Private school in Zurich · Matura, IB, BMS and Passerelle
The federal government sets the examination. We get you there.
A Swiss federal Matura certificate does not say where you studied. It says that you passed. Lecture and practice session, every lesson recorded. In one year full-time, alongside work, or at your own pace. Alongside them the IB Diploma Programme, two years and taught in English.
Four routes into higher education.
Each one leads to a nationally or internationally recognised qualification. Which one is open to you depends on what you already bring with you.
Matura
The Swiss federal Matura opens every Swiss university and the ETH. Full-time, alongside work, or at your own pace.
View Matura →
IB Diploma Programme
The internationally recognised qualification, taught and examined in English. The route to universities worldwide.
View IB →
Vocational Baccalaureate
From the EFZ to a university of applied sciences. Three orientations, full-time or at your own pace.
View BMS →
Passerelle
From a vocational or specialised baccalaureate to university. The supplementary examination in two semesters.
View Passerelle →A university model. Before university.
We do not teach in classic school periods but in an efficient combination of lecture and practice session. That gives you a direct transition into how universities teach and how students learn there.
The theory, paced to the examination
Compact and guided, on the on-site programmes in the lecture hall at Löwenstrasse.
Small groups, real work
This is where you work through problems, write and ask questions. The practice sessions are fixed in the timetable and cost nothing extra.
The entire syllabus, digital
Recordings of every lecture, model solutions, past original examinations and short explanatory videos. Any place, any time.
The lessons stay available.
Lessons are recorded and stay available until the end of your contract. If you were ill, you catch up. If you did not understand the material the first time, you watch it a second and a third time. If you are faster, you move ahead.
That sounds unspectacular. For many it is the reason it works this time: because a missed lesson no longer tears a hole, and because nobody falls behind simply because the pace in the room was different.
See how recorded lessons work →
What we put in writing.
Our Matura success model works like this: anyone who attends at least 95% of lessons, completes all assessments and sits the examination with our recommendation from the feedback meeting may repeat the programme free of charge. This applies to the Matura programmes, not to the BMS, the Passerelle and the IB. All conditions are set out in the frequently asked questions.
The federal authorities administer the examination
The Swiss Matura Examination Board and SERI, not Academic Gateway. The certificate entitles you to study at every Swiss university and at the ETH, just like a grammar school Matura. The IB has its own, internationally recognised rules.
90 to 95 per cent pass
Of the students on the Matura programmes whom we admit and who see the route through, 90 to 95 per cent pass the examination. Whether that is realistic for you is something we tell you honestly in the consultation.
Experienced teachers
More than 20 highly qualified teachers, most of them with university teaching experience.
All teachers →Two full mock examinations
Past original examinations under real conditions, with marking, feedback and a schedule for the examination period. You know where you stand before the federal examination.
Who teaches here.
More than 20 highly qualified teachers with years of experience, most of them with experience of teaching at university. Here they teach themselves, there is no layer of assistants in between.
Cristina Vieira OberholzerEnglishDeputy head of school · Teaching diploma in adult education
Helmut BischofBusiness and lawStudienrat in economics and law · Teaching diploma for baccalaureate schools
Pascal RüfenachtChemistry, biology and physicsDipl. biochemist · MA Philosophy · Teaching diploma for baccalaureate schools
Martin SchäferBiology · student welfare teacherDr. sc. nat. · Teaching diploma for baccalaureate schools
Arne RamspergerChemistryDr. sc. nat. · Teaching diploma for baccalaureate schools
Christian SchmidtBusiness and lawDr. rer. pol. · MA Economics, higher teaching qualification
Bernadette Stypinski-MisChemistry and physicsDr. sc. nat. · ETH higher teaching qualification
Magdalena DalligFrench, English and GermanDr. phil. I · Higher teaching qualification
Anna Canonica-SawinaItalian and visual artsDr. phil. I · Higher teaching qualification
Hajnalka FuerPhysics and mathematicsDr. sc. nat. · Higher teaching qualification
Simon CelentanoGeographyMSc Geography · Higher teaching qualification
Wolfgang SickingerMathematicsDiploma in Mathematics · Teaching diploma for baccalaureate schools5.3 out of 6 points, from 19 reviews
Former students review us on an independent platform we have no access to. We show every review there in full. Including the four critical ones.
«At the start I doubted whether the one-year Matura was really for me, but the school convinced me with the e-learning and the commitment of the teachers. It was a hard year, but thanks to Academic I can now fulfil my dream of studying»
«Very demanding at the start, but with the material it was genuinely manageable. A steep learning curve at first. I passed the Matura with very good grades and now study at HSG.»
«The programme is demanding and you need a lot of self-discipline and motivation. If you fall into a hole, the school supports you so that the goal becomes visible again.»
«The teachers are very helpful and do not just throw students in at the deep end, which you often see at a state school.»
If you are looking for a next step for your child.
«My child was not moved up a year.» That, or something like it, is how most of the conversations we have in spring begin. Behind it lie months in which dinner at home was only ever about school.
We do not judge that. What interests us is what works now. And we tell you honestly if we think another route is the better one, before any contract is on the table.
Some young people need a different pace. Some need a place where they are treated as adults. Some simply need lessons they can watch a second time. Which applies in your case is something we look at together.
What you get from us: a fixed contact person, regular progress reviews, attendance monitoring and an honest verdict in the consultation. Including when that verdict is that another route is the better one.
Publications and coverage
We label what was paid for. The two pieces in «Bildung Schweiz» and «20 Minuten» are advertorials, that is, formats we paid for. That does not make them wrong, but it is not editorial coverage, and we do not pretend otherwise.
Smart education in a modern school building
On the hybrid teaching approach and the university-style education from secondary level onwards.
A fast track to the Matura
A portrait of the one-year full-time model and the people who choose this route.
IB Diploma Programme in Zurich
Academic Gateway on the way to becoming an authorised IB World School.
What it costs.
We are a private school with no state funding. The fees cover small practice groups, the practice sessions built into the timetable, the entire e-learning platform and the mock examinations. All the figures are set out openly here.
| Programme | Duration | Total price | Instalments from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matura full-time, 1 year | 2 semesters | CHF 35’000 | CHF 1’665 / month |
| Matura full-time, 2 years | 4 semesters | CHF 68’000 | CHF 2’950 / month |
| Matura alongside work | 4 semesters | CHF 35’000 | CHF 1’350 / month |
| Matura at your own pace | 1 to 4 semesters | CHF 17’500 | CHF 830 / month |
| IB Diploma Programme | 2 years | CHF 68’000 | CHF 2’950 / month |
| BMS, all orientations | 2 semesters | CHF 19’000 | CHF 750 / month |
| BMS at your own pace | up to 4 semesters | CHF 9’500 | CHF 495 / month |
| Passerelle, 1 year | 2 semesters | CHF 24’000 | CHF 2’100 / month |
| Passerelle at your own pace | up to 4 semesters | CHF 12’000 | CHF 600 / month |
| Matura preparatory course | 1 semester | CHF 6’000 | CHF 1’100 / month |
You can see the figures. What you still need is the answer to «does this add up for me?». You get that in the consultation.
Book a free consultationPaying by instalments increases the total amount. Study material and the federal examination fees come on top. Instalments require a credit check. All costs and payment options
Löwenstrasse 17, a seven-minute walk from the main station.
14 rooms, a lecture hall seating more than 70, a laboratory for chemistry, biology and physics, a library, a music room, a design room and a terrace. Every room is equipped with microphones and cameras for live streaming and recording.
The next start dates.
Talk first, decide afterwards.
In the consultation we look together at where you stand, which programme is realistic for you and how the financing could work. About 30 minutes, no obligation, with the school management.
You leave the consultation with a clear assessment. Including when it says that another route suits you better.
Book a free consultation
Lukas Barwitzki, Principal
Master of Arts Social Sciences · CAS in Teaching. He holds the consultations personally and tells you honestly whether the route you have chosen is realistic.
Talking is faster than writing.
In 30 minutes you know which qualification is possible, whether it is realistic in your case and what it costs. Free, without obligation, with the head of school.
Book a free consultationPrefer to call? 044 310 10 67, Monday to Friday 08:15 to 12:15 and 13:30 to 17:00.
Prefer to write? To the contact form
Lukas Barwitzki, Principal
He holds every consultation himself. Master of Arts Social Sciences, CAS in Teaching. No call centre, no sales team.
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.
Book a free consultation