Private school in Zurich · Matura, IB, BMS and Passerelle
There is more than one route to the same qualification. We get you there.
A Swiss federal Matura certificate does not say where you studied. It says that you passed. Lecture and practice, every lesson recorded. In one year full time, alongside work or at your own pace. Plus the IB Diploma Programme, two years, taught in English.
Four routes to higher education.
Each one leads to a federally or internationally recognised qualification. Which one fits 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 (BMS)
From your federal VET diploma to a university of applied sciences. Three specialisations, full time or at your own pace.
View BMS →
Passerelle
From a vocational or specialised baccalaureate to university. The supplementary exam in two semesters.
View Passerelle →The model of a university. Before university.
We do not teach in classic school lessons, but in an efficient combination of lecture and practice. This gives you a direct transition to the teaching and learning methods of university.
The theory, paced to the exam
Compact and guided, in the on-site programmes in the lecture hall at Löwenstrasse.
Small groups, real work
This is where you calculate, write and ask. The practice hours are fixed in the timetable and cost nothing extra.
The whole syllabus, digitally
Recordings of every lecture, model solutions, past original exams and short explanatory videos. Available anywhere, any time.
The lessons stay available.
Lessons are recorded and remain available until the end of your contract. If you were ill, you watch them later. 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 people 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 classroom was different.
View the video teaching →
You can have a 2 in mathematics and still pass the Matura.
The Swiss federal Matura examination has two routes to a pass. The second one is barely known. A strong subject offsets a weak one, and above a certain score it stops mattering how many grades sit below 4.
What the calculator shows
All thirteen positions with the weighting the examination board actually applies. Every grade changes the result immediately. You see at a glance which subject moves the needle most and how much room you still have.
Run the numbers Takes 30 seconds. No email address, no sign-up.What we guarantee in writing.
Our success model in the Matura applies as follows: anyone who attends at least 95% of the teaching, completes all assessments and sits the exam with our recommendation from the feedback meeting may repeat the programme free of charge. This applies to the Matura programmes, not to BMS, Passerelle and IB. All conditions are set out in the FAQ.
The school does not set the exam
For the Swiss federal qualifications it is the Swiss Matura Commission and SERI, for the IB Diploma the International Baccalaureate Organization. In no case Academic Gateway. The federal Matura certificate entitles you to study at every Swiss university and at the ETH, just like a Gymnasium Matura. The IB Diploma is recognised internationally.
90 to 95 per cent pass
Of the students in the Matura programmes whom we admit and who stay the course, 90 to 95 per cent pass the exam. Whether that is realistic in your case, we will tell you honestly in the consultation.
Experienced teachers
Over 20 highly qualified teachers, most of them with experience teaching at universities.
All teachers →Two mock exams (Matura, Passerelle)
Past original exams under real conditions, with marking, feedback and a study plan for the exam period. You know where you stand before the federal exam.
Who teaches here.
Over 20 highly qualified teachers with years of experience, most of them with experience teaching at universities. They teach here themselves, there is no layer of assistants in between.
Cristina Vieira OberholzerEnglishDeputy head of school · Teaching diploma in adult education
Helmut BischofEconomics and lawSenior teacher in economics and law · Teaching diploma for upper secondary schools
Pascal RüfenachtChemistry, biology and physicsDipl. biochemist · MA philosophy · Teaching diploma for upper secondary schools
Martin SchäferBiology · Student welfare teacherDr. sc. nat. · Teaching diploma for upper secondary schools
Arne RamspergerChemistryDr. sc. nat. · Teaching diploma for upper secondary schools
Christian SchmidtEconomics and lawDr. rer. pol. · MA economics, upper secondary teaching qualification
Bernadette Stypinski-MisChemistry and physicsDr. sc. nat. · ETH upper secondary teaching qualification
Magdalena DalligFrench, English and GermanDr. phil. I · Upper secondary teaching qualification
Anna Canonica-SawinaItalian and artDr. phil. I · Upper secondary teaching qualification
Hajnalka FuerPhysics and mathematicsDr. sc. nat. · Upper secondary teaching qualification
Simon CelentanoGeographyMSc geography · Upper secondary teaching qualification
Wolfgang SickingerMathematicsDipl. mathematician · Teaching diploma for upper secondary schools5.3 out of 6 points, from 19 reviews
Former students rate us on an independent platform that we have no access to. We show every review that appears there, in full. Including the four critical ones.
«At the start I doubted whether the one-year Matura was really right 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 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 tough 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 simply 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 them lie months in which the only subject at the dinner table was 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 teaching they can watch a second time. Which of these applies in your case is something we look at together.
What you get from us: a dedicated contact person, regular learning review meetings, attendance monitoring and an honest assessment in the consultation. Including when that assessment is that another route is the better one.
Publications and articles
We label what is paid for. The two articles 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 upper secondary level onwards.
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 without state funding. The tuition fee covers small practice groups, the integrated practice hours, the entire e-learning offering and the mock exams. 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 specialisations | 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 in instalments increases the total amount. School materials and the federal exam fees are additional. Instalments require a credit check. All fees and payment options
Löwenstrasse 17, a seven-minute walk from the station.
14 rooms, a lecture hall with over 70 seats, a laboratory for chemistry, biology and physics, a library, music room, art room and 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 and what the financing could look like. Around 30 minutes, without obligation, with the school management.
You leave the conversation with a clear assessment. Including when that assessment is that another route suits you better.
Book a free consultation
Lukas Barwitzki, Head of School
Master of Arts in social sciences · CAS in didactics. 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 will 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, Mon to Fri 08:15 to 12:15 and 13:30 to 17:00.
Prefer to write? To the contact form
Lukas Barwitzki, Head of School
He holds every consultation himself. Master of Arts in social sciences, CAS in didactics. No call centre, no sales team.
Whether that is realistic for you is something we will tell you in the consultation.
Even if your school days were a while ago. In the consultation we look together at where you stand, which route is realistic and what it costs. Free, without obligation, with the school management.
Book a free consultation