Q&A

Compass UniBE prepares refugee students for studying at the University of Bern. As a C1 level of German is required for a bachelor's degree at the University of Bern, the program focuses particularly on language acquisition. The program consists of various periodic courses (e.g. German, English and math courses), attendance at courses of the regular study programs and one-off events for subject-related and organizational preparation. You can find an overview of the Compass UniBE program content here (only in German).

The diagrams in the Facts and Figures document (only in German) provide information on the Compass UniBE participants in 2023/24 and 2024/25.

From the 2025/26 program year, a course fee of CHF 4'200 will be charged. Additional costs for materials and transportation must be expected. You must cover these costs yourself or clarify the coverage of costs with your responsible asylum social welfare office. To participate, you need the consent of the responsible asylum social welfare office (if you receive asylum social welfare).

The Compass UniBE preparatory year is aimed at refugees who intend to start or continue their bachelor studies at the University of Bern. The most important participation criteria are listed here. Various documents are required for the application, which are found on the website under “Application” (only in German).

No, you do not need a language diploma to apply for the program. As part of the selection process for Compass UniBE, you need to do a German language test at level B1. If you already have a language certificate, you can submit this. The Language Centre of the University of Bern will check it and decide whether you can be exempted from the German exam as part of the selection procedure.

It is certainly an advantage if you live nearby and do not have a long daily commute (time and cost). You must consider if studying at the University of Bern is a realistic goal for you after the completion of the preparatory year. On the condition that you have the consent of your asylum social welfare office, including the commitment to pay the transport costs, you can apply for the program even if you live in another canton of Switzerland.

No, there is no maximum age for participation in Compass UniBE. In principle, however, a subsequent regular degree course (3 years for a bachelor's degree) should be a realistic option for you. In addition, there is often an age limit for cantonal education grants (scholarships). In the canton of Bern, the maximum age for scholarships is 35.

No, the Compass UniBE preparatory year is aimed exclusively at people with an asylum residence status, permit B (refugee), F, N or S. If you do not have a refugee background, you cannot be admitted to Compass UniBE.

Between January and February, you can use the online registration form to register for the Compass program, which starts in August of the same year. Here you will find a list of the documents required for the application (only in German).

No, unfortunately it is not possible to register after the registration deadline, as the Compass UniBE registration process has several stages.

Yes, there is a selection procedure which consists of the following elements:

• Validation of German language level B1 (recognized language diploma or completion of a placement test of the Language Center of the University of Bern)
• Verification of previous education by the Admissions Office (Is your high school graduation certificate or university diploma recognized by the University of Bern? Can you be admitted to a degree course at the University of Bern after completing Compass UniBE?)
• Interview with the project team

For admission to Compass UniBE, all parts of the admission procedure must be passed. The number of places are limited. If you apply for Compass UniBE, you are not automatically guaranteed a place in the program.

No, the translation may also be done by a foreign translation company. However, the documents must be translated by an official translation company. The translations do not have to be notarially certified. Here you can find our recommendations for possible translation companies in Switzerland.

This depends on what previous education you have.

Each Swiss university decides independently on admission to a degree course. The respective admission requirements apply. Your educational background will be checked during the admission procedure. Due to the different education systems, different, so-called country-specific admission requirements apply, depending on your country of origin.

At the University of Bern, the Admissions Office (ZIB) is responsible for the admission procedure.

If your high school certificate is recognized by the Admissions Office of the University of Bern as general educational (5.4.), but you do not meet the country-specific admission requirements (5.8.), you can qualify for admission to a bachelor's degree course at the University of Bern after successfully completing Compass UniBE. This means that the country-specific admission requirements that have not been met will be replaced by Compass UniBE. This does not apply to other Swiss universities.

However, if your previous education allows regular admission to a Swiss university, you can of course also apply to other Swiss universities after completing the Compass program.

No, only students who pass a special examination are admitted to a degree course in medicine or sports science. The Compass UniBE program does not replace this exam and does not allow admission to these degree programs. Here you can find more information on regular admission to Medicine or Sports Science.

No, the courses attended during the preparatory year lead to a Compass UniBE graduation and cannot be added to a later regular degree course.  

For each degree program at the University of Bern, there is a student advisory service that can advise you on various questions relating to the degree course. Here you will find a list of the various degree courses at bachelor level. By clicking on the respective degree course, you will be taken to the faculty page. There you will find information about the content of the degree course and the relevant student advisory services. Here you will find a list of the various master's degree courses.

The Admissions Office of the University of Bern is responsible for regular admissions. Please contact the Admissions Office directly. You can find the contact details here.

For admission to a bachelor's degree programme, you must prove German language skills at C1 level. You can prove your German language skills either by means of an internationally recognized language diploma or by taking the German test of the Language Center of the University of Bern. Persons with a foreign educational background must also fulfil the country-specific admission requirements.

Further information on admission to the bachelor's degree course can be found here.

To be admitted to a master's degree course at the University of Bern, you must hold an international university degree from a recognized university in a degree course lasting at least three years. In addition, the credits on your degree certificate from abroad must correspond to the degree at the University of Bern. This will be checked by the responsible faculty at the University of Bern during the registration process (subject classification).

For admission to most master’s degree programs proof of language skills is required. It is the students' own responsibility to ensure that they have sufficient command of the language of tuition to be able to follow the lessons. We recommend at least B2 level language skills. Further information on admission to study at master's level at the University of Bern is found here.

If your school-leaving certificate is recognized by the Admissions Office as general education (5.4.) but you do not meet the country-specific admission requirements (5.8.) you can qualify for admission to a bachelor's degree course at the University of Bern by successfully completing Compass UniBE. This means that the country-specific admission requirements that have not been met will be replaced by Compass UniBE. This does not apply to other Swiss universities.

If you need financial support for your degree course, you can apply for scholarships from your canton of residence or apply to private foundations. Further information on financial support can be found on the website of Perspektiven Studium.

As an auditor of lectures at the University of Bern, you can attend various courses at the University of Bern. However, you cannot take examinations, submit written assignments, earn ECTS points or receive credit for courses.

The student body of the University of Bern (SUB) runs the “Offener Hörsaal” project. You can attend events as an auditor of lectures and are also offered mentoring by students and other activities. You can find more information about the project here. Currently, the project is paused until summer 2025.

Ukrainian students who are currently enrolled at a Ukrainian university have the opportunity to study as exchange students at the University of Bern for 1-2 semesters if their subject is offered. If you have any questions, please contact UniBE International.

During consultation hours, Thursdays, 10.30 am - 12.00 pm, you can drop by the Compass team at Hochschulstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, office 307, unannounced, to get advice or ask your questions. You can also contact us by e-mail (kompass@unibe.ch) or telephone (+41 31 684 56 04).

However, the Compass UniBE project team can only help you with questions about the program and provide an initial assessment of your previous education.

If you would like to start a degree course, the Admissions Office of the University of Bern (ZIB) is responsible for assessing your school leaving certificate or university diploma. No diploma recognition by swissuniversities is required for this.

If you wish to enter the Swiss job market directly with a foreign university diploma, it may be advantageous to have a level certificate/assessment issued by Swiss ENIC (for non-regulated professions). For regulated professions, the recognition by one of the responsible authorities is mandatory (e.g. doctor). A detailed explanation and a list of all regulated professions can be found on the SBFI website.  

There is a career advice and information center (BIZ) in every canton. You can book a consultation there, but you can also find lots of information about studying, jobs and careers. Further information about the BIZ in the canton of Bern can be found here (only in German).

An overview and important information on the Swiss education system and the different types of higher education institutions (university, university of applied sciences, university of teacher education) can be found here (only in German).

Further information especially for refugee students can be found here.