In Switzerland, there are public and private schools of various levels and scopes. Public schools are funded and controlled by local governments, they are in general of a high standard. Higher Education is provided by 10 cantonal universities and two Federal Institutes of Technology run by the federal government which offer top quality education and research. Study fees in such schools are comparatively low. Access, however, is not easy since academic prerequisites are very high.

In general, private schools are totally independent from the government. Study fees are comparatively high. Their standard and the corresponding academic prerequisites can vary greatly from institute to institute. It is up to the prospective students to carefully choose the school they want to attend. Time and efforts spent on this homework will pay off. Private schools are sometimes also supported by the government, with a corresponding control in return. Some diplomas are therefore recognized by the Swiss authorities, others are not.

Hotel management represents a modest portion of private education in Switzerland. Nevertheless, Swiss hotel management schools have a long tradition – over one hundred years for the first ones. Many of these schools have a high standard and an excellent reputation and recognition among the world’s leading hotel groups. A high percentage of hotel managers all over the world have graduated from a private hotel management school in Switzerland. Unfortunately success has also attracted persons who opened schools with a focus on short term profits only. This makes it even more important for the prospective students to carefully research the field and select a good school. Some tips are given below on how to begin the search for a private school.

Click on the following links for detailed information about the Swiss education system (Pre-school education, compulsory education, upper secondary education, vocational training, higher education, universities of applied sciences, non-university higher education, research in Switzerland):
http://www.swissuniversity.ch
http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/asia/vchn/infoch/chwoed.html

Scholarships for non Swiss citizens wanting to study in Switzerland

Each year, the Swiss government offers a certain number of scholarships to foreign students wanting to study at a Swiss university through the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students. 

The Consulate of Switzerland in Mongolia provides all information concerning scholarships to the Ministry of Education, Culture & Science and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia.

The deadline for application submission is 11:30am, October 29, 2010. The applications will be collected at the Consulate of Switzerland in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Applications, which are incomplete or badly prepared, will not be considered! The application form should be downloaded and filled out electronically before printing. Only complete applications will be forwarded to the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS) in Switzerland.

The candidates, who submitted a complete application, will be tested on the language that will be their primary study language in Switzerland. The candidates will be informed on the language test date later.  

The Embassy/Consulate General of Switzerland can request additional documents if necessary. Please note that all applicants must have a knowledge of English, German, French or Italian to submit an application.

Important Links

• Swiss universities, degree recognition issues, please visit the homepage of Rector’s Conference of Swiss Universities: www.crus.ch

• Swiss Hotel Management schools, please visit the homepage of the Swiss Hotel Schools association: www.aseh.ch

• Swiss private schools, please visit the homepage of the Swiss Federation of Private Schools: www.swiss-schools.ch

• International Baccalaureates: www.ibo.org