The Swiss Vocational Baccalaureate (BMS) in Zurich
With the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate (BMS) you can study at any Swiss university of applied sciences without an entrance examination. With a Federal VET Diploma in hand the route runs via the Swiss Federal Vocational Baccalaureate examination, and with the Passerelle afterwards even on to university. You sit that examination with the federal authorities. We prepare you for it, in three specialisations.
Three specialisations, one qualification.
The specialisation determines your core subjects and where you continue at a university of applied sciences. Admission everywhere requires a completed Federal VET Diploma.
Business and Services
- Finance and accounting, business and law
- Full-time or at your own pace
- Leads on to applied sciences in business
- IDPA included
Health and Social Studies
- Natural sciences, social sciences
- Full-time or at your own pace
- Leads on to applied sciences in health and social work
- IDPA included
Engineering, Architecture, Life Sciences
- Mathematics, natural sciences
- Currently by self-study
- Leads on to applied sciences in engineering and architecture
- IDPA included
The Vocational Baccalaureate is not the end of the line.
With the Vocational Baccalaureate certificate every Swiss university of applied sciences is open to you, with no entrance examination. Anyone who then wants to go to a university or the ETH takes the Passerelle, the supplementary examination, in one further year.
You can take both steps with us. Planning the route from the outset saves time, because we align your subject choice accordingly.
Admission
What we put in writing.
The free repeat does not apply to the Vocational Baccalaureate. Since the 2022/23 school year it has been limited to the Matura programmes. We say so here so that you know before you sign.
The federal authorities administer the examination
The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), not Academic Gateway. The examination is held in Bern. The certificate opens every Swiss university of applied sciences without an entrance examination.
Honest rather than estimated
We have no verified pass rate for the BMS programmes. So we do not quote one. In the consultation we tell you honestly how we assess your starting point.
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: BM2, the federal examination and the route to higher education
BM1 or BM2
The Vocational Baccalaureate comes in two forms: BM1 runs alongside the apprenticeship, BM2 follows after it. Our programme is the second route. You have your Federal VET Diploma, we prepare you for the federal examination. We hold no entrance examination, the completed diploma is enough.
The federal examination, in brief
The Swiss Federal Vocational Baccalaureate examination is administered by the federal authorities, not by the school. It carries the same value across Switzerland, regardless of where you prepared. The official pass requirements are available under Downloads and documents.
What is possible after the BMS
The Vocational Baccalaureate certificate opens access to universities of applied sciences without an entrance examination. So choose your specialisation according to the field you are aiming for: Business and Services leads towards applied business studies, Health and Social Studies towards health professions and social work, Engineering, Architecture and Life Sciences towards technical degree courses. If you later want to go to a university or the ETH, the route after the BMS runs via the Passerelle.
The BMS, most common questions.
Is this realistic for me, even if my school years were a long time ago?
How many of your students pass the examination at the first attempt?
I have gaps in mathematics. Can I close them before the course starts or alongside it?
Do I need to take a placement test even if I have already completed the first year?
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.
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.
Book a free consultation