of applied sciences?

    Universities of applied sciences would like you to contact them prior to your application.

    1. You contact the department where you wish to study and inquire about entry requirements and the admissions process. Ideally, you get in touch via email. You will better retain the information if you receive it in writing.
    2. You put your application together and send off the portfolio to the right address.
    3. You will be notified should any documents be missing.
    4. You submit documents which were missing in the first place. Should you be unable to submit the required document(s), you can explain the circumstances in writing. Ideally, you should agree how to proceed with the admissions office.
    5. Your application for the course of your choice is examined to see if you are eligible for enrolment. After having examined your portfolio, the admissions office will send you a letter containing details about the process in due course. There are three possibilities:
    – You are admitted and asked to submit your original diploma.
    – Your admission is subject to you meeting certain requirements (compulsory), e.g. work experience, sitting a language test or completing the complementary examination of the Swiss higher education institutions ECUS.
    – You are not admitted.
    If you are not admitted, you should ask the institution to outline their reasons to you in writing.

  • Alternative entry requirements: universities and federal technical universities (ETH/EPFL)
    If you are unable to provide all documents, you can get in touch with the institution to request alternative entry requirements in your case. As well as that, many Swiss universities allow for individuals with considerable professional experience to be admitted without the baccalaureate certificate or equivalent.

    Admission without baccalaureate certificate or equivalent

    Certain faculties at EPFL, ETH Zurich, USI and the Universities of Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne and Neuchâtel permit admission at Bachelor’s level without a baccalaureate certificate or equivalent if certain requirements are met. Instead, the university or faculty in question will put in place a specific admissions process which is specific to their institution. You cannot be admitted for medicine or pharmaceutical sciences at most universities with this process. Only the information you obtain from the university is binding.

    This kind of admission tends to be possible if you are of a certain age (ca. 30 years) and have relevant professional experience in the field of study. You should expect to see your subject knowledge assessed.

    Unlike students who are admitted in a regular admissions process, you will however be unable to change your course following admission.

  • Complementary examination of the Swiss higher education institutions ECUS
    ECUS (Examen Complémentaire des Hautes Écoles Suisses) is a complementary examination you need to sit if your upper-secondary school leaving certificate has been issued in a country which has not entered a bilateral agreement with Switzerland regarding mutual recognition of diplomas. You will be assessed on your general education which is required for university study.

    You cannot sign up for the ECUS exam yourself. You will be signed up by the university or university of applied sciences if all other entry requirements have been met. In order to be signed up to the exam, you will need to first of all have applied for admission.

    The individual institution decides which subjects feature in the examination. You can only sit the exam once a year.

    You might be examined on your knowledge in a foreign language (English), maths or a specialised subject (history, geography). You might also be asked to deepen your knowledge in preparation for the exam (e.g. in biology, chemistry, physics).

    You will either complete the exam

    1. in its entirety: language of instruction (Part A) and four additional subjects (Part B), or
    2. in separate sittings for different subjects. The format of the exam is decided by the institution you have applied to.
    There are no open-access classes in preparation for ECUS. There are private providers in Zurich and Geneva offering classes in preparation but be aware that these are expensive.

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