Documents

Legal bases

• Higher Education Act (HEdA)

  The HEdA is the federal law on the funding and the coordination of higher education institutions in the Swiss higher education sector. It creates the legal basis for the Confederation and the cantons to plan and implement the education, research and innovation policy of the Swiss higher education landscape.

• Accreditation Ordinance

  The ordinance of the Higher Education Council on accreditation within the higher education sector specifies the admission requirements, the procedure of accreditation and the quality standards to be applied.

• Ordinance on the Coordination of Teaching

  The ordinance of the Higher Education Council on the coordination of teaching at Swiss higher education institutions regulates the organisation and system of the Swiss higher education landscape. It defines the structure of study levels, the credit system and the awarding of titles, and calls for the preservation of mobility and continuing education opportunities. (Document language: German)

• Admission Ordinance UAS

  The ordinance of the Higher Education Council on admission to the universities of applied sciences and to the institutes within a university of applied sciences sets out the admission requirements for the Bachelor’s degree of the university of applied sciences study programme. (Document language: German)

• Regulations of the Swiss Accreditation Council on the recognition of agencies for the accreditation according to HEdA

  These regulations define the requirements and the procedure for the recognition of accreditation agencies, which will be entitled to carry out procedures of accreditation in accordance with HEdA, and define the procedure followed for this purpose.

• Organisational Regulations of the Swiss Accreditation Council

  These regulations govern the details of the organisation of the Swiss Accreditation Council.

• Organisational Regulations of the AAQ

  These regulations govern the details of the organisation of the Swiss Agency of Accreditation and Quality Assurance.

• SAC Fees Ordinance

  This ordinance of the Swiss Accreditation Council regulates the fees for accreditation procedures and for services on behalf of third parties.  

• Recognition Regulations EDK

  These regulations of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) define the recognition of teaching diplomas for teaching at primary level, lower secondary level I and baccalaureate schools. (Document language: German)

• The Status of Foreign and Private Higher Education Institutions under the Swiss Higher Education Act

  This legal opinion, commissioned by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), discusses the position of foreign and private institutions in the higher education sector under the Higher Education Act, as well as their rights and obligations. (Document language: German)

• Interpretation Guide of the Higher Education Council

  This document of the Higher Education Council serves to distinguish between universities and institutes within a university or universities of applied sciences and institutes within a university of applied sciences. (Document language: German)

• Catalogue of branches in universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education

  These overarching statistics of the universities of applied sciences in Switzerland classify the courses of study and fields of activity of the universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education in a uniform system.

• Catalogue of branches in universities and institutes of technology

  These overarching statistics of the universities of applied sciences in Switzerland classify the courses of study and fields of activity of the universities, federal institutes of technology and other university institutes in a uniform system.

• Legal protection of titles of Swiss higher education qualifications

  This white paper of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER discusses the legislative instruments for the protection of titles within the Swiss higher education sector.

• Recommendation of the University Council on criteria for the qualification of higher education lecturers

  On behalf of the University Council, swissuniverisities developed minimum criteria for the qualifications of university lecturers. (Document language: German)