Is this realistic for me, even if my school years were a long time ago?

That is the question we are asked most often. The honest answer: how long ago it was tells you little on its own. What matters is whether the foundations hold and whether you can genuinely put in the time. We look at both before you apply, in the consultation and in the placement test. If we conclude that it does not add up, we tell you so openly. We have students in the programme who left secondary school ten years ago, and others whom we first advised to take the preparatory course.

Wie viele Stunden pro Woche müsste ich realistisch lernen?

Vollzeit: der Lehrgang ist eine Vollzeitbeschäftigung, dazu kommen Abende und Wochenenden. Berufsbegleitend und im Selbststudium: rechnen Sie mit 12 bis 15 Stunden pro Woche zusätzlich zum Unterricht. Das ist die ehrliche Zahl, und sie ist der Grund, warum wir im Gespräch fragen, wie Ihre Woche tatsächlich aussieht.

Was passiert, wenn ich die Prüfung nicht bestehe?

Sie können sich zur nächsten Prüfungssession erneut anmelden. Eine Gratisrepetition gibt es bei der Passerelle nicht, sie ist seit dem Schuljahr 2022/23 auf die Matura-Lehrgänge beschränkt.

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Passerelle

The Passerelle in Zurich, from vocational baccalaureate to university

You hold a vocational or specialised baccalaureate and want to go to university or the ETH. The Passerelle is the supplementary examination that makes it possible. One year full-time or at your own pace, examined by the Swiss Matura Examination Board.

Book a free consultation

Qualification

Passerelle supplementary examination

Duration

2 to 4 semesters

Fees

from CHF 12’000

Next start

17 August 2026

Basics

What is the Passerelle?

The Passerelle is the federal supplementary examination. Together with a vocational or specialised baccalaureate certificate it entitles you to study at every Swiss university and at the ETH. The examination is set by the Swiss Matura Examination Board, on two dates each year. With us you can prepare for it full-time or at your own pace.

Two routes to the supplementary examination

Full-time

Passerelle in 1 year

CHF 24’000

from CHF 2’100 per month

Taught in a fixed class
Two semesters
Five examination subjects
Start 17 August 2026

View details

Your own pace

Passerelle by self-study

CHF 12’000

from CHF 600 per month

Complete video lessons
Weekly online office hour
Up to 4 semesters
Start any time

View details

The five examination subjects

First language, a second national language or English, mathematics, natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics) and humanities and social sciences (history, geography).

GermanFrench or EnglishMathematicsNatural sciencesBusiness and law

Admission

Who is admitted to the Passerelle?

Admission to the supplementary examination requires a federally recognised vocational or specialised baccalaureate. Without that certificate the route runs via the die Swiss Federal Matura.

With the Passerelle passed, every Swiss university and the ETH is open to you, on equal footing with the grammar school Matura.

At a glance

RequirementVocational or specialised baccalaureate certificate

Examination subjects5

Administered bySwiss Maturity Commission

Access afterwardsUniversities and the ETH

What is guaranteed

What we put in writing.

No free repeat for the Passerelle

The free repeat does not apply to the Passerelle Vocational Baccalaureate. Since the 2022/23 school year it has been limited to the Matura programmes. It is stated here because elsewhere it tends to get lost.

We put the details in writing before you sign.

The federal authorities administer the examination

The Federal Commission for the Supplementary Examination and SERI, not Academic Gateway. Once you have passed, every Swiss university and the ETH is open to you.

Honest rather than estimated

We have no verified pass rate for the Passerelle. So we do not quote one.

Experienced teachers

More than 20 highly qualified teachers, most of them with university teaching experience.

All teachers →

Two full mock examinations

Past papers under real conditions, marked, with feedback and a study plan for the exam period.

Worth knowing: what the Passerelle does and does not do

After you have passed

With the Passerelle, the Swiss universities and the ETH are open to you, on equal terms with a grammar school Matura. The supplementary examination builds on your vocational or specialised baccalaureate and adds the general education component that universities require.

Three things that are often overlooked

First, the Passerelle applies to higher education institutions in Switzerland. Anyone planning to study abroad should clarify admission directly with the institution concerned. Second, no Matura thesis and no IDPA are required. Third, unlike with the BMS, language diplomas cannot be credited: what is examined is what you can do, not what you can produce on paper.

Examination and preparation

The examination is held twice a year and is organised by the federal authorities. How you prepare is up to you, no course is prescribed. In the full-time programme you work through around 28 lessons a week, with past papers and mock examinations; by Self-study you set the pace. The official guidelines and pass requirements are available under Downloads and documents.

Frequently asked

The Passerelle, most common questions.

Are past papers from recent years available?

Yes. Past papers with model answers are available on the e-learning platform. On top of that come two full mock examinations under real conditions, marked and discussed. So you practise on what was actually set, not on imitations.

How many of your students pass the examination at the first attempt?

We have no verified pass rate for the Passerelle. So we do not quote one. Turning up and taking part is not small print, it is the point: anyone who attends regularly and works along is part of that figure. Whether it is realistic for you, we tell you openly in the consultation.

What applies if I have to withdraw early? Is there a notice period or a penalty?

The conditions are set out in full in our terms, which you receive before applying and which we go through with you in the consultation. We deliberately do not bury this in the small print: ask about it in the consultation, it is one of those questions you settle beforehand and not afterwards.

See all questions and answers →

Next step

Talk first, decide afterwards.

In the consultation we look together at where you stand, which programme is realistic and how the financing can work. Around 30 minutes, no obligation, with the school management. You leave with a clear assessment, even if that assessment is that another route suits you better.

Book a free consultation Prefer to call? 044 310 10 67

Your contact

Lukas Barwitzki, Principal

Master of Arts in Social Sciences · CAS in Teaching. He holds the consultations personally.

We will tell you in the consultation whether this is realistic for you.

Even if your school years were a long time ago. In the consultation we look together at where you stand, which route is realistic and what it costs. Free, no obligation, with the school management.