Types of international diplomas and certificates in Switzerland

Swiss boarding schools offer many different certificates and diplomas which are accepted both in Swiss educational institutions and abroad. Here a list of the most popular diploma.

This certificate allows you to enroll in all public universities in Switzerland, regardless of your grades. A "Numerus Clausus" applies to medical courses (at the Bachelor level). An entrance test - to which one is only admitted with the Swiss Matura - decides on admission to the course. The time for admission to a university for the owners of Swiss Matura is unlimited: you can go to study even when you are 50 years old. But you can retake exams to obtain a diploma only once.

International Baccalaureate is an international non-profit private educational foundation. It offers schools four international education programs for children aged 3–19. After graduating from any of these programs, students receive an official document that is accepted in almost any country in the world: As of June 25, 2016, programs are accepted in 4527 schools in 135 countries.

A-Level is a two-year British curriculum. After passing it, you can get a certificate of secondary education completion and enroll in a bachelor's program. After passing the A-Level exams, applicants do not need to undergo additional tests at universities: the university committee decides on admission based on the results of A-level exams.

The General Certificate of Secondary Education is a certificate of general incomplete secondary education. It is issued after completing the compulsory schooling in the UK. Only after successfully passing the GCSE exams, the student can continue his studies choosing the A-level or IB program - without succeeding in them, it is impossible to enter a British university.

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education, or IGCSE, is the world's most popular international qualification for high school students. After it, you can study further on the A-Level or IB program, plus the certificate is recognized by the best universities and employers around the world.

This is an American high school diploma, four-year program - from grades 9–12. During this time, students take six examinations in basic subjects and several coursework.

Upon graduation from high school, students can take exams and receive a Diplôme National du Brevet.

To obtain a French Baccalauréat (in short “Bac”) Diploma, you need to pass thirteen mandatory exams and two additional ones. The maximum score for each of them is 20 points. For all exams to be credited, the GPA must be at least ten.

The SAT and ACT exams are a versatile way to assess student preparation for college. There are also simplified versions - PSAT or NMSQT. They are conducted in high school to determine the student's readiness for SAT or ACT.

This is a prestigious document similar the International Baccalaureate Diploma. It is recognized by many American and international universities. Such a diploma is offered by some closed educational institutions.

National certificate of professional qualifications.

To receive an Italian matriculation, you need to pass the Esame di Stato exam. Depending on the direction of further studies, graduates receive state certificates of maturity either with a linguistic bias - Maturità Linguistica, or with a natural science - Maturità Scientifica. You can enter a Swiss or Italian university with it.

The exams for the German Abitur (in short “Abi”) are taken in two stages: first written and then oral. The grades for them are summed up with the grades for the rest of the subjects. The decision to enroll in universities is made based on the average score: there are no additional entrance examinations to German universities.