20. 09

Misleading References about Swiss Higher Education

Due to differences in educational systems and perspectives on autonomy among countries, many inaccurate references, misunderstandings, or misinterpretations still appear, mainly stemming from the application of centralized management mechanisms of other nations to Switzerland’s autonomous education model. This article is excerpted from the Swiss Federal-level International Legal Violation Handling System.

“Private higher education institutes are not recognized”

This statement is completely incorrect, both in wording and in legal essence. Swiss law does not stipulate that a higher education institute is ‘not recognized.

In reality:

  • Higher education institutes remain legitimate educational institutions, registered and supervised by the canton authority where they are located.
  • Accreditation only relates to the right to use protected titles such as “university,” “university of applied sciences,” or the right to receive federal funding, and does not affect the legality or the possibility of being recognized nationally and internationally.
“Higher education institutes must be accredited to be recognized”

This interpretation is incorrect under the Higher Education Act (HEdA). Institutional accreditation is mandatory only if an institution intends to use protected titles (‘university’, ‘university of applied sciences’, ‘university of teacher education’) or to access federal funding. Legal operation of private higher education institutes is based on cantonal licensing, not federal accreditation.

Misleading or incorrect references may constitute a violation of the Swiss Federal Act against Unfair Competition (UWG) and may give rise to civil liability under the Swiss Civil Code and the Swiss Code of Obligations, enforceable through the Swiss Code of Civil Procedure.

“Programs of higher education institutions that do not undergo accreditation are not recognized by the Swiss Government”

This claim is misleading. Pursuant to Art. 28(3) HEdA, programme accreditation is explicitly voluntary, even for accredited institutions. Switzerland does not operate a centralized program recognition mechanism; each institution has full autonomy to design and manage its own study programs.

“The Swiss Ministry of Education does not recognize”

This is a misconception about the Swiss education system. Switzerland has no federal ‘Ministry of Education’ with authority to recognize or refuse recognition of institutions or programs. Education is primarily a cantonal competence, coordinated at federal level by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK).

Misunderstandings about accreditation and recognition in Swiss higher education tend to arise when centralized education models from other countries (for example, some Asian systems, parts of continental Europe, or the United States) are applied to Switzerland’s decentralized and autonomous framework.

In summary:

  • Higher education institutes in Switzerland are not required to be accredited in order to operate legally. Accreditation becomes mandatory only if an institution seeks to use protected titles or access federal funding.
  • Switzerland has no Federal Ministry of Education that “recognizes” or “does not recognize” institutions or programs. Instead, education is primarily a cantonal competence, coordinated at federal level by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK).
  • Only institutions wishing to use protected titles such as “university”, “university of applied sciences”, or “university of teacher education” are required to undergo institutional accreditation under Art. 28 HEdA.
  • Study programs are not subject to mandatory recognition. Under Art. 28(3) HEdA, programme accreditation is voluntary, and institutions retain full autonomy in designing and delivering their curricula.

References from the Swiss Government:

  • Federal Act on Funding and Coordination of the Higher Education Sector (HEdA), Chapter 5: Quality Control and Accreditation, Art. 27–29: HEdA – Fedlex
  • Swiss Accreditation Council (AAQ): AAQ Accreditation

Source: Swiss Information and Management Institute (SIMI Swiss)