Preparatory and integration courses
In Switzerland, there are many courses which prepare young people for education in the shape of an apprenticeship or studies. Many of these courses also give them an opportunity to improve their knowledge of a national language. We have outlined the following possibilities for your benefit here:
University Preparatory Courses for studies in Switzerland
For further information, please contact the offices referred to in the relevant section.
Integration in a compulsory school
Children and young people under the age of sixteen who still go to compulsary school, who have come to Switzerland from abroad and who have little or no command of the language of instruction can attend a special assistance and language course before they enter the mainstream classes or parallel to it. The task of these classes is to improve the linguistic competence of the pupils and to facilitate their integration into everyday life in Switzerland. The school commission of the local community can give you further information.
Tenth School Year or Special Assistance and Language Courses after compulsory school
It is often difficult to find a place on a course directly after compulsory education. This is true not only for Swiss abroad but also for many young people who have grown up in Switzerland. There are many reasons for this: lack of linguistic knowledge, insufficient general education, inability to decide straight away which course to take, no places available on the chosen course etc. In order to give these young people more time, many private and state schools offer special courses (tenth year, preparatory professional courses, special leveling and language courses for young people with foreign mother tongue). Information is available from the education department or the careers advisory service of the canton in which you are/will be living. The offers can vary very much depending on the canton.
University preparatory Courses for studies in Switzerland
Swiss universities are allowed to decide for themselves whether to admit a candidate with foreign educational qualifications and under what conditions. Very often university places are offered to students only when they can prove that they have passed the entrance examination for students with foreign educational qualifications. This exam is generally known under the name of “Freiburgerprüfung”. Till now the students had the possibility to prepare themselves for these exams in a preparatory course in the bilingual city of Freiburg. Due to the fact that the Federation and the Cantons decided to discontinue the financing of such course, this school had no other option than close its doors in 2011. There are still some private institutions that offer courses for these exams, but an individual preparation may also be an option.
Other preparatory Courses
Some universities and universities of applied sciences, as well as the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (EPFL and ETHZ) do have their own admission examination and do also sometimes offer the corresponding preparatory courses. You can get further information at AJAS or directly at the admission office of the concerned university.
Language Courses
Good to excellent ability in at least one of the national languages is often essential in Switzerland if you want to do any kind of education or training or to find a job. AJAS therefore recommends that you acquire good knowledge of the national languages before you begin your education or training in Switzerland. All big towns in Switzerland have language schools. Universities in west Switzerland (www.crus.ch, under 'Studying in Switzerland', leaflets) and many private schools offer special summer courses. You can also find addresses on the internet, in telephone books and in daily newspapers.
