Question 1

If I have a professional qualification – e.g. awarded by a professional education institution and assigned to reference level 6 in the NQF VPQ – do I also have to take some sort of examination to obtain advanced placement in a study programme at a Swiss university of applied sciences?

Accepted Answer

Each university of applied sciences is free to decide whether to admit holders of a professional qualification and under what conditions. Swissuniversities has co-authored a best practices document with the SERI and the Rector’s Conference of the Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences (KFH). This document specifically addresses the case of holders of professional qualifications who wish to enrol in a Swiss university of applied sciences. This best practices document and general information about admission requirements can be found on the swissuniversities website.

Question 2

Does the referencing of my vocational or professional qualification have any influence on admission to other education and training pathways?

Accepted Answer

No. The NQF VPQ is merely an instrument designed to create transparency. It is always the education institution itself that decides whether to admit a prospective student. General information about admission requirements within the Swiss higher education sector (i.e. cantonal universities, federal institutes of technology, universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education) can be found on the swissuniversities website.

Question 3

If my professional qualification has been assigned to reference level 6 in the NQF VPQ, does that mean that I can now call my qualification a Bachelor’s degree?

Accepted Answer

No. Referencing of a given professional qualification to the NQF VPQ does not entitle you to use the title of a higher education qualification. Only vocational and professional qualifications are referenced to the NQF VPQ, not higher education qualifications. If your professional qualification has been assigned to reference level 6 in the NQF VPQ, then this only means that this qualification has that same reference level in the EU’s European Qualifications Framework (EQF). Your professional qualification is not transferrable to the higher education system. Holders of a professional qualification therefore do not automatically become holders of a Bachelor’s degree.

Question 4

When will my vocational or professional qualification be referenced?

Accepted Answer

Newly referenced qualifications are published twice each year, in January and July. SERI maintains an alphabetical List of referenced qualifications. Also, the corresponding certificate supplements and diploma supplement templates for all referenced qualifications can be found in SERI’s Official List of Vocational and Professional Qualifications.The exact date when a specific qualification is referenced depends on when the sponsoring professional organisation submits the referencing application.

Question 5

Why doesn't the NQF level of my qualification match the level indicated in the ISCED?

Accepted Answer

The two systems, i.e. national qualifications frameworks and the International Standard Classification for Education (ISCED), are unrelated. National qualifications frameworks were developed as transparency tools to facilitate the comparison of qualifications by employers and workers. In contrast, ISCED is used for statistical purposes to compare education systems internationally. Both systems consist of eight levels.In the NQF VPQ, qualifications are referenced individually, i.e. not every Swiss Federal VET Diploma is at the same level. In contrast, ISCED lists all qualifications of the same type at the same level. This is why this information can be easily found in the education system chart on the last page of each diploma supplement. Moreover, the criteria used to assign qualifications to a given level are completely different: NQF VPQ levels are based on the skills tested, whereas ISCED focuses primarily on the duration of the training and the institution itself.Further information about ISECD: Classification used in Swiss education statistics (ISCED 2011)

FAQ – National Qualifications Framework for Vocational and Professional Qualifications

State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI