Centre for Higher Education Students Macao, 5 March 2016 SWISS EDUCATION SEMINAR CULTURE AND LIFESTYLE What do you know about ?

Roger Federer Swiss Chocolate Luxury Watches

3 Consulate General of Switzerland What is the Link between these Objects?

Hook and Loop Mouse World Wide Web

4 Consulate General of Switzerland What you also ought to know

Hotspot for Small but high A country full of research & performing bright minds development

5 Consulate General of Switzerland Facts & Figures

41,285 km2 area of Switzerland

Berne is the capital

8 million inhabitants

4 national languages German, French, Italian, Rhaeto- Romanic

History

• Loose confederation of small independent states • According to legend, three men met on the Rütli meadow on August 1, 1291, vowing not to recognize any external judge or law → Federal Charter of 1291 • September 12, 1848 the Swiss Federal Constitution established the Swiss Confederation • Constitution and structure of the state heavily influenced by the American constitution and the ideals of the French Revolution

High Standard of Living

Diverse music scene • Folk music - yodelling and the alphorn • Open-air rock and pop festivals, Jazz festivals

Museums • Over 1100 museums • One of the highest densities in the world

Architecture: • Rich tradition in Switzerland, birthplace of Le Corbusier

8 Consulate General of Switzerland Strong Private Industry & International Environment

• United Nations’ European seat in Geneva • 24 international organizations • Several hundred international NGOs • International conferences • Headquarter of companies such as Nestlé, Swatch, UBS, Swiss Re, Novartis, Roche, Bally, Holcim, ABB, Rolex, Credit Suisse, Ciba Chemicals

9 Consulate General of Switzerland Quality of Living – City Ranking

Rank City Country

1 Vienna Austria 2 Zurich Switzerland 3 Auckland New Zealand 4 Munich Germany 5 Vancouver Canada 6 Dusseldorf Germany 7 Frankfurt Germany 8 Geneva Switzerland 9 Copenhagen Denmark 10 Sydney Australia

Source: Mercer 2015

10 Inspiring Cube | August 2015 | © SWITZERLAND GLOBAL ENTERPRISE Source: Mercer 2014 EDUCATION SYSTEM Education Expenditure

Education expenditure per capita in USD

Switzerland 16090 USA 15345 Norway 14288 Austria 13116 Sweden 12426 Denmark 12136 Netherlands 11701 Belgium 11585 Finland 10905 Germany 10904 Ireland 10857 Australia 10711 Japan 10646 France 10454 United Kingdom 10412 OECD average 9487

Source: OECD, Education at a glance 2014

12 Consulate General of Switzerland Swiss Education – dual, decentralized and free

Responsibility for education is shared between the federal authorities, the Cantons and the communes.

Compulsory schooling (9 years): Primary and lower secondary

Post-compulsory schooling: Upper secondary schooling based on a "dual system“ - Choice between Vocational Training Routes General Education Routes (apprenticeship) (preparation for the Matura)

• 60% of young people opt for the vocational training route • This system provides the labor market with highly qualified career entrants

13 Consulate General of Switzerland Vocational Training

• 250 different professions can be learned through direct channels

• The courses focus on professional qualifications that are actually in demand and on jobs that are currently available

• The highly-educated professionals form the basis for an excellent talent pool for companies based in Switzerland

14 Consulate General of Switzerland Higher Education Landscape

• Diverse and comprehensive range of high-quality cantonal , federal institutes of technology, universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education

• “Bologna” system in all Swiss universities (Bachelor & Masters degree programmes)

• 6 out of the 12 Swiss cantonal universities and federal institutes of technology are among the global Top 200

15 Consulate General of Switzerland Swiss Universities

University of of St. Gallen ETH Zurich

University of Zurich

University of Neuchâtel University of

University of Bern

University of EPFL

Università della Svizzera italiana

16 Consulate General of Switzerland Swiss Universities

ETH Zurich EPFL University of Geneva

University of Bern University of Lausanne

University of St. Gallen University of Neuchâtel Università della University of Lucerne Svizzera italiana

17 Consulate General of Switzerland Top 10 and Swiss Universities 2015

Rank Rank 2015 Top 10 worldwide 2015 Swiss universities

1 California Institute of Technology, US 9 ETH Zürich

2 University of Oxford, UK 31 EPF Lausanne

3 Stanford University, US 101 University of Basel

4 University of Cambridge, UK 104 University of Zürich

5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US 120 University of Bern

6 Harvard University, US 131 University of Geneva

7 Princeton University, US 144 University of Lausanne

8 Imperial College London, UK 201-250 University of Fribourg

9 ETH Zürich, CH 351-400 University of St Gallen

10 University of Chicago, US 401-500 University of Neuchâtel

Source: Times Higher Education

18 Consulate General of Switzerland Swiss Universities

Swiss higher education institutions have made significant contributions to the economic, cultural and social development of Switzerland

• Diverse range of high-quality study options in all disciplines and fields of study • Open access to higher education: enrolment is possible for everyone who has recognised upper-secondary level qualifications • High employment rates of university graduates • High level of internationally recognised research performance • Strong international appeal: Foreign nationals account for around a quarter of all students and over 40% of researchers enrolled at Swiss higher education institutions • International research cooperation very important. In terms of volume of published scientific articles per inhabitant, Switzerland tops rankings in international comparison

19 Consulate General of Switzerland STUDENT LIFE Grading and Credit System

6-point grading scale, where 6 represents the highest and 1 the 6 = excellent lowest grade

5 = good European Credit Transfer and Accumulations System (ECTS): • one credit corresponds to 25-30 4 = pass working hours • 60 ECTS attached to the workload Below 4 = fail of a full-time year of formal learning

21 Consulate General of Switzerland Academic Calendar

The academic year is divided into two semesters:

FALL SEMESTER Lectures from September (week 38) to December (week 51)

SPRING SEMESTER Lectures from February (week 8) to May (week 22)

Examination dates differ according to university and faculty and can take place at the end of a lecture period or during the semester break.

22 Consulate General of Switzerland Average Study Time

BACHELOR DEGREE • 180 ECTS • Can be completed within 3 years

MASTER DEGREE • To be completed in 3 semesters (1,5 years/90 ECTS) • Or 4 semesters (2 years/120 ECTS)

Research degrees are generally awarded after 3-5 years of postgraduate research and study, and submission of a thesis.

23 Consulate General of Switzerland ADMISSION REQUIREMENT Language Requirements

Bachelor’s level: The language of instruction is the official language of the location of the university, i.e. German, French or Italian

Master’s programs: The language varies from university to university. Some programs offer course work in English and German/French, some are predominatly taught in English

PhD: Can usually be completed in English

IELTS test for visa application

25 Consulate General of Switzerland

How to apply?

BACHELOR DEGREE • Fulfill national admission requirements plus requirements of the cantonal universities

MASTER DEGREE • High-quality Bachelor’s degree or equivalent first academic degree from internationally recognized university • Previous studies must comply in quality, depth and breadth with requirement profile

The application deadlines vary between institutions

26 Consulate General of Switzerland TUITIONS, LIVING EXPENSE, SCHOLARSHIP Tuition Fees

• Higher education publicly funded – both for Swiss and international students very modest tuition fees • Tuition and semester fees for international students vary from CHF 500 to CHF 4’000 (HKD 4’000-30’000) • The currency used in Switzerland is the Swiss Franc (CHF), which is unique to Switzerland and Liechtenstein

28 Consulate General of Switzerland Living Expenses

• Cost of life similar to that of other European cities • Typical student budget around CHF 1’500 to 2’500 (HKD 12’000- 20’000) per month, including tuition, housing, subsistence, insurance, transport and other living costs

29 Consulate General of Switzerland Scholarships

Scholarships to talented foreign graduate and PhD students

• University scholarships – check universities’ websites for appliaction details and deadlines

• Swiss Government scholarships – check website of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI)

30 Consulate General of Switzerland Working in Switzerland

• International students are generally allowed to work a maximum of 15 hours a week • Within the first six months, Bachelor’s students from non-EU countries are not allowed to work • Master’s students from non-EU countries are only allowed to work at their university

Detailed regulations for work permits depend on the canton of the university and your country of origin.

31 Consulate General of Switzerland ACCOMMODATION Dormitories / Housing

• Most universities have a number of rooms reserved for international students • Affordable housing is hard to find, especially in Zurich and Geneva • Subletting from a student is probably the best option and easier in the summer months • Check with local university listings, airbnb, wgzimmer.ch, easywg.ch, students.ch, homegate.ch etc.

33 Consulate General of Switzerland VISA Immigration

Students who are admitted to a Swiss university can apply for a student visa.

35 Consulate General of Switzerland Q & A ? Useful Links

www.sbfi.admin.ch State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation www.educa.ch Basic information to all international student who wish to study in Switzerland

www.studyinginswitzerland.ch Portal of the Swiss University

www.swissuni.ch Association of Swiss University Continuing www.kfh.ch Rector's Conference of the Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences

www.crus.ch Rectors' Conference of the Swiss Universities www.edk.ch Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education www.swiss-schools.ch Swiss Federation of Private Schools

www.echanges.ch Center for Youth Exchanges www.swisstalents.org Network of highly skilled professionals living abroad

37 Consulate General of Switzerland WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU IN SWITZERLAND!

Andreas Rufer Deputy Consul General of Switzerland in Hong Kong [email protected]