Swiss Education System

The AHV/AVS number is your personal identifier with the Old Age and Survivors Insurance (AHV/AVS). This corresponds to national insurance.

• Like Swiss citizens, recognised refugees (B permit) and stateless individuals: are automatically insured with the Old Age and Survivors Insurance (AHV/AVS) upon reaching 20 years of age or once in employment.
• Temporarily admitted refugees (F permit) or asylum seekers (N permit): receive an AHV number, but are only liable to pay contributions if they are gainfully employed.

The insurance number is displayed on the health insurance card. It also appears on the national insurance card which includes details for Old Age and Survivors Insurance (AHV/AVS) as well as Disability Insurance (IV/AI).

If you are insured but you don’t have neither a health insurance card nor a national insurance card stating details of Old Age and Survivors Insurance (AHV/AVS) and Disability Insurance (IV/AI), you should get in touch with the local compensation office in order to receive an insurance card.

Further information on AHV/IV specifically for recognised refugees and stateless persons can be found here.

An annotated course catalogue is a list of all lectures and courses offered at a university in a semester. In addition to the title, the list also contains a description of the courses.

Baccalaureate schools (also: cantonal school) are schools at upper-secondary level which lead to the baccalaureate certificate. The duration of education varies from canton to canton and can last between 3 and 5 years. The programme provides a general education. The subject areas include languages, natural sciences, social sciences and subjects in the fields of art and sport. During the course of the programme, students can choose subjects that they wish to specialise in.

The baccalaureate concludes education at upper-secondary level in baccalaureate schools. The qualification itself is called baccalaureate, results are documented in the baccalaureate certificate.
Admission to a Swiss university usually requires a baccalaureate certificate or an equivalent qualification.

Learn more about baccalaureate schools (available in German, French or Italian)

The bachelor’s degree is the title earned at the end of the first cycle of study. This corresponds to 180 ECTS credits, which usually means three years of full-time study.

• At universities, the bachelor’s degree provides a scientific education in the various fields of study. Students acquire mainly theoretical, methodological and scientific knowledge.
• At universities of applied sciences (FH) and universities of teacher education (PH), studies are more practice-oriented. A bachelor’s degree enables entry into professional life.

Basic vocational training (also known as an apprenticeship) is initial training that is normally undertaken after compulsory schooling.
The aim of an apprenticeship is to impart the knowledge and skills required to practise a profession. Theoretical and practical parts alternate in the training programme. The apprenticeship can take place in a company or at a school. During the apprenticeship you receive a salary.
Apprenticeships are the most common form of training for young people in Switzerland. The qualification is recognised everywhere in Switzerland.

The qualification is called:

• EBA (Federal Vocational Certificate) after a 2-year apprenticeship
• EFZ (Federal Certificate of Competence) after 3 or 4 years of training

After an apprenticeship, it is possible to enter the labour market directly or to continue studying. For example, a vocational baccalaureate can be obtained during or after the apprenticeship. This can then be used to study at a university of applied sciences. Adults also have the opportunity to complete an apprenticeship and obtain a diploma.

Guide through the vocational apprenticeship (available in German, French, Italien)

Factsheet

A certified copy is a copy that is made by an official body. This confirms that the office has seen the original document and that the copy corresponds to the original.
To make a notarised copy, you must have the original document: copies of copies cannot be notarised.
A Swiss notary or Swiss official (e.g. state chancellery) confirms with a stamp and signature that the copy corresponds to the original document. Notarisation says nothing about the content or authenticity of the original document.

A diploma background report is a description of your previous higher education. It shows how Swiss ENIC would categorise this higher education qualification if all documents were available. You can request a diploma background report from Swiss ENIC if you do not have all the documents relating to your previous education. This explanation can help to explain your degree if you want to continue your education or are looking for a job. A diploma background report can only be issued for foreign higher education diplomas that lead to a non-regulated profession.

You can find information on how to apply for a diploma background report here.

An enrolment certificate is a document confirming that a student has been admitted to a specific university. It is proof that you have studied or were eligible to do so. The document is issued by the university in your country of origin.

VET programmes can be complemented with the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate.
This pathway complements the comprehensive education obtained at upper-secondary level. The holder of this qualification is eligible for admission to universities of applied sciences.
This qualification can be taken in addition to a VET programme or subsequently after having completed a VET programme or apprenticeship.

As part of their courses, universities or universities of applied sciences offer different forms of teaching and training.
The most common forms of teaching are lectures, tutorials, workshops and seminars.

Lectures are usually given by highly-qualified academics, e.g. professors. Postgraduate students tend to lead tutorials. Other forms of teaching can be led by academics with different qualifications.

Higher education institutions provide training at tertiary level and conduct research.
Higher education institutions in Switzerland comprise universities of applied sciences, cantonal universities, federal technical universities and universities of teacher education.

Humanities is an umbrella term to describe disciplines which using different methods observe amongst others culture, religion and media in order to place and understand them in a broader sociological, historical, political or spiritual context.

Major subject is the principal field of study chosen by a student. If the requirements of the major subject account for less than 180 ECTS at Bachelor level, the student chooses a minor subject alongside. This allows students to combine different fields of study.

Second chosen field of study. Minor subjects account for fewer credits than the major subject. They do not tend to exceed 60 ECTS at undergraduate and 40 ECTS at Master’s level.

Natural sciences is an umbrella term for disciplines which are concerned with observing and studying nature by means of analysis, measurements or comparisons. Sciences intend to prove for instance that our environment is ruled by patterns and regularities.

The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI is responsible for recognising foreign qualifications if they concern regulated professional activities.
Having a foreign qualification recognised is a sensible option if you are entering the job market. To be admitted for a degree course, the higher education institution in question is responsible for assessing your previous education.

Recognition of foreign qualifications

Qualifications confirm that an individual has acquired skills in a certain field of activity through either training or experience. Certificates, diploma or transcripts are proof that the qualification has been completed.

If you hold a foreign higher education diploma (Bachelor’s / Master’s), Swiss ENIC can issue a recognition recommendation.  I want to have my diploma recognised.   

IMPORTANT: The recognition recommendation is suitable for finding a job. You do not need a recognition recommendation to be admitted to a university.  

ATTENTION:  

•  A recognition recommendation is not a recognition of the diploma and is not legally binding.  
•  Swiss ENIC can only issue recommendations for higher education diplomas leading to a non-regulated profession.   

Certain professions are regulated in Switzerland. This means that you must have certain prescribed skills and qualifications and a recognised training certificate in order to work in this profession. Here you can find more information on which professions are regulated and who is responsible for recognising them.
If your profession is not regulated, you can apply for an evaluation from Swiss ENIC for university diplomas.

If you are interested in a non-regulated professional activity, you can request to obtain a recommendation of recognition from Swiss ENIC.

If you have already completed a degree programme before the one you want to start, the new degree programme is considered a second degree programme. There is often less financial support available for secondary study programmes.
If you have previously completed a training programme that you have not completed, the new training programme is considered to be initial training.

A single major is the subject which accounts for the entire duration of your course (modules worth 180 ECTS at undergraduate and 120 ECTS at Master’s level). It is not possible to take up a minor subject alongside a single major.

Services that help and support people who are unable to provide for their own needs. This includes counselling and, in some cases, financial support.
Social aid is organised differently in each canton.
If you receive money or material benefits from social aid, you will usually have a social worker there who is responsible for decisions that affect you or for the benefits you receive. The social worker is sometimes also called the ‘case manager’.

Depending on your status, how long you have been in Switzerland and which canton you live in, you will receive support from different services.
We therefore use the term ‘social worker’ throughout this website.
This is the person you can turn to if you have problems and who makes the decisions about the financial support you receive.

“A statutory declaration is a statement of fact made by a declarant believed to be true.” Some higher education institutions will accept a statutory declaration concerning your previous education if you do not have certificates to prove it.
This means you set out in writing the content and nature of your qualification, e.g. by means of a Diploma Background Report. You will sign the declaration in the presence of a notary who acts as a witness to affirm that it exclusively contains true content. Your declaration is similar to taking an oath.
Higher education institutions can decide to admit you based on this declaration if you have acquired the necessary skills and/or knowledge.
Should the declaration prove to be untrue at a later date, you might be stripped of the qualification even if you successfully and legitimately completed the required assessment.

A student union or association represents the interests of the student body at a higher education institution. Most student unions or associations offer a wide range of services. These include advice to students as well as advertising accommodation or job opportunities.

Universities have two main responsibilities: teaching and research. They have the right to award research degrees to students. This includes PhDs, the highest academic degree.
There are five universities in German-speaking Switzerland, four universities in French-speaking Switzerland and one university in Italian-speaking Switzerland. These institutions offer degree programmes in the arts and humanities, sciences, law, business and economics or medicine.

Universities of applied sciences feature a stronger practical, on-the-job component. Studying is closely linked with a certain profession and the field you are training in. Universities of applied sciences offer programmes at undergraduate and Master’s level.
Universities of applied sciences also offer further training opportunities such as the Master of Advanced Studies (MAS). Universities of applied sciences intend for their research activities to be directly put into practice.

Upper secondary specialised schools are schools which provide general education at upper secondary level. They offer preparation for tertiary level professional education in specific occupational fields at colleges of higher education (upper secondary specialised school programme) and universities of applied sciences (specialised Baccalaureate programme). They represent an alternative to a Federal Vocational Baccalaureate or Baccalaureate by providing school-based preparation for tertiary level professional education , oriented towards a particular occupational field.

Confirms that upper-level secondary education has been completed after a series of exams and continuous assessment.
In this context, we understand by school leaving certificate that the Swiss baccalaureate or German “Abitur” or “Maturität” has been awarded. This certificate confirms in the country where it has been issued that the individual student is now eligible for study at university level.

Upper-secondary school leaving certificates are accepted and will permit university admission in Switzerland 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)

You can find information about the necessary prior education from all countries at swissuniversities.

Work experience is experience in the labour market. For example, through an internship or employment (part-time or full-time).

IMPORTANT: For admission, universities of applied sciences usually require work experience in the same field as the degree programme. The duration is usually between 6 and 12 months and varies depending on the degree programme. Do you have an internship or work certificate that confirms your work experience? Then enclose it with your application.