In Switzerland, the cantons are responsible for their school systems. Primary school is free of charge. The schools maintain good relationships with parents, the business community and vocational training institutes in the region. They also play an important role in the ongoing integration of non-native speaking pupils into the communities in which they live. Switzerland’s vocational training system is very successful and highly valued. Around 41% of young people complete an apprenticeship after their compulsory schooling.

All children should have the same educational opportunities: That is the goal of Basel's schools. Children with support needs or a need for special education receive professional help at all levels.

The main language of instruction is German. For newly arrived school-age children who do not speak German, there is a wide range of special language lessons (German as a second language DaZ). Three-year-old children who speak little or no German are required to attend a playgroup with German language support, a German-speaking day care centre or a day care family for at least two half-days a week one year before nursery. 

Compulsory schooling lasts eleven years, including two years of nursery for children aged four or five. Then adolescents do: 

• a vocational apprenticeship (with or without a vocational baccalaureate)

or they attend a secondary school:

• Specialised baccalaureate school
• Grammar school (with bilingual Matura or International Baccalaureate Diploma IB possible).

The 14 weeks of school holidays are spread throughout the year: six weeks in summer, from July to mid-August, two weeks in the first half of October, two weeks at Christmas, two weeks in February/March and two weeks around Easter.  

There are various private schools in Basel-Stadt at all school levels and with different pedagogical orientations that complement the state school system. Not every private school covers the entire school career from nursery to grammar school. Therefore, it is definitely worthwhile to seek a meeting with the school management. The Matura (school-leaving examination) is taken at two private schools in accordance with the Swiss Matura Regulations (MAR). 

International schools with their internationally recognised curricula are particularly aimed at families of global employees. For a city like Basel with many multinational companies and a correspondingly mixed and highly qualified population, they are of great importance. Most international schools follow the International Baccalaureate (IB) or the Cambridge International Curriculum while also being oriented towards the Curriculum 21 that applies in German-speaking Switzerland. However, a connection to the Swiss school system is guaranteed at almost all public schools. Individual international schools have reached an agreement with the Basel authorities to allow students to transfer to secondary school or a secondary state school without having to take exams. Moreover, some international schools also have different national curricula, so that students can catch up with school in their country of origin when they return.

There are three types of university in Switzerland: Universities, universities of applied sciences, teacher training colleges.

University of Basel

The University of Basel is one of the most successful research universities in Europe with a clear focus on life sciences and medicine, uniting as it does studies in the humanities and social sciences as well as the natural sciences under one roof. International rankings regularly place it among the 100 top universities in the world based on its research achievements. Founded in 1460, the University of Basel is the oldest university in Switzerland.

Around 13,000 students and doctoral candidates from over 100 countries are currently enrolled in its seven faculties. They benefit from a multifaceted range of courses that are based on cutting-edge research. The bachelor, master and doctoral programmes prepare students for careers in a rapidly changing world, equipping them to take on demanding tasks and perform them expertly and responsibly.
Its diversified range of competencies ensures a high level of innovation, enabling it to tackle the complex problems of our time and contribute to scientific, economic and social development. To continue achieving this, the University of Basel fosters the transfer of knowledge and technology and maintains intensive dialogue with its surrounding environment. It is firmly anchored in the economically dynamic Basel region and has close links to national and international partners.

Internationally networked

The University of Basel, the Universities of Freiburg i. Br., Haute-Alsace and Strasbourg and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have formed the international university network Eucor – The European Campus since 1989. This enables the free circulation of students, joint degree programmes, the mutual recognition of academic achievements, the exchange of lecturers and joint research programmes.

The FHNW is regionally anchored and globally networked with its approximately 400 international partnerships. It offers an innovative range of further education and training courses to people from all over the world who are interested in further education and training, and works with a large number of research institutions at national and international level as part of its application-oriented research

The University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW

The University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW is active in education, research, continuing education and services. Its wide range of study programmes, its proximity to practice, its application-oriented research and its global network make the FHNW an attractive and diverse educational institution as well as a sought-after practical partner in Northwestern Switzerland.

More than 13,000 students are enrolled at the FHNW at the locations in Basel, Muttenz, Dreispitz Basel/Münchenstein, Olten, Brugg-Windisch and Solothurn. They study in the fields of applied psychology, architecture, construction and geomatics, design and art, computer science, life sciences, music, education, social work, technology, and economics. Like the University of Basel, the FHNW is an intercantonal institution under public law with its own legal personality.