Admission to Bachelor studies with a foreign certificate of upper secondary education
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Conditions of admission
To be eligible for Bachelor studies at the University of Fribourg, candidates with a foreign education must hold an upper secondary school-leaving certificate based on a formal general education.
Additional conditions may be required.
The general criteria of an upper secondary school-leaving certificate
A foreign upper secondary education is considered as based on a formal general education if it is substantially equivalent to a Swiss maturity, particularly where the branches studied and the total duration of the school education (12 years) are concerned.
It is essential that the required subjects be respected for the last three years of the upper secondary education.Furthermore, if the upper secondary studies have been carried out in several different educational systems, the diploma is recognised only if:
- the last three years of studies were equivalent to the Swiss upper secondary level of education.
- each of the past three years has been successfully completed.
For more details on the upper secondary school-leaving certificate criteria, please refer to the directives and the swissuniversities recommendations.
Conditions of admission per country
Certificate confirming a place of study
If a place of study is required in the country list, you must provide a certificate proving your admission to a university in the country which delivered your upper secondary school-leaving certificate; the university must be recognized by the University of Fribourg.
Proof of adequate language proficiency
French and German are the languages of instruction at the University of Fribourg and you must therefore master one of those two languages (level B2).
Complementary Examination of the Swiss Higher Education Institutions (ECUS)
According the country list, it may be required to successfully pass the Complementary Examination of the Swiss Higher Education Institutions (ECUS); The Complementary Examination of the Swiss Higher Education Institutions is subject to the regulations of the Rectors’ Conference of Swiss Higher Education Institutions.
The ECUS is a complementary examination and not the Swiss maturity.
An admission to the spring semester is not possible for candidates who must take the ECUS complementary examination as it is held only in the summer. It is therefore only possible to submit an application for the autumn semester.
If you will be completing your baccalaureate / upper secondary school-leaving certificate during the summer, we strongly recommend you to apply for the autumn semester of the following year. Indeed, experience has shown that an admission for the autumn semester of the same year is virtually impossible due to time constraints.
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Degree programmes submitted to specific conditions
In addition to the specific admission conditions and/or procedures mentioned below, you must also fulfil the admission requirements of the University of Fribourg for holders of a foreign diploma.
Bachelor of Science in Special Education (Diploma in speech and language therapy)
- Online application deadline: 30 April, no late applications for admission
- Additional conditions: specific application documents and conditions
Bachelor of Science in Special Education (Diploma in Special Education)
- Online application deadline: 30 April, no late applications for admission
- Additional conditions: specific application documents and conditions
Bachelor of Arts in Primary Education
- Online application period: from 18 November to 30 April, no late applications for admission
- Additional conditions: specific application documents and procedure
Bachelor of Science in Sport Sciences and Motor Control
- Online application deadline: 30 April, no late applications for admission
- Additional conditions: physical and motor skills test
- Compulsory registration to the test with the Department
Bachelor of Medicine in Human Medicine
- Deadline for the compulsory preliminary application with swissuniversities: 15 February
- Admission subject to specific conditions
- If you are of foreign nationality, you must meet the eligibility criteria mentioned in the "Ordonnance" in order to register for medicine studies
- The qualifying examination will take place in the summer if the number of registrations exceeds the number of available places.
- Admission handled by swissuniversities, who will send you additional information further to your application for admission
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences
Online application deadline: 30 April, no late applications for admission
Degree programmes beginning only in the autumn semester
Some degree programmes can only begin in the autumn semester. For further information, see:
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Application periods
Autumn semester
- Application period:
1 February - 30 April - Late application period (specific conditions):
1 Mai - 31 August
Spring semester
- Application period:
1 September - 30 November - Late application period (specific conditions):
1 December - 31 January
Please note that the opening date for online application may be slightly carried forward from year to year (1 February/1 May/1 September/1 December).
Medical studies
Deadline: 15 February for the following academic year
Bachelor of Arts in Primary Education
Application period: 18 November - 30 April
Additional information for candidates requiring a visa
We strongly recommend candidates who have to apply for a visa to submit their applications within the following deadlines:
- By 28 February for the autumn semester
- By 30 September for the spring semester
Please note that an application for admission takes several weeks to be processed. The application for a residence permit must contain the admission certificate of our university and be submitted to the relevant Swiss representation at least two months before the beginning of the semester. Passed the deadlines mentioned above, we cannot guarantee that your application will be processed in time. Furthermore, applications will not be carried over to another semester nor will fees be reimbursed.
- Application period:
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Application fees
Swiss certificate of upper secondary education
Candidates holding a diploma from Switzerland or Liechtenstein which enables studies at the Unifr (e.g. Swiss Maturity)
- Application fee: CHF 50.-
- Administrative fee for late applications (1 May – 31 August and 1 December – 31 January): + CHF 50.-
Foreign certificate of upper secondary education
Candidates holding a foreign diploma which enables studies at the Unifr (e.g. foreign upper secondary certificate or International Baccalaureate)
- Application fee: CHF 100.-
- Administrative fee for late applications (1 May – 31 August and 1 December – 31 January): + CHF 50.-
The application fee cannot be reimbursed nor carried over to another semester, even in the case of an inaccurate, withdrawn or refused application for admission.
All banking and exchange fee costs must be borne by the customer.
Information on the semester fees
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Semesters and lecture periods
Academic year 2024 – 2025:
Autumn semester 2024
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Official dates:
01.08.2024 – 31.01.2025 -
Lecture period:
16.09.2024 – 20.12.2024
Spring semester 2025
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Official dates:
01.02.2025 – 31.07.2025 -
Lecture periods:
17.02.2025 – 28.05.2025
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Application procedure
Online applications through Inscruni are aimed exclusively at people who are not currently registered at the Unifr. If you are currently registered at the Unifrand have an active MyUnifr account, you must on no account apply through Inscruni. Any request from a student registered at the Unifr (e.g. change of degree programme, early start to master studies ("master anticipé"), master studies following a bachelor’s degree, etc.) must be submitted on the MyUnifr portal.
1. Courses on offer
Details of courses on offer can be found online. Should you have any questions, please contact the Studies Information Office (studies@unifr.ch), as the Office for Admissions and Registration cannot provide course information or advise you on your choice of course.
Please also consult the regulations and be aware of the rules concerning definitive failures.
2. Online application deadlines
Once you have made your choice of studies, please apply online within the deadlines given in the section "application periods".
No exception can be made regarding a change of deadline.
Additional information for applicants requiring a visa
Candidates applying for a visa are strongly encouraged to submit their applications within the following deadlines:
- By 28 February, at the latest, for the fall semester
- By 30 September, at the latest, for the spring semester
Please note that an application for admission takes several weeks to be processed. The application for a residence permit must contain the admission certificate of our University and be submitted to the relevant Swiss representation at least two months before the beginning of the semester. Passed the deadlines mentioned above, we cannot guarantee that your application will be processed in time. Furthermore, applications will not be carried over to another semester nor will fees be reimbursed.
3. Online application
Online application on Inscruni
The validation of the online application for admission must be done within the deadlines given in the section 2 "application periods".
You can apply online even if you have not yet finished your studies or obtained your school-leaving certificate.
We recommend applying as early as possible as the processing of an application for admission takes several weeks.
4. Payment of the application fee
The application fee can be payed directly by credit card or with an invoice that can be downloaded after validating the online application.
Only applications for which the application fee has been paid will be processed.
The application fee cannot be reimbursed nor carried over to another semester, even in the case of an inaccurate, withdrawn or refused application for admission.
All banking and exchange fee costs must be borne by the customer.
5. Upload of documents
Once the online application validated, a personalised list of the documents to be submitted will be available on your Inscruni account. All the documents listed are essential to the processing of your application for admission and must be uploaded on Inscruni within the given deadline. Please do not send us any documents by post at this stage.
Indicative list of documents to be sent together with your application for admission
Certified translations must fulfil specific requirements.
We can request officially certified copies and/or original documents at any time for the further processing of your application.
Please note that the application for admission you will submit must be thoroughly prepared. If your application is incomplete or if it includes documents of poor quality or that do not respect the given instructions, it will not be processed.
6. Processing of the application for admission and decision
Once we have received the required documents, your application will be processed and a written decision will be sent.
No information regarding the status of your application for admission will be given by e-mail or by phone.
7. Visa application
If you are a citizen of a country subject to a visa requirement, you will need a visa before travelling to Switzerland. The visa application must be submitted to the competent Swiss representation located in your country of residence.
Additional information: Service of the population and migrants.
8. Complementary Examination of the Swiss Higher Education Institutions (ECUS)
If your admission is subject to the successful completion of the ECUS examination, you must take the examination in Switzerland before the semester begins (mid-August).
9. Providing the original diploma
Providing the original document of your diploma, which enables your admission, is compulsory. The deadlines are the following:
- 31 August for the spring semester
- 31 January for the autumn semester
There are two possibilities to hand in your original diploma:
- Send it by post
- Hand it in at our office during our opening hours.
10. Final decision of admission
Once you have met all the admission requirements and provided the original document of your diploma, you will receive the final decision of admission by post.
11. After the admission
- An invoice for the payment of the semester fee will be sent.
- Payment of the invoice within the given deadlines
- Activation of your e-account
- Your Campus Card will be sent.
- Registration for courses directly with faculties
Change of degree programme
- Except for some specific cases, no change can be made to your choice of degree programme once you have submitted an application and the administrative procedure has begun. In the event of an incorrect application for admission, an additional online application can be submitted, provided that the new application fee is paid. This new application for admission will be processed separately to the first application.
- A request for a change of degree programme can be submitted on the MyUnifr portal once the admission for the degree programme initially chosen has been completed. Such requests will then be handled by the faculties.
If you are currently registered as a student at the UniFR, have an active MyUnifr account and wish to change your study programme for the next semester, you mustn’t submit your application on Inscruni. You have to submit your request on the MyUnifr portal.