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Education in Switzerland: Here’s What You Need To Know

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 LIFE IN SWITZERLANDSEPTEMBER 13, 2020

Education in
Switzerland: Here’s What
You Need To Know
by UJEBARDHA BEKOLLI
0 05
Switzerland’s education system is one of the most advanced in the world. Switzerland is the go-
to choice for many students looking to study internationally.  The system is well established and
functional with delegated accountability and administration.

The administration and regulation of the school system in Switzerland is made

by the cantons while having a set framework by the central government. Each canton sets its
school calendar, curriculum, and criteria. This system is overseen by the State Secretariat for
Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The decentralization has it’s perks, although it can
make it hard for people to move their children from one canton to another.

A distinctive characteristic of the Swiss education system is taking into account the wishes and
the abilities of students. This attribute is done by diversifying the different directions a student
can take once they’re done with their primary education. Although the cantons administer the
education system, a thing they all have in common is that they have this diversity.

Compulsory Swiss Education

Education is compulsory for all children and young people from 9 to 11 years.  Children start
compulsory education when they are about four to six years old until about when they turn 15
years old. The cantons also regulate this.

Even though there are private schools in Switzerland, most students attend public schools in the
local area. This brings diversity so children can experience many different backgrounds,
including, sometimes, linguistic backgrounds. Public schools are free of charge, and kids are not
required to wear uniforms.

Primary education
Primary education in most of Switzerland is considered kindergarten and the first learning cycle.
Kindergarten is not compulsory in all of the cantons, but primary school is.

In kindergarten, children are taught about basic manners and knowledge. That’s when they are
introduced to other languages and Swiss culture. Kindergarten aims to teach children social skills
and basic mannerisms through play-based learning. Through music, games, art, and lots of crafts,
they are introduced to basic reading and math.

After they have finished kindergarten, around the age of 6, they go to primary school.

Depending on the cantons, the combinations might differ.

In the German-speaking cantons, kindergarten and two years of primary education are combined
into the first learning cycle, and students aged four to eight years are in the same class. They call
this Grundstufe or Basisstufe.

In the French-speaking cantons, two years of kindergarten are combined with two other years
and make the first cycle of primary education.

The Italian-speaking cantons children attend kindergarten from the age of four.

Secondary education
Secondary education in Switzerland is divided into two stages. The lower secondary education
and upper secondary education. Kids start their lower secondary education around the ages of 11
to 12, and it lasts 3 to 4 years. The upper secondary education is equivalent to the high schools in
American education systems regarding the age of the students. Still, it is very much different
from an American high school.

Lower secondary education

Lower secondary schools in Switzerland are called Gymnasiums or Kantonsschule. This is where
kids learn their mother language, a second language spoken in Switzerland and English.
Languages are given quite the emphasis in the Swiss education system, and therefore most of the
people there speak at least a second language.

Natural sciences are also given a lot of importance where math, biology, chemistry, physics, and
geography are taught as some of the main subjects. Other subjects like history, civic education,
music, art and design, physical education and health, home economics, career guidance, and
vocational preparation are also taught.
Students are graded with numbers from 6 (being the highest) to 1 (the lowest). They also take
tests at the end of the school year, where they get to test their gathered knowledge. At the end of
the year, depending on performance, students either continue to the next year or repeat the
previous one.

Upper secondary education

High school in Switzerland is not compulsory, and its structure is unique. After the students
finish their lower secondary education, they can choose what kind of career they want to pursue.
They get to choose from a Vocational education and training (VET), Baccalaureate, or Upper
secondary specialized school.

A vocational school is a preferred choice for most young Swiss students. That is where they get
to learn skills in school and see how it is done through the first-hand experience in companies
that provide apprenticeships and cross-company courses. They last from 2 to 4 years and allow
the students to gain technical and practical knowledge. Through VET school, students get a
federal VET diploma or a federal VET certificate that will enable them to work and continue
further education.

A Baccalaureate school is the choice of ⅓ Swiss students. It can be considered a continuation of

the lower secondary education, where the subjects are similar to the previous ones in lower
secondary education, plus law and economics. The enrollment is based on the student’s previous
performance, and the grading system is the same as in lower secondary education. These schools
usually last from 3 to 6 years, depending on the canton.

At the end of the program, students must take a test and present a baccalaureate essay.
Depending on their performance, they are granted a certificate called Matura and are then
eligible to start cantonal universities, institutes of technologies, and teacher-training universities.

Upper secondary specialized schools provide specialized preparation for a career in healthcare,

social work, and education. Students are graded with the same grading system as previously and
study the core subjects related to the specific occupation. The grades determine whether the
students progress to the next year or not.  The program lasts three years, and in the end, the
students must take a final exam in six of their subjects. If they finish that successfully, they get
the upper-secondary specialized school certificate and continue their education in PET colleges.

Tertiary
Tertiary education is a continuation of the higher secondary education a student chooses.
Switzerland’s education ranking has regularly been among the top 100 worldwide when it comes
to higher education.

University is the logical choice for the students with a Matura, while Fachhochschule or Höhere
Fachschule is the choice of students with a VET certificate. Students with an upper-secondary
specialized school certificate will continue their education in PET colleges.
University
Switzerland has 12 universities in total, 10 of which are run and regulated by the cantons and
offer theory-oriented mayors. There’s a wide range of subjects offered to study at Swiss
universities.

Furthermore, universities in Switzerland are known for their BBAs and MBAs, and they tend to
be some of the best in the world. This has resulted in a considerable number of international
students in the country. Many of these students attend top universities in Switzerland for their
advanced degrees.

Some of the best-known universities in Switzerland are the federal institutes of tertiary
technology and the universities of teacher education.

Fachhochschule or Höhere Fachschule

There is one private and eight public Universities of Applied Sciences. These higher education
institutions offer students degrees in topical areas such as engineering, technology, or business,
and they prepare students for the Swiss and global labor markets.

The difference between a University and a Fachhochschule is that the latter generally doesn’t
award a doctoral degree. Fachhochschule also differs from the traditional university in
Switzerland because of its practical-based teaching as opposed to a theory-based orientation.

Sources:

eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/administration-and-governance-local-
andor-institutional-level-115_en

sbfi.admin.ch/sbfi/en/home/education/swiss-education-area.html

eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/organisation-education-system-and-its-
structure-115_en

TAGS: FEATURED-TEST
5 COMMENTS
 1. CHANDA SAYS:
MARCH 18, 2020 AT 6:05 PM

Very helpful article. It did clear a lot of questions that i had concerning the education system

REPLY

1. STUDYING IN SWITZERLAND SAYS:
JUNE 2, 2020 AT 8:54 AM

Thank you Chanda,

Happy to help!

REPLY

2. JONES BOAKYE SAYS:
JULY 31, 2020 AT 2:58 PM

This is really incredible .

REPLY

3. GERALDINA SAYS:
AUGUST 24, 2020 AT 7:20 AM

Thank you for this article. I feel very well informed about the education system in Switzerland.
My questions are:
1. What level is equivalent to a high school diploma that does not have good grades to admit in a swiss
institution?

2. If you did not have enough grades to enter university, what can you do to further your studies
considering the fact that you’re older than 30 yrs.

REPLY

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Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the
authority for the school system mainly to the cantons. The Swiss constitution sets the foundations, namely
that primary school is obligatory for every child and is free in public schools and that the confederation can
run or support universities.

The minimum age for primary school is about six years in all cantons but Obwalden, where it is five years
and three months. After primary schools, the pupils split up according to their abilities and intentions of
career paths. Roughly 20% of all students attend secondary schools leading, normally after 12 school years
in total to the federal recognized matura which grants access to all universities. The other students split in
two or more school-types, depending on the canton, differing in the balance between theoretical and
practical education. It is obligatory for all children to attend school for at least 9 years.

The first university in Switzerland was founded in 1460 in Basel, with a faculty of medicine. This place has a
long tradition of chemical and medical research in Switzerland. In total, there are 12 Universities in
Switzerland; ten of them are managed by the cantons, while two federal institutes of technology, ETHZ in
Zurich and EPFL in Lausanne, are under the authority of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and
Innovation. In addition, there are seven regional associations of Universities for Applied Sciences
(Fachhochschulen) which require vocational education and a special Berufsmatura, or a Fachmatura (a
graduation by a Fachmittelschule) to study. Switzerland has a high rate of foreign students in tertiary
education including one of the highest in the world of doctoral level students.

Many Nobel prizes have been awarded to Swiss scientists. More recently Vladimir Prelog, Heinrich Rohrer,
Richard Ernst, Edmond Fischer, Rolf Zinkernagel and Kurt Wüthrich have received nobel prizes in the
sciences. In total, 113 Nobel Prize winners stand in relation to Switzerland and the Nobel Peace Prize has
been awarded nine times to organizations residing in Switzerland. Geneva hosts the world's largest particle
physics laboratory, the CERN. Other important research centers are the Empa and Paul Scherrer Institute
which belong to the ETH domain.

Primary
The obligatory school system usually includes primary education (Primarschule in German, école primaire in
French, scuola primaria / elementare in Italian and scola primara in Romansh) and secondary education I
(Sekundarschule or Sekundarstufe I in German, secondaire I in French and scuola secondaria / media in
Italian and scola secundar in Romansh). Before that, children usually go to Kindergarten, but it is not
required in every canton. The minimum age for primary school is about six years in all cantons but
Obwalden, where it is five years and three months. The cantons Thurgau and Nidwalden allow five-year-olds
to start primary school in exceptional cases. Primary school continues until grade four, five or six, depending
on the school/canton. Any child can take part in school if they choose to, but pupils are separated depending
on whether they speak French, German or Italian.
Secondary
At the end of primary school (or at the beginning of secondary school), pupils are separated according to
their capacities and career-intentions in several (often three) sections. Students who aspire to an academic
career enter Mittelschule (also named Gymnasium, or Kantonsschule, a public school by the canton/state) to
be prepared for further studies and the Matura (normally obtained after 12 or 13 years of school usually at
the age of 18 or 19). Students intending to pursue a trade or vocation complete three to four additional
years before entering Vocational Educations which are regulated by federal law and are based on a
cooperation of private business offering educational job-positions and public schools offering obligatory
school-lessons complementary to the on-the-job education. This so-called "dual system" splitting academic
and vocational training has its continuation in the higher education system. While the academic training
leads to the matura and free admission to universities, successfully completed vocational education gives
access to third level of practical education, the Höhere Fachschule (Schweiz). If in addition to the vocational
training the Berufsmaturitätsschule is completed the Fachhochschule may be visited instead. Rather recently
introduced is a third, middle path via the Fachmittelschule which leads to a direct access to a
Fachhochschule after a successful graduation of a Fachmatura. In some cantons, students with a
Fachmatura may also get access to universities after a successful additional year. In the science literacy
assessment of PISA, 15-year-old students in Switzerland had the 16th highest average score of 57
countries.

In the lower second level, there are several different teaching and school models that may exist. Some
cantons define a specific model, while others allow the individual municipalities to determine which model to
follow.

Separated model
Pupils are allocated to institutionally separate school types, according to their performance levels. The
structure is based on the principle of equal capacities among pupils. Generally, each school type has its own
adapted curricula, teaching material, teachers and, in some cases, its own range of subjects. In general,
there are 2 to 3 school types (4 in a minority of cantons), the names of which vary. In the structure with 2
school types, a distinction is made between the performance-based group at basic level (with the least
demanding requirements), and the performance-based group at advanced level. In the structure with 3
school types, there is a performance-based group at basic level, a performance-based group at intermediate
level and a performance-based group at advanced level. The requirements of the performance-based group
at advanced level are the most demanding and this school type generally prepares pupils for transfer to the
matura schools.

Cooperative model
The cooperative model is based on core classes with different performance requirements. Each pupil is
assigned to a core class according to his or her performance level. The pupils attend lessons in certain
subjects in differentiated requirement-based groups (whereby the core classes are mixed).

Integrated model
The integrated model does not use different school types or core classes. Pupils with different performance
levels attend the same class and mixing is maintained. In certain subjects, teaching occurs on differentiated
requirement-based levels.

International Education
As of January 2015, the International Schools Consultancy (ISC) listed Switzerland as having 105
international schools. ISC defines an 'international school' in the following terms "ISC includes an
international school if the school delivers a curriculum to any combination of pre-school, primary or
secondary students, wholly or partly in English outside an English-speaking country, or if a school in a
country where English is one of the official languages, offers an English-medium curriculum other than the
country's national curriculum and is international in its orientation." This definition is used by publications
including The Economist.

Switzerland was the birthplace of the International Baccalaureate in 1968 and 50 schools in Switzerland
offer one or more of the IB programmes (Primary, Middle Years, Diploma and Career-related Programmes).

Tertiary
Tertiary education depends on the education chosen in secondary education. For students with a matura,
university is the most common one. Apprentices who attended a vocational high school will often add a
Fachhochschule or a Höhere Fachschule to their curriculum.
There are 14 public and generic universities in Switzerland, 10 of which are maintained at cantonal level and
usually offer a range of non-technical subjects. Of the remaining 4 institutions, 2 are run by the Swiss
Confederation and are known as "Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology".

Switzerland is well known for its advanced business education system. A number of world-class universities
and MBA programmes, such as the International Institute for Management Development, HEC Lausanne, St.
Gallen, Kalaidos FH and University of Zurich belong to that category. All of them are also registered in the
Financial Times ranking. See also the list of universities in Switzerland.

Switzerland has a high rate of international students. In 2013, 16.9% of the total tertiary enrollment in
Switzerland came from outside the country, a rate that is the 10th highest of the 291 countries included in
the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. This rate was just higher than Austria (16.8) and just lower than the
United Kingdom (17.5). However, due to the much smaller tertiary system in Switzerland their 47,000
foreign tertiary enrollments are dwarfed by much larger countries such as the United States (740,000), the
United Kingdom (416,000), France (228,000) and Germany (196,000). Many international students attend
Swiss universities for advanced degrees. In 2013 masters programs enrolled about 27% foreign students
(fourth highest rate) and doctoral programs were 52% foreign (second behind Luxembourg).

Switzerland also has a high rate of PhD students and inhabitants with doctoral degrees. In 2014 Switzerland
had the highest rate of inhabitants (2.98%) with doctoral degrees in the world. In 2010, with 2.5%,
Switzerland had the second-highest rate of inhabitants with doctoral degrees in Europe. In 2008, the
number of students graduating with a PhD was 3209 (up from 2822 in 2000) of which 45% were foreigners
(up from 31% in 2000).

Educational rankings
In 1995 Switzerland took part in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
assessment. TIMSS is an international assessment of the mathematics and science knowledge of fourth- and
eighth-grade students around the world. It was developed by the International Association for the
Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) to allow participating nations to compare students' educational
achievement across borders. In 1995, Switzerland was one of forty-one nations that participated in the
study. They did not participate in later studies. Among 8th graders, Switzerland ranked 15th overall, 8th in
math and 25th in science.

A National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) study that used the TIMSS assessment among 12th
graders found similar results. The Swiss students were in their upper secondary education and were
attending either a gymnasium, general education, teacher training or advanced vocation training. In math,
the Swiss scored a 540 (the average score was 500), and were 3rd out of 21. Their science score was 523,
which was 8th out of 21. In physics, they scored 488 (the average was 501) and were tied for 9th place out
of 16. The advanced mathematics score was 533 which was 3rd out of 16.

The World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report for 2010-11 ranked Switzerland as first overall.
Under the fifth pillar of the report, Higher education and training, the Swiss had a score of 5.79, which is the
fourth highest among all the countries surveyed.

Cantonal school systems

While compulsory schooling in Switzerland is 9 years long, many of the specifics of the system vary by
canton. In most cases, the primary level lasts 6 years, and the lower secondary level 3 years. In only a few
cantons, the primary level lasts 4 (BS, VD) or 5 (AG, BL, TI) years and entrance to the lower secondary level
thus occurs either in school year 5 (duration: 5 years) or school year 6 (duration: 4 years). In 17 cantons, it
is compulsory to attend pre-school. In almost all cantons, the municipalities are obliged to provide at least
one year of pre-school classes.

Education demographics
During the 2008/09 school year there were 1,502,257 students in the entire Swiss educational system. In
kindergarten or pre-school, there were 152,919 students (48.6% female). These students were taught by
13,592 teachers (96.0% female) in 4,949 schools, of which 301 were private schools. There were 777,394
students (48.6% female) in the obligatory schools, which include primary and lower secondary schools.
These students were taught by 74,501 teachers (66.3% female) in 6,083 schools, of which 614 were
private. The upper secondary school system had 337,145 students (46.9% female). They were taught by
13,900 teachers (42.3% female) in 730 schools, of which 240 were private. The tertiary education system
had 234,799 students (49.7% female). They were taught by 37,546 teachers (32.8% female) in 367
schools.