Coordination of higher education sector
The federal government has funded cantonal universities since 1968 and universities of applied sciences since 1995. The Higher Education Act (HEdA) provides a common basis for the funding and coordination of the Swiss higher education sector.
The Higher Education Act (HEdA) implements Article 63a of the Federal Constitution in connection with the Intercantonal Agreement on Cooperation in Higher Education (ICA-CHE) as well as the agreement reached by the Confederation and the cantons to work together in the area of higher education. Article 63a states that the federal government and the cantons are jointly responsible for the coordination and guarantee of quality in Swiss higher education. This includes cantonal universities, the federal institutes of technology (ETHZ and EPFL), universities of applied sciences, including universities of teacher education, and other institutions within the Swiss higher education sector.
Based on the HEdA and its associated agreements, joint federal and cantonal bodies were established to ensure nationwide coordination and quality assurance across all types of higher education institutions. These include the Swiss Conference of Higher Education Institutions (SHK), Switzerland’s highest authority on higher education policy; the Swiss Conference of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions (swissuniversities); and the Swiss Accreditation Council. The HEdA also specifies the federal government’s constitutional duty to provide financial support to cantonal universities and universities of applied sciences according to a uniform set of principles, while safeguarding the distinct profiles of each institutional type.
The HEdA provides for three types of financial support: basic contributions, allocated on the basis of teaching and research activities; contributions to cover expenditure for construction and use of buildings; and project contributions, which enable the co-financing of collaborative projects that serve national higher education policy interests.
Links:
- Bundesgesetz über die Förderung der Hochschulen und die Koordination im schweizerischen Hochschulbereich (Hochschulförderungs- und -koordinationsgesetz, HFKG)
- Verordnung zum Hochschulförderungs- und -koordinationsgesetz (V-HFKG)
- Vereinbarung zwischen dem Bund und den Kantonen über die Zusammenarbeit im Hochschulbereich (ZSAV-HS)
- Interkantonale Vereinbarung über den schweizerischen Hochschulbereich (Hochschulkonkordat)
- Schweizerische Hochschulkonferenz SHK
- Rektorenkonferenz der schweizerischen Hochschulen swissuniversities
- Schweizerischer Akkreditierungsrat
- Schweizerische Agentur für Akkreditierung und Qualitätssicherung AAQ
- Indikatoren Bildung und Wissenschaft, BFS
- Lehre & Studium - swissuniversities
- Durchlässigkeit zwischen den Hochschultypen - swissuniversities
Higher Education: Accreditation
The Federal Act of 30 September 2011 on the Funding and Coordination of the Higher Education Sector (HEdA) introduced a system of mandatory institutional accreditation for all higher education institutions wishing to use a legally protected designation.
Qualifications awarded by Swiss higher education institutions
All institutions within the Swiss higher education sector award Bologna-compliant qualifications based on three levels of study: Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD. This three-tiered system is described in the Swiss Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (nqf.ch-HS). A qualifications framework serves the purpose of mapping out the various qualifications within the national education system. Descriptors are used to indicate the minimum requirements for each level.
Protection and recognition of the titles of higher education qualifications
In Switzerland, protection of the titles of higher education qualifications is determined by the applicable legal bases, which depends on which authority is responsible for the given higher education institution. The protection of the titles of higher education qualifications awarded by cantonal universities, universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education is thus determined by cantonal or intercantonal legislation.