Education In Switzerland

International students undergo the same admission procedure as Swiss citizens: citizens of the Principality of Liechtenstein, acknowledged refugees, foreigners who themselves or whose parents have been in possession of a Swiss work permit during the last 5 years or who are holders of a federal or federally recognized maturity certificate and children of persons with diplomatic status in Switzerland. Foreign students should also be aware that they will be asked to pay somewhat higher fees should they be accepted on a course. They must therefore be able to prove that they have the financial means to pay both the fees and their living costs. It is no longer possible to obtain working permits, even for the holiday periods.

Education System

There are 12 official higher education institutions in Switzerland

The universities of Basle (BS), Berne (BE), Lucerne (LU), St Gall (SG), Zurich (ZH) and the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) are located in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. The universities of Geneva (GE), Lausanne (LA) and Neuchâtel (NE), as well as the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) are in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The University of Fribourg (FR) is situated in a bilingual canton. Therefore the courses are offered in German and / or French. The Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) is located in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. The following may also be considered as institutions of higher education: the Pedagogical College of St Gall, the Graduate Institute for International Studies in Geneva and the Graduate Institute for Advanced Public Administration.

In addition to the institutes of higher education mentioned above, there are a number of private colleges which offer courses based on the Anglo-Saxon system. The studies and examinations offered by these colleges are not recognized in Switzerland.

Some of these colleges may even offer courses which are not serious or even relevant. It is therefore advisable to anyone interested in following such a course to make careful initial investigations into the problem of recognition.

The academic year is divided into two semesters the winter semester from mid-October to beginning of March and the summer semester from mid-April to mid-July. The total length of studies up to the first academic exam is generally 4 to 5 years depending on the course of study, and 6 years for medical studies. Experience shows that the total length of study is usually 1 or 2 years longer. The Swiss academic degrees are the Lizentiat / Licence, the diploma and the Doktorat / doctorat.

Entry Requirement

Age: minimum age is 18

Language Ability : Good knowledge of the language of instruction( French, German or Italian depending on which area you go to) is a pre-requisite for admission to any Swiss university.

Foreign School or College Certificates : Candidates should possess a state- recognized . Swiss matriculation certificate or a foreign certificate recognized by the university as being equivalent. The various faculties also have the right to decide about admittance of candidates in possession of certificates which are normally recognized in Switzerland.

Application Procedure

Interested applicants advised to submit their application materials at least two months before a particular programme starts. All applications are reviewed by our admission committee. The admission decision will be made on a comprehensive evaluation of the applicants after the interview and is non-recourse. Application Checklist/ Fully completed Application Form 6 passport photos Copy of Degree/Diploma and Scores Copy of TOEFL Score .

Preparatory courses to the Bachelor Programs Admission requirements/ To be able to follow the preparatory courses, candidates should at least obtain "3 of 6" points in our admission exam of English. Expenses: CHF 5'500.- (Swiss francs) back.

Master Programs Admission requirements/ Bachelor's degree in finance, Business Administration or relevant field. Satisfactory result of format Exam, ex. GMAT 550 or minimum with a "4"points in Admission Exam to the Master of Finance programme .

Examination

Examinations to be taken for entry into Swiss Universities

International Tests

TOEFL score with at least 500 or equivalent level Personal interview Professional candidates with at least two years professional experience in a financial or banking institution will be accorded by case to determine their entrance level. Addmission test/ Written examination Applicants without a TOEFL score or without a minimum TOEFL score of 500 will be required to take the admission test prepared by the universities and only those who get a score equivalent to a TOEFL score 500 will be considered for admission. Interview Applicants with a minimum TOEFL score of 500 or equivalent level in the Entrance examination will be invited for an interview.

Contact details

A special course designed to prepare students for the entrance examination is held in Fribourg between Octob er and the end of June. The course fee is SFr. 4,200.

The address for both events is:
Cours préparatoires de Fribourg (Preparatory courses)
Route du Jura 7, CH-1700 Fribourg
Tel.: +41 26 322 76 23, Fax: +41 26 322 67 03

Entrance examination for the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology

Candidates who hold certificates which are only partly recognised have to pass an entrance examination at the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (Zurich and Lausanne). Deadline for applications for the Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ): Middle of January for the February examination session End of July for the September examination session Deadline for applications for the Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL): End of May for the summer examination session Middle of August for the autumn examination session There is a one-year course at Lausanne which prepares candidates for the examination.

Entrance examination for the University of St Gall

The University of St Gall accepts only a restricted number of foreign students, all of whom have to sit for an entrance examination. Candidates holding a matriculation certificate which is recognised for admission at the University of St Gall additionally have to pass the entrance examination for foreign students in St Gall. Candidates who hold matriculation certificates which are only partly accepted must pass the examination in Fribourg .

Preparatory Program with Intensive English and French courses

CHF 5'500.- Duration of the preparatory program: 3 months (ten weeks). Tuition fee for the Bachelor's degree: January intake: First Year CHF16'500.- Second year CHF12'000.- Third year CHF12'000.- April and october intakes 2002: First Year CHF18'000.- Second year CHF15'000.- Third year CHF15'000.-The registration fee is CHF150.-, which must be paid with the completed application form. To confirm the enrollment place, a deposit of CHF 2'000.- should be paid two weeks after the issuance of the acceptance letter. The deposit will be deducted when students make tuition fee payment.

Refundable Deposit for Student Visa

Before the student gets the Swiss visa, the respective schools will be obliged to provide financial guarantee for each student. Therefore schools requires a deposit of CHF 1'000.- from each student. The schools l keep this deposit in case the students have financial problem with their invoices and if nothing happens, the deposit will be refunded when the student leaves the school.Students will be enrolled only after the submission and approval of all the documents related with the application.

Book Cost:

Costs of books and references up to CHF300-. a year are included in the tuition fee. Living Expenses: Transport: Monthly paid bus ticket for students less than 25 years old is CHF35.- and CHF70.- for students more than 25 years old.

Financial Support

Foreign studentsduring the first academic years are generally not eligible forfinancial support by the Universities.Students in the universities are allowed to work 20 hours perweek during the semester and full time during the universityholidays with an average salary around CHF 20.- per hour. Forother financial help, if any, please contact the Swiss Embassyin the applicant's country of residence.

Student Visa

After getting enrollment admission, foreign students should contact the Swiss Embassy or Consulate for obtaining complete information for the student visa application. Even with school admission, students with tourism visa are not allowed to follow the courses at the University. According to the visa application instructions from the Swiss authority if the applicant is admissible, the visa will be issued only after the full tuition has been paid.

Medical Exam

According to the Swiss authority, all the foreign applicants should show a medical exam result done in recent three months. If the applicant is under medication treatment or medication, a medical health report must be issued by the doctor for the insurance registration in Switzerland

Accommodation

The Universities of Switzerland provide lodgings upon students request. Reservation and lodging contract should be signed before students arrive in Switzerland.

Room fee is around CHF500.- per month.

Insurance: According to the Swiss law, all the residents living in Switzerland are obliged to take insurance for health and insurance. The monthly insurance in a Swiss insurance company will cost around CHF120.

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