Higher education

The tertiary level covers courses at higher education institutions and tertiary level
professional education.

In the higher education sector courses may be completed at universities (10

cantonal universities, two Federal Institutes of Technology), at eight state-run
universities of applied sciences and one private university of applied sciences,
and at universities of teacher education, which count as universities of applied
sciences. The universities are involved in basic research in particular. The
universities of applied sciences are focused more towards professional practice
and carry out applied and profession-specific research and development.

Tertiary level professional education is carried out in the non-higher education

sector. It comprises training courses for demanding professional activities and
management functions and serves management training and specialisation.
Tertiary level professional education includes training courses at colleges of
higher education as well as Federal and Advanced Federal Diplomas of Higher
Education.

Higher education institutions

Based on the Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation (Article 63a Higher
education institutions), the Confederation and the cantons are jointly responsible
for the coordination and guarantee of quality in Swiss higher education. Higher
education comprises the universities, the universities of applied sciences and the
universities of teacher education.

The Federal Act on Funding and Coordination of the Higher Education Sector
(Higher Education Act, HEdA), which entered into force on 1 January 2015, forms
the legal basis at federal level. In the cantons, the legal basis is the Intercantonal
Agreement on Higher Education (Higher Education Agreement) of 20 June 2013,
which also entered into force on 1 January 2015. All cantons have signed this
agreement.
The Federal Act and the Higher Education Agreement enabled the Federal Council
and the cantons to conclude an Agreement between the Confederation and the
cantons on Cooperation in the Higher Education Sector (ZSAV-HS). This
cooperation agreement, which entered into force on 1 January 2015, establishes a
number of joint bodies and regulates their competences:

The Swiss Conference of Higher Education Institutions (Schweizerische

Hochschulkonferenz SHK) is the supreme body for university policy. The
Confederation and the cantons are represented in it. The SHK is responsible
for coordinating the activities of the Confederation and the cantons in the
field of higher education throughout Switzerland.
The Rectors' Conference of the Swiss Universities (swissuniversities)
presents its views on the activities of the SUC and submits proposals to it on
behalf of universities. It represents the interests of Swiss universities at
national and international level.
The Swiss Accreditation Council is the joint organisation of the Confederation
and the cantons for quality assurance and accreditation in the Swiss higher
education landscape.

The HEdA regulates funding and coordination. It concerns coordination

throughout Switzerland as a whole, but not specific issues regarding the design of
training or of university courses, etc. The universities and the maintaining cantons
remain autonomous.

The HEdA obliges higher education institutions to periodically check the quality of
their teaching and research, and of their services, and to ensure long-term quality
assurance and quality development. Through institutional accreditation, the
higher education institution is given the right to use in its name the term
“university”, “university of applied sciences” or “university of teacher education”,
or a derivative such as in particular “university institute” or “university of applied
sciences institute”.

The Ordinance on the Federal Act on Funding and Coordination of the Higher
Education Sector (HEdA-Ordinance) regulates competences and the procedure
governing the entitlement of universities and other higher education institutions
to receive funding contributions, and contains implementing provisions on
contributions to cover expenditure for construction and use of buildings as well as
on contributions to shared infrastructure facilities.

The cantons are responsible for the management and supervision of cantonal
universities, universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education.
The Confederation is responsible for the management and supervision of the
Federal Institutes of Technology (FIT). The cantonal university and university of
applied sciences acts, the cantonal acts on universities of teacher education, and
the Federal Act on the Federal Institutes of Technology (FIT Act) regulate the
tasks and organisation of the universities.

Tertiary level professional education

Tertiary level professional education covers the professional non-university sector
of the tertiary level (tertiary level B). It awards the qualifications needed for a
demanding professional activity with specialist or management responsibility. The
courses of education are varied as regards content, requirements and
maintaining bodies, and are marked by their consistent orientation to the needs
of the labour market. Tertiary level professional education is managed federally in
partnership between the Confederation, the cantons and the professional
organisations (OdA) (see table). The legal bases are anchored in the national
legislation on vocational and professional education and training and in the EAER
Ordinance on the Minimum Requirements for the Recognition of Courses of Study
and Post-Graduate Programmes at Colleges of Higher Education. Tertiary level
professional education is a specific feature of the Swiss education system. In
many other countries corresponding types of training are carried out at higher
education institutions.

Tertiary level professional education is divided into the following two areas:

Examinations for Federal and Advanced Federal Diplomas of Higher

Education

Colleges of higher education

Academic year
The academic year at higher education institutions is divided into two semesters.
Each semester (lecture period) lasts 14 weeks at universities and 14 to 16 weeks
at universities of applied sciences. In the autumn semester classes begin in
calendar week 38 and end in calendar week 51, while in the spring semester
classes begin in calendar week 8 and end in week 22 (with one week off).
previous page
‹ Organisational variations and alternative structures
Up
Types of higher education institutions ›