Relatively few qualify for university in Switzerland. To apply you need to score well in school exams at the age of 11 or 12, enter the academic stream and graduate from it, normally at the age of 19. In 2015, only 20.8% of Swiss-based school leavers gained the chance to apply for entry to a Swiss university.

In many countries anyone can apply. In the UK for example it is possible to apply to university without any school qualifications. School results are typically taken into account, but it is final-year A-levels that all school pupils can take that are used to decide who is accepted. The Guardian newspaper reported that even in the complete absence of A-levels or equivalent qualifications, some universities are prepared to accept life and work experience as an alternative to formal education.

The percentage of Swiss qualifying for university varies significantly by canton. If you live in Italian speaking Ticino, Geneva or Basel City and dream of academia, then you are luckier than most. At around 30%, these three cantons had the highest qualifying percentages in 2015. German-speaking cantons in general had much lower rates. The lowest chances of qualifying were found in St. Gallen and Thurgau where less than 14% qualified in 2015. The cantonal percentages are revealed when you hover over the map below. or by clicking here.

In the French-speaking canton of Vaud 11 and 12-year-olds are assessed via numerous tests across the course of a school year, which are scored on a scale from 1 to 6 – the best. To qualify for the academic stream, known as the voie prégymnasiale, pupils must get a combined total of 20 points across 4 core subjects: French, Maths, German and Science, and a combined total of 13.5 in geography, history and English (English is included from next year). The final grade is a composite of the test results across a whole year so a few low results can be pulled up with high results later. The marking is hard though. Sometimes a test result of 38.5 out of 40 won’t deliver the maximum grade of 6 in a test.

• Most UK graduates fail to get a job doing what they studied. Most Swiss do. (Le News – 20.08.15)
• How Switzerland leads on youth employment (Le News – 14.10.15)

In Vaud missing the cut at the age of 12 does not close the academic door entirely. It is possible to get in later. Doing so however requires extra work, improved grades and sometimes an extra year at school. In 2015, 28.7% of Vaud school leavers (up to 25 years old) gained a maturité gymnasiale, the university entrance qualification.

In Geneva the system is slightly different. At the age of 11 or 12 pupils need to achieve a grade total of 14 over Maths and two French subjects to get on the road to university. The grading is similar to Vaud with test marks from 1 to 6. If a student misses out they get another chance the following year but must average 5 or more and achieve high minimum grades in Maths and French to move stream. Even then movement is only allowed from some streams.

Zurich has a different system again, equally challenging if not more so. Only 19.7% of Zurich-based school leavers qualified for university in 2015.

Every Swiss canton is different making it challenging to move children from one part of Switzerland to another at critical points of their schooling. Private schools are different again to the Swiss public system.

Certain things seem to improve the chance of getting on the road to university in Switzerland. National statistics show that being Swiss and having academically educated parents helps. A recent study shows that 84% of those in the academic stream were Swiss nationals born in Switzerland, despite making up only 80% percent of the school population. In addition, children with at least one parent with a tertiary degree made up 62% of those in the academic stream, while only making up 36% of the total school population. Girls do better than boys, making up 56% of the total.

• Most UK graduates fail to get a job doing what they studied. Most Swiss do. (Le News – 20.08.15)
• How Switzerland leads on youth employment (Le News – 14.10.15)

Some of the difference between Switzerland and the rest of the world hinges on the definition of university. Places like the UK use the label more freely. Switzerland uses it relatively less so. A comparison of graduates from all tertiary education highlights this. A 2013 comparison shows 48.5% graduating with some form of tertiary education including university degrees in Switzerland, slightly behind the OECD average of 48.9%. The UK on the other hand manages only 32%. It might be difficult to get into university in Switzerland but many of those who don’t end up getting tertiary training somewhere else. The US had a rate of 53.8%, only marginally higher than Switzerland. The Swiss statistics office comparison chart shows Germany (36.2%), Italy (34.5%) and the Netherlands (45.1%) all behind Switzerland.

Switzerland appears to do well at matching graduate skills to the job market. A far higher percentage of Swiss end up in a job that matches their training. Swiss unemployment also compares well to many other nations. British unemployment in October 2015 was 5.2%, while in Switzerland it was 3.3%. Switzerland compares even more favourably on youth unemployment.

More on this:
School cycles in Vaud (in French)
Information on the third school cycle in the canton of Vaud (in French)
Summary of school systems across French and Italian speaking Switzerland (in French)
School cycles and streams in Geneva (in French)
The school system in Zurich (in German)
Swiss university entrance pass rates (in French)

Can’t find time to improve your French? Check out time flexible courses at Swiss French School.

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