UNDERSTANDING UNIVERSITY ENTRY
For direct entry with a bac général, Geneva and Lausanne require physique-chimie or SVT as a speciality in both première and terminale, alongside the required mathematics. We review your child’s subjects and results to identify suitable Swiss universities.
A personal conversation with an admissions counselor.
Selected public university routes · 2026/27
Mathematics plus PC or SVT, with the specified subject levels and years.
Mathematics and PC or SVT as specialities in both years.
After maths + PC/SVT in première, terminale can retain maths + a speciality of choice, or PC/SVT + another speciality + complémentaires.
Standard foreign-applicant route; meeting the minimum grades does not guarantee a place.
What this means for your childScience requirements can apply even to non-science degrees. Dropping PC/SVT in terminale does not rule out every university: Neuchâtel has a different combination.
See the full university requirementsHOW SWISSADMISSIONS HELPS
You do not have to work through every university’s rules alone. We turn your child’s school record and study plans into a clear way forward.
Discuss my child’s optionsWe assess the diploma, subjects and grades against the requirements of the intended programmes.
We build a shortlist around your child’s academic profile, interests and preferred teaching language.
We prepare the application with you. If something is missing, we explain the accepted alternatives and preparation options.
Explore the detail below, or let us review how it applies to your child.
For the standard route to Geneva or Lausanne with a recent baccalauréat général, physique-chimie or SVT must be a speciality in both première and terminale. EPFL requires physique-chimie specifically. Mathematics is also required, but the accepted level varies: Geneva accepts mathématiques complémentaires in terminale; Lausanne requires the speciality. We assess your child’s exact combination and grades to identify suitable universities and any additional steps. Neuchâtel offers a different subject combination, detailed below.
| University | What to check |
|---|---|
| University of Geneva | For the general route: 12/20 overall; mathematics speciality in première, then mathematics speciality or mathématiques complémentaires in terminale; SVT or physics-chemistry speciality in both years. The general-education subject requirements also apply. Official requirements |
| University of Lausanne | 12/20 overall, with mathematics speciality and either SVT or physics-chemistry speciality in both première and terminale. Mathématiques complémentaires does not replace the mathematics speciality for this route. Official requirements |
| University of Bern | A bac meeting the general-education subject requirements, plus 12/20 overall or the required proof of admission to a recognised French university. Enseignement scientifique is not accepted as the natural-science subject. Official requirements |
| EPFL | The standard foreign-applicant route requires mathematics and physics-chemistry specialities in both years, at least 16/20 in each and overall. Meeting these minima does not guarantee a place: capacity-based selection applies. Specific Swiss nationality/residence exceptions exist. Official requirements |
| University of Neuchâtel | For a bac général awarded from 2021: 12/20 overall; mathematics and PC or SVT specialities in première. In terminale: mathematics speciality plus a freely chosen speciality, or PC/SVT plus a freely chosen speciality and mathématiques complémentaires. This can leave a route open after dropping the science speciality. The complete general-education and admission conditions still apply. Official requirements |
Selected public university examples, not a complete admission decision. The full subject combinations, language requirements, application deadlines and programme rules still apply. Medicine has separate restrictions. Universities of applied sciences (HES/FH), private and hospitality schools assess applicants under their own policies. Recheck the conditions for your intended intake.
Applied universities (HES/FH), private and hospitality schools have their own entry requirements, which may include practical experience. We assess your child’s record to identify suitable options across these institutions.
Prepare the application, supporting records and any language evidence. There is no reason to add a Maturité preparation year simply because the diploma is French. Keep a second suitable choice while decisions are pending.
Compare the actual university requirements with the school’s available options. Confirm that a change will be documented and recognised before committing to it. An extra course does not automatically repair a missing speciality on the bac.
Ask the university which alternative it accepts for this precise shortfall, then compare further study, a recognised qualification or another institution. ECUS and EPFL’s entrance exam are not universally available substitutes. A preparation course is useful only when it leads to an accepted outcome.
No. A high average does not waive a required speciality, and EPFL also selects within its available places. Start with subject eligibility, then check results and the programme’s additional conditions.
Not having taken PC or SVT in première is different from dropping it for terminale. Geneva and Lausanne require one of these specialities in both years, even for non-science degrees under their standard route. Neuchâtel permits mathematics plus a freely chosen speciality in terminale after mathematics and PC/SVT in première, subject to its other conditions. We check the full record before ruling out a university or recommending preparation. Private schools and HES/FH need a separate assessment.
No. Students who meet the chosen route can apply directly. If they do not, we first identify what is missing and which remedy the institution accepts; duration follows from that, rather than from a standard one-year package.
Bachelor admission requirements for 2026/27, checked on 4 October 2026.
These references cover the stated academic year. Check the rules for your intended intake when they are published. Meeting an academic threshold does not guarantee a place.
PERSONAL ADMISSIONS SUPPORT
Tell us about their school background and what they want to study. We will help clarify the entry requirements, identify suitable universities and organise the application.