Switzerland. Are schools open to visitors? living expenses

The price of higher education at public Swiss universities ranges from 500 francs to 1,000 francs per year. Private universities are more expensive - usually from 10,000 francs per academic year.

How to enter the university in Switzerland? What documents and knowledge does the applicant need to apply for higher education

In order to enter a Swiss university, you will need not only a standard list of documents, but also certain language and academic knowledge.

The main list of required documents for the submitting family:

• copy of foreign passport
• for a bachelor - a school certificate and passing the Foundation program, or the IB, A-level, High School programs (recognized at Swiss universities)
• for a master's degree - a completed bachelor's degree +, if necessary, the passage of the pre-Masters program
• IELTS/TOEFL certificate issued not earlier than 2 years prior to applying for a student visa, or TestDaf certificate for German universities in Switzerland, Delf for French universities
• letters of recommendation from teachers of English and mathematics, sometimes it is also possible from the principal / dean
• motivation letter
• Skype interview or personal visit to an educational institution

Universities in Switzerland: higher education, study features

Swiss universities have many advantages over competitors from other European countries, in particular Britain - among these is the cost of education. It directly depends on the type of university in Switzerland and the chosen specialty: inexpensive programs in public institutions cost students 600-700 francs per semester, private institutions are more expensive - the price per semester here is 8000 francs and more.

The education system in Switzerland is as well thought out and reliable as Swiss banks. Diplomas from Swiss universities are valued all over the world; for 7 million of the country's population, there are more than 1 million students and schoolchildren. Studying in Switzerland is not a cheap pleasure, which is why most students and schoolchildren from abroad are the children of officials and big businessmen. At the same time, the rules here are very strict, and the requirements for entering the university are high, but it's worth it: more than a dozen Nobel laureates have graduated from Swiss universities.

Education system in Switzerland

There is no unified national education system in Switzerland. The general structure is approximately the same: kindergarten, elementary school, secondary school and university (the terms of study coincide with Russian ones). The main advantage of the educational system in Switzerland is its flexibility and multilingualism: depending on the specific educational institution, the education system can be Anglo-American, French, German, Swiss or Italian.

Primary school and the first stage of secondary education (from 6 to 15 years old) are compulsory and free in the country, after which students go to continue their studies in high school (another 3-4 years) or receive secondary vocational education and an applied profession - Maturité professionnelle. Vocational education does not mean that the road to higher education is closed. As a rule, graduates of vocational schools go to applied universities. Those who graduated from high school receive a matriculation certificate - Maturité gymnasiale and enter universities.

Schools in Switzerland

The quality of education in Swiss schools is at its best, both in private and public ones, Swiss certificates are accepted without question by universities around the world.

Public schools for citizens of the country are free. They are also open to children of foreigners living in Switzerland for a long time (diplomats and employees of international organizations). It is extremely difficult for foreigners to get there "from outside".

In addition to the state, there are more than 260 boarding schools in Switzerland. Almost all of them are aimed at foreign students. Children of bankers, politicians, Arab sheikhs and other respected citizens study there. The best teachers and educators work in these schools, and the boarding houses themselves look more like elite sanatoriums than educational institutions. They are located outside the city, in very picturesque places, in addition to studying, children go in for horseback riding, tennis, skiing and mountain hiking. All this, of course, is not cheap: full-time education will cost from 25,000 CHF per semester, and a boarding house with accommodation - from 60,000 CHF per semester.

There are many programs in Swiss schools, but the most popular and at the same time difficult is Swiss Federal Maturite (Matura). It is divided into five thematic areas: ancient languages, mathematics and natural sciences, modern languages ​​and Latin, modern foreign languages ​​and economics. As you can see, the main emphasis in education is on the study of foreign languages, in Swiss schools this is extremely important, also because most schools are international. In each of the directions there are 2 specialized subjects, several secondary ones and, without fail, sports, art history and etiquette. For foreigners, many schools have programs in different languages.

The requirements for entering Swiss universities are very high, and the cost of education is even higher, but it's worth it: more than a dozen Nobel laureates have graduated from Swiss universities.

Colleges in Switzerland

High school students have the opportunity to enter colleges in Switzerland - from the age of 15. After studying for three years in college, entering a Swiss university will be much easier than coming here after 11th grade in your native country. Colleges teach accounting, information technology, hotel management and other professions. The term of study is 3-4 years, and the cost is approximately 3-4 times lower than in universities.

Higher education in Switzerland

The largest university in Switzerland is the University of Zurich. It is followed by the Zurich Polytechnic School. Other universities and institutes (there are 12 state universities in the country, of which 7 are classical and 5 are specialized) are much smaller, but the quality of education does not suffer from this.

If you are planning to study economic sciences, you should pay attention to the universities of St. Gallen, legal specialties - to the universities of Fribourg, Lausanne and Neuchatel, exact sciences - to the universities of Zurich, but philology is best taught in Geneva. Universities that train specialists in the field of international tourism and hotel business are also popular.

The most popular specialties in Switzerland are medical, it is very difficult to enter there, since there is no end to local school graduates, and there are also restrictions on the enrollment of foreign students.

How to apply to a Swiss university

For foreign applicants at the University of Friborg, a single exam is held in early autumn, which consists of five disciplines: language, mathematics, history and two specialized ones. Many universities have preparatory departments for foreigners who start their work in 2-3 months

The Russian certificate is not quoted in all Swiss universities. The admissions committee reserves the right to appoint additional exams if the applicant's certificate does not correspond to the Swiss school curriculum.

In private universities, everything is simpler: only a certificate, a test confirming knowledge of the language, and an interview are required.

Higher education in public universities in Switzerland is paid, including for citizens of the country. However, the cost can be considered symbolic: from 1000 to 2000 CHF per year. It is noteworthy that for both local and foreign students the price is almost the same. The exception is the University of Italian Switzerland - 4000 CHF per year and 8000 CHF per year for foreigners. In private universities, of course, it will be much more expensive. Prices on the page are for September 2018.

Required documents

• certificate of secondary education (it is desirable that the grades were not lower than "fours" in all subjects)
• certificate confirming knowledge of the language (the one required by the program)
• certificate confirming knowledge of English (mandatory for everyone, not less than 500-550 TOEFL scores or 5.5-6.0 IELTS)
• the most stringent requirements are imposed by the German cantons - a certificate is required stating that you have studied at a Russian university for at least four semesters

A package of documents should be sent 5-12 months before the start of training.

Language schools in Switzerland

Switzerland is a multinational and multilingual country, here you can pick up almost any European language. The most popular courses are the international networks Eurocentres (French) and inlingua (German, French, Italian, English and Spanish). The Swiss language has been successfully taught at the C&L Study Center and Oekos Schule for many years.

The cost of training, depending on the duration and program - from 200 to 1000 CHF per course. For foreign applicants, language courses for admission are opened at universities in the summer.

Education systems in different countries

All articles about studying abroad on "Subtleties"

• Malta + English

The best universities in the world

• UK universities : Etonian , Cambridge , London other
• Universities in Germany : Berlin them. Humboldt , Dusseldorf Academy of Fine Arts other
• Universities in Ireland : Dublin , National University Galway , University of Limerick
• Universities in Italy : Bo , Bolognese , Pisan , university for foreigners in Perugia
• Universities in China : Beijing , beida , Zhejiang University other
• Lithuania: University of Vilnius
• US universities : Harvard , Yale , Princeton other

One of the unique and most demanded structures for education abroad. This country is popular among foreign and Russian children, schoolchildren, teenagers and students for one simple reason - here you can get a quality European education. The main feature of obtaining a higher education is related to the fact that in the territory of this country students from other states will be able to study not in one language, but in several. The inhabitants of this multicultural country are fluent in French, Italian, German and English. Depending on the canton, one of the official languages ​​is the main one in the region. The rest of Europe does not have such educational resources, so hundreds of foreigners around the world are asked the question of how to enter every year.

Programs for admission to Swiss universities for foreign and Russian students - types and features

Conditions for admission to universities in this country may vary depending on the location of the university, its ranking and prestige. International students have several ways to enter a Swiss university.

Depending on the country in which the student plans to graduate, this may be an Anglo-American Pre-Collegiate ( or ) course; in various specializations - humanitarian, technical or social science; French Baccalaureate, where in the second cycle of the course, children aged 16-19 are preparing to enter universities in Switzerland, France and those countries where education in French is possible; the Italian Maturita program, in which high school students choose one of four specializations and prepare for admission to Italian or Swiss higher schools. Also on the list is the most common international pre-university training program -. This two-year course, whose certificate is recognized in more than 100 countries around the world, allows applicants to enter almost anywhere.

Foreign students can get into these programs after the 9th, 10th, 11th grade of a Russian school. In addition, Swiss universities have an annual training program at the higher education schools themselves. After completing such a program, the applicant is guaranteed to get into the first year of the bachelor's degree.

In addition to the first stage of higher education, Swiss universities accept foreign students and the second - to the master's program. As in other European countries, in Switzerland, to obtain a master's degree, you must complete a bachelor's degree + know at a very good level one of the previously named foreign languages.

Also, when choosing an educational institution, it is worth considering the priority specialization. According to Swiss education experts, economics is best taught at the universities of St. Gallen, law students go to study at the universities of Lausanne, Fiurge and Nchâtel, the exact sciences are taught at the University of Zurich, and the humanities, in particular philology, are best taught in Geneva . Swiss universities in the field of tourism and hospitality are of particular fame: it is believed that Switzerland is the ancestor of these areas, therefore local universities are the best in the world ranking of the corresponding specialization.

How to apply to universities in Switzerland - the process of admission and conditions of study

It is best to start preparing for admission to a Swiss university or college at least a year before the potential start of the academic year. This is due to the fact that in addition to preparing documents, an international student will need to prepare for a language test and successfully pass a general test for all foreign students studying in Switzerland. In total, this entire process will take at least 4-6 months.

So, to become a student at a Swiss university, you need:

• Provide a high school diploma with good and excellent marks in all disciplines
• Pass the unified exam for foreign students. It takes place every year in Friborg in September or October. The test includes 5 subjects: three compulsory (mathematics, history and language) and two optional (chemistry, physics, geography, second language)
• Provide a certificate of knowledge of one of the European languages ​​(depending on the chosen program)
• In the institutions of the German-speaking part, there are stricter requirements for foreign and Russian students: applicants must study at a domestic university for at least two years.

If for some reason a student feels that he is not ready to take an exam at the University of Friborg, then he has the opportunity to take training courses and improve his knowledge to the required level. Classes are held starting in June, 2-3 months before the exam.

To confirm the language level, an international student will need one of the following certificates:

• or - French
• or - German
• CELI - Italian
• or - English.

To pass any of the tests, you must sign up in advance (1-2 months in advance), then wait for the results (in 1.5-2 months), and then draw up documents for applying to universities.

Such documents will need to be prepared by a foreign student who wants to enter Swiss universities for the first stage of higher education (bachelor's degree):

• completed application form for admission to the university (online on the website or manually)
• passport and study visa
• an extract on the student's progress for the last 2-3 years
• certificate of secondary education (Russian or foreign sample)

But such documentation will be required for admission to Swiss universities for the second stage of higher education (master's degree):

• bachelor's degree diploma
• completed application for training
• an extract with student grades for the last 2-3 years
• certificate confirming confident knowledge of a foreign language according to the chosen curriculum
• recommendations of teachers from the previous place of study (2-3 reviews)
• candidate's motivation letter.

The cost of studying in universities in Switzerland, the list and rating of educational institutions

Higher educational services can only be obtained on a paid basis (the condition is valid for both local and foreign students), regardless of whether the educational institution is public or private. At the same time, the price will be almost the same for all students. On average, the annual cost of training will be 1000-2000 Swiss francs. Studying for foreign students at a university in the Italian part of the country will cost a little more - about 5-8 thousand francs. An academic year in private Swiss universities will cost even more. Separate items of expenses will be payment for accommodation, meals, pocket and transport expenses (including air travel in both directions).