Passerelle Dubs and further information about the Matura

In Switzerland, vocational apprentices also have the opportunity to obtain a baccalaureate-level qualification. They attend the vocational baccalaureate school (BMS) either parallel to their apprenticeship or after completing it - in which case they can choose between one year of full-time study or two years of part-time study. The BMS qualification enables young adults to enter all universities of applied sciences without examinations, but does not entitle them to study at a university or ETH.

For BMS graduates who are aiming for this goal, there is the so-called Passerelle Dubs. This one-year course prepares them for the so-called supplementary examination, a type of entrance examination that candidates without a baccalaureate must take for admission to Swiss universities. The prerequisites for admission to the Passerelle are good final grades and a high level of motivation.

Maturity rate

The Swiss baccalaureate rate is around 20 per cent. According to the federal government, the rate is calculated from the number of baccalaureate degrees obtained in relation to the 19-year-old permanent resident population.

Long-term and short-term grammar school

There are two different types of grammar school in Switzerland. The long-term grammar school lasts six years and students enter after primary school. In contrast, young people only enter the short-term grammar school after the 8th or 9th school year at lower secondary level. It lasts four years.

In Zurich and in the cantons of central and eastern Switzerland (AI, GL, GR, LU, NW, OW, SG, UR, ZG), the long-term grammar school is widespread; three cantons (NW, OW, UR) even offer this type exclusively. In Latin Switzerland, on the other hand, the Gymnasium is organised as a short-term Gymnasium.

Admission criteria to the grammar school

The conditions for admission to the Gymnasium vary considerably from canton to canton. In simple terms, there are two types of admission procedure.

• For type 1 (AG, AI, AR, GL, GR, SG, SH, SZ, TG, ZH), admission to the Gymnasium is usually decided by a final or entrance examination.
• In type 2 (BE, BL, BS, FR, GE, JU, LU, NE, NW, OW, SO, TI, UR, VD, VS, ZG) there is usually no entrance examination. Instead, experience grades, often combined with a recommendation from the teacher, play the main role.