Private secondary schools in Switzerland

The best option for your son will be to start studying at school in Switzerland at the age of 13 - then he will be able to pass the exams in October-November. Smart Products and Services company will help you gather the necessary documents, organize academic and language preparation. We will also select an educational institution for you, based on your requirements, preferences and opportunities.

To begin with, we recommend meeting with our specialist, discussing your goals, desires and opportunities. Based on them we will select for you the region and place of studying, as well as the curriculum. After that, we will arrange for the daughter language and academic preparation for the entrance examinations, perhaps a study tour for you and the child on the selected campuses, we will help you to issue a study visa.

The cost varies depending on the choice of the institution, its reputation, location, rating and prestige. An approximate amount for you will be calculated by a specialist, determined with the most appropriate option.

We do everything possible to provide your child with the opportunity to study abroad quickly and successfully. Based on your needs and capabilities, we select the country, region, educational institution, study program, type of accommodation and stay, and arrange guardianship or life with a host family.

We can also help you with visa issues — collecting and translating documents, submitting applications, registering with the consulate. We can answer any questions you may have and maintain constant contact with the student until they return home. For successful admission, we offer language courses, tutoring services, and help with writing a compelling application and motivation letter. And most importantly, our enrollment services are completely free! We work with educational institutions as partners, not as intermediaries, so we can save you from commissions and additional expenses.

The most rational approach would be to organize familiarization trips to your chosen campuses, allowing you to personally assess the learning and living conditions and interact with students, teachers, the director, and administrative staff. You can use any convenient and affordable means of transportation and visit as many schools as you wish.

Smart Products and Services is ready to compile a list of the highest-rated and most popular schools for you, provide real photos and reviews, and recommend the best options to make your final choice easier.

Of course! We are working to ensure that your admission to a foreign educational institution is as simple and fast as possible. We will organize your visit to campuses for preliminary acquaintance, give recommendations on entrance and language examinations, interviews, help you collect and translate documents and send an application, and help you with obtaining a study visa. You have chosen good educational institutions, but it is worth considering that the application for the Institut Le Rosey should be submitted in about 2 years: it is a very large competition due to its popularity. If necessary, we will select other educational institutions that fully meet your needs.

All foreign students enrolled in private boarding schools in Switzerland receive a Permit-B, a residence permit in the country. Parents are given the opportunity to get a short-term visa - there are no grounds for long-term residency because of the child's education. Exceptions are cases where parents work in a Swiss company, serve in an international or diplomatic organization of that country.

Alas, visa and border services do not provide such an opportunity. You can send a child to a boarding school where he will stay and be constantly supervised by a specialist - so you can visit him at any time convenient for you (but the school recommends visiting on weekends), having received a tourist visa.

The exception to this rule is Great Britain. Here the parents of a child under 12 years can stay with them on the basis of a temporary long-term visa - but on the day when the student turns 12 years, this privilege becomes invalid and the parent's visa ends.

Apparently, you are looking for an international Swiss boarding school, and focus on the high school programs of the British and American model. In this case, of course, British introductory tests can serve as excellent examples of tests and examinations that await a child in Switzerland. 

Concerning the quality of education, we can say the following: as a rule, national educational institutions (both in Switzerland and in the UK) are better than international schools. British boarding schools stand out among the rest of the world institutions: they are proud of their teaching staff (about 10% of them are necessarily graduates of the legendary Oxford and Cambridge), the level of students' academic performance, and the quality of the curriculum.

Usually daytime Swiss schools require the following conditions:

• Obtaining a residence permit (for you and then for a child)
• Good language preparation (knowledge of French, German or Italian)
• 1-2 years of study at the international boarding school in Switzerland. 

Yes, schools that host foreign students for short-term studies exist, and education is available even with an ordinary Schengen visa. One trimester costs about 30.000 francs - we are ready to choose the best option, based on your needs and capabilities.

Primarily, studying in public universities in Switzerland is conducted in German, French, less often Italian. To enter the university without losing time, we recommend that you pass a two-year preparatory program. It is provided by many successful boarding schools in the country, including in Geneva and its environs. We are sure that during this time your daughter will be able to learn an additional foreign language, and if the remaining results in subjects are sufficiently high, then she will successfully enter the chosen Swiss university.

The thing is that the Institut Le Rosey school is very prestigious, highly ranked and, due to this, it is unusually popular. For successful admission, we recommend that you apply in advance (2 years before the expected start of classes). Of course, there are exceptions when vacant positions on the course appear during the school year, but such an opportunity can not be guaranteed.

Apparently, you are looking for a good Swiss boarding school. You can, for example, pay attention to the school TASIS (it is located in Lugano, the Italian-speaking canton of the country). We also recommend to consider the possibility of entering the national day schools in Switzerland - the level of academic (including mathematical and linguistic) preparation is even higher.

One of the best options will be College du Leman. We can clarify for you the availability of places on the course, apply and collect documents for admission.

The school you mentioned, the Rosenberg Institute, does not have a strict selection process or difficult entrance exams, so the chances of admission are quite high. We recommend that you start intensive German language lessons now: this will allow your daughter to attend a Swiss day school on an equal footing with Swiss citizens and receive a good academic education, enabling her to go on to a good college or university.

If you are referring specifically to citizenship (rather than obtaining a residence permit), then it is a very long and complicated procedure. The rule you describe is correct for citizens under the age of 20. It is easier to obtain citizenship if you live and study in the UK.

Among summer schools, we recommend the Monte Rosa summer program in Montreux, where mothers can stay with their children in one of the local hotels. When choosing a primary or secondary school, it is worth noting that admission to Swiss boarding schools for foreigners is usually at the age of 10-11 (but in some cases, earlier admission is possible).

You can easily choose one of the international francophone colleges - they provide quality educational programs and accommodation on a full board basis.

There are relatively few boarding schools in Switzerland, especially compared to the UK. A place may become available in one of them before the end of the year, but unfortunately, this cannot be guaranteed. If such an opportunity arises, you should immediately provide your academic results and report card from your previous school, as well as take entrance exams: usually in English, mathematics, and science. Keep in mind that it takes between one and a half to two and a half months to obtain a Swiss student visa.

Every child in Switzerland must attend school until the end of ninth grade (approximately age 15), after which students enter apprenticeship programs, specialized programs, or continue their schooling to pursue university studies. The compulsory education program includes two years of kindergarten.

Compulsory education combines primary and secondary cycles:

• The primary cycle (8 years) varies in format from canton to canton. In some cantons, children attend kindergarten for the first two years. Preschool accepts children from the age of 4 and lasts for 2 years. Students then complete a six-year primary education program, which includes language studies (the main language and the second national language), mathematics, history, geography, and social studies.
• Secondary cycle – children aged 12 and older move on to compulsory three-year secondary education (except in the canton of Ticino, where compulsory secondary education lasts four years).

The compulsory school program is known in some cantons as the “orientation cycle” and does not end with a final exam. Students are then grouped according to their preferences, skills, and school reports.

After completing compulsory schooling, teenagers choose one of three forms of education:

1. continuation of general education,
2. gymnasium or lyceum (depending on the canton),
3. vocational training.

General education courses last 3-4 years and are a transition to higher education, culminating in a final exam called Maturité or Maturität in German, International Baccalaureate. Private schools also offer national programs in the UK, USA, etc.

Parallel courses offered by general education schools (ECG/EFZ/AFC) offer four-year courses. Graduates receive a specialized Swiss secondary education certificate and the opportunity to continue their studies at universities of applied sciences (UAS).

Initial vocational education, or apprenticeships, lasts from two to four years and culminates in a Swiss Federal Certificate of Competence (CFC).

After completing vocational education, access to higher education is the same as for graduates of secondary schools and specialized programs.

There are no entrance exams for admission to schools in Switzerland, but it is necessary to provide test results demonstrating the level of language proficiency:

• TOEFL or IELTS in English,
• CILS or CELI in Italian,
• DELF or DALF in French,
• OSD, TestDaf or Goethe Institut in German.

To enter a Swiss university, foreigners will have to pass a single exam, which takes place in Fribourg every year in the first months of autumn. This test includes 5 parts, 3 of which are mandatory (foreign language, mathematics, history) and 2 to choose from (science and second language). To prepare for the exam, you can take a special course (33 weeks) in the same place, in Fribourg. Classes are held annually from October to June in German and French. To enroll in the program, certificates of knowledge of these languages will be required. Another option is that you can take exams in French or German on the spot and enroll.

In some cases, the number of people wishing to enroll in a certain program exceeds the number of places, therefore, among other conditions, universities additionally introduce a competitive examination for places. Universities set possible exam dates in advance.

Schoolchildren attend school in Switzerland from the age of 4-6. Education is compulsory for everyone up to the age of 15, after which students choose one of three paths, with the final stage lasting from 2 to 6 years. Students can complete their education and obtain a work permit at the age of 17. The education system is regulated by the cantons.

Kindergarten in Switzerland is the first stage of education: here, children acquire basic knowledge of language and arithmetic and learn to communicate and interact. Children are introduced to other languages and Swiss culture and learn social skills through play-based learning. The program includes music, games, art and crafts, and the basics of reading and mathematics. This stage is not compulsory in some cantons.

After completing the first stage at around the age of 6, children are enrolled in school.

• In German-speaking cantons, the first two grades of school and kindergarten form a single cycle of education, known as Grundstufe or Basis Stufe.
• In French-speaking cantons, two years of kindergarten and the first two years of school also form the first educational cycle.
• In Italian-speaking regions, schoolchildren attend kindergarten from the age of 4.

The next stage of school education is divided into two stages: incomplete and full.

Incomplete (compulsory) education: this is for students aged 11-12 and lasts up to 4 years. Incomplete secondary schools in Switzerland are called Gymnasiums or Kantonsschule. Here, children study their native language, a second language (one of the official languages of Switzerland), and English. Students study:

• Mathematics
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Geography
• History
• Art
• Home economics
• Sports.

Children undergo career guidance and initial vocational education.

A full secondary education is not mandatory: students receive vocational education, study a bachelor's program (senior high school program), or enroll in a gymnasium.

The duration of vocational education is 2-4 years: at the end of the course, students are awarded a federal diploma or certificate allowing them to work or continue their education.

One-third of Swiss students choose a bachelor's degree: this is a continuation of school education—the subjects are often similar, with the addition of law and economics. Admission is based on the student's academic performance, and the duration of study is 3-6 years, depending on the canton. After completing the program, students take a test and write an essay, and are awarded a Matura certificate, which allows them to apply to European and American universities.

Gymnasiums provide specialized training for careers in healthcare and social work. The duration is three years: at the end of the course, students take exams in six subjects, receive a certificate, and are eligible to continue their education at vocational colleges.

The duration of study for those who want to enter university after school is 13 years.