Switzerland Education System Overview

Switzerland, a federal and multilingual country, boasts a highly regarded education system characterized by decentralization and a strong emphasis on vocational training. The primary responsibility for education resides with the 26 cantons (states), leading to some regional variations. However, the Confederation and the Cantons share the responsibility of ensuring quality and permeability throughout the education system. This article explores the structure, key features, and unique aspects of the Swiss education system, from early childhood to tertiary levels.

Decentralized Structure and Harmonization

The Swiss education system is decentralized, with each canton responsible for drawing up its own curriculum, including the weekly teaching periods per subject and class. There is no national curriculum. However, the Federal Constitution obliges the Cantons to coordinate and harmonise their educational systems with regard to structure and objectives. The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) oversees this system, ensuring a set framework by the central government. This decentralized approach allows for responsiveness to local needs and cultural contexts.

Compulsory Education

Education is compulsory for all children and young people from 9 to 11 years, typically starting at age four and lasting until around age 15. In compulsory education 95% of all children attend public schools in their local municipality. There is no free choice of school in compulsory education. Public schools play an important role in integration, as children from diverse social, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds attend the same school. Public schools in compulsory education are free of charge.

Language of Instruction

Given Switzerland's multilingual nature, the language of instruction varies by region: German, French, Italian, or Romansh. Traditionally, language learning is important in Switzerland.

Primary Education

Primary level (Primarschule / école primaire / scuola elementare) includes two years of kindergarten (Kindergarten / école enfantine / scuola dell’infanzia) or a first learning cycle and comprises eight years (seven years in Canton Ticino). Kindergarten aims to teach children social skills and basic mannerisms through play-based learning. In the German-speaking cantons, kindergarten and two years of primary education are combined into the first learning cycle, and students aged four to eight years are in the same class.

Secondary Education

Secondary education is divided into two stages: lower secondary and upper secondary.

Lower Secondary Education

Lower secondary level (Sekundarstufe I / secondaire I / scuola media) takes three years (four years in Canton Ticino). In lower secondary education, teaching is realised at different performance levels (tracking). Kids start their lower secondary education around the ages of 11 to 12, and it lasts 3 to 4 years. Lower secondary schools in Switzerland are called Gymnasiums or Kantonsschule. This is where kids learn their mother language, a second language spoken in Switzerland and English. Natural sciences are also given a lot of importance where math, biology, chemistry, physics, and geography are taught as some of the main subjects. Students are graded with numbers from 6 (being the highest) to 1 (the lowest). They also take tests at the end of the school year, where they get to test their gathered knowledge. At the end of primary school (or at the beginning of secondary school), pupils are separated according to their capacities and career-intentions in several sections for a period of 2-3 years (Sekundarschule) in either Pre-higher secondary school section, General section, or Basic section. Students who aspire for an academic career enter Mittelschule (also named Gymnasium, or Kantonsschule, a public school by the canton/state) to be prepared for further studies and the Matura.

Upper Secondary Education

Upper secondary education is subdivided into general education programmes and vocational education and training programmes (VET). High school in Switzerland is not compulsory, and its structure is unique. After the students finish their lower secondary education, they can choose what kind of career they want to pursue. The general education programmes include the Gymnasiale Maturitätsschulen / écoles de maturité / scuole di maturità [Baccalaureate schools] and the Fachmittelschulen / écoles de culture générale / scuole specializzate [upper secondary specialised schools]. They do not lead to professional qualifications, but prepare for tertiary level education programmes.

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

Switzerland has a strong vocational and professional education system (VET). It offers mostly dual-track VET programmes at upper secondary level (combining an apprenticeship in a training company with 1-2 days of classroom instruction at a vocational school) and broad tertiary-level professional education programmes. Two thirds of all young people coming out of compulsory education enrol in VET, which provides them with a solid foundation in a given occupation (there are about 230 professions to choose from). VET is mostly completed at training companies (apprenticeship) combined with education at a Berufsfachschule / école professionnelle / scuola professionale [VET school]. The adolescents complete upper-secondary education at the age of 18/19. A vocational school is a preferred choice for most young Swiss students. That is where they get to learn skills in school and see how it is done through the first-hand experience in companies that provide apprenticeships and cross-company courses. They last from 2 to 4 years and allow the students to gain technical and practical knowledge.

Baccalaureate Schools

A Baccalaureate school is the choice of ⅓ Swiss students. It can be considered a continuation of the lower secondary education, where the subjects are similar to the previous ones in lower secondary education, plus law and economics. The enrollment is based on the student’s previous performance, and the grading system is the same as in lower secondary education. At the end of the program, students must take a test and present a baccalaureate essay.

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Upper Secondary Specialized Schools

Upper secondary specialized schools provide specialized preparation for a career in healthcare, social work, and education. Students are graded with the same grading system as previously and study the core subjects related to the specific occupation. The grades determine whether the students progress to the next year or not. The program lasts three years, and in the end, the students must take a final exam in six of their subjects.

Tertiary Education

The tertiary level comprises universitäre Hochschulen / hautes écoles universitaire / università; Fachhochschulen / hautes écoles specialisée / scuole universitarie professionali; Pädagogische Hochschulen / hautes écoles pédagogique / alte scuole pedagogiche [universities, universities of applied sciences, universities of teacher education] and, as a second important pillar, institutions providing professional education and training (PET). Tertiary education is a continuation of the higher secondary education a student chooses. University is the logical choice for the students with a Matura, while Fachhochschule or Höhere Fachschule is the choice of students with a VET certificate.

Universities

With a few exceptions (numerus clausus in specific programmes) a baccalaureate diploma allows for free choice of the university as well as the study programme. There are 12 universities in total, 10 of which are run and regulated by the cantons and offer theory-oriented mayors. There’s a wide range of subjects offered to study at Swiss universities. Furthermore, universities in Switzerland are known for their BBAs and MBAs, and they tend to be some of the best in the world. This has resulted in a considerable number of international students in the country. The first university in Switzerland was founded in 1460 in Basel, with a faculty of medicine. In total, there are 12 Universities in Switzerland; ten of them are managed by the cantons, while two federal institutes of technology, ETH in Zürich and EPFL in Lausanne, are under the authority of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. Many Nobel Prizes have been awarded to Swiss scientists.

Universities of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschulen)

There is one private and eight public Universities of Applied Sciences. The difference between a University and a Fachhochschule is that the latter generally doesn’t award a doctoral degree. A federal VET-diploma combined with a federal vocational baccalaureate, for instance, opens the way to universities of applied sciences.

Professional Education and Training (PET)

The latter is aimed at people with an upper secondary VET diploma and several years of professional experience, enabling them to gain specialist education and additional qualifications. It comprises diplomas from a höhere Fachschule / école supérieure / scuola specializzata superiore [PET college], an Eidgenössischer Fachausweis / brevet fédéral / attestato professionale federale [federal PET diploma] or an Eidgenössisches Diplom / diplôme fédéral / diploma federale [advanced federal PET diploma].

Continuing Education and Training

Continuing education and training is characterised by heterogeneity, e.g. regarding responsibility, regulation, financing and types of programmes. Private parties perform a key role, bearing general responsibility, as well as providing and financing continuing education and training.

Open Access and Permeability

Open access to various types of education and a high degree of permeability between programmes play an important role: Anyone who has the necessary qualifications can generally attend the courses of his/her choice. There are many ways to enter or transfer to a training programme or school or to attend a catch-up training programme.

Internationalization

Switzerland has a high rate of international students. Many international students attend Swiss universities for advanced degrees. Switzerland also has a high rate of PhD students and inhabitants with doctoral degrees.

Childcare

There are various childcare facilities and services (Kindertagesstätten / crèches / nidi d’infanzia [day-care centres] and Tagesfamilien / familles de jour / famiglie diurne) as well as informal care arrangements such as care by private individuals (e.g. grandparents, neighbours, friends), playgroups etc. All these childcare services are voluntary and parents use them at their discretion. The share of informal care in Switzerland is comparatively high. Parents using formal childcare pay a share of the costs.

Key Indicators and Statistics

Unemployment among 25-34 year-olds without upper secondary education is 11.5%, compared to 4.9% with upper secondary and 4% with tertiary attainment. These rates in Switzerland are lower than OECD averages.
In 2024, 19% of young adults held a master’s or equivalent degree in Switzerland, above the OECD average of 16%.
Almost all first-time tertiary entrants (98%) enrol in bachelor’s or equivalent programmes, far higher than the OECD average of 78%.
Women made up 50% of first-time tertiary entrants in 2023, up from 48% in 2013, though still below the OECD average of 54%.
A gap year before bachelor’s studies is common, with 53% of new entrants taking one, compared to 44% across the OECD.
Completion rates for bachelor’s programmes are relatively high: 39% finish on time, 66% within one year, and 82% within three years.

Challenges and Considerations

Despite high overall attainment, gender pay gaps persist, with women with tertiary education consistently earning less than men.
The share of women among teaching staff in general upper secondary education in Switzerland is relatively small.

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