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University of Bern admission at a glance
The University of Bern teaches its Bachelor programmes in German: the teaching language is always German except for studies of foreign languages, and applicants who are not native speakers need German at level C1. Tuition is CHF 850 per semester, and non-Swiss students who did not live in Switzerland or Liechtenstein when they earned their entrance qualification pay CHF 1’700 more (2026/27, the latest published).
Whether your school-leaving certificate opens the door depends on your country: the university assesses each one against a country list for all non-medical courses of study. Applications for the fall semester were due by April 30 in the latest published rules 2026/27, and medicine runs on an earlier track.
The key facts by topic
Official pages: Application and admission with an international certificate, Fees from fall 2026.
| Topic | What Bern states |
|---|---|
| Teaching language | German, except studies of foreign languages |
| German proof | level C1 for non-native speakers |
| Fall deadline | April 30 (late applications by August 31) |
| Application fee | CHF 150 |
| Tuition per semester | CHF 850 |
| Total per semester, international students | CHF 2,609 |
| IB Diploma | 32 out of 42 points |
| Medicine with a foreign certificate | not very promising |
Teaching language: Bachelor programmes in German
At Bachelor level the teaching language is always German except for studies of foreign languages.
The programme overview repeats it: the language of instruction is German (except in the language programs) (2026/27, the latest published).
Each programme page has a requirements tab. For details of the teaching language and any additional language requirements, such as Latin or Greek, look at the "Requirements" tab of the individual study programs.
What this means for you: plan for German first. The proof of German, the accepted certificates and the university's own test are in the chapters on German language requirements and on the University of Bern German test.
Official page: Application and admission, University of Bern.
Two ways in: a foreign degree or your school-leaving certificate
With an international qualification you must meet at least one of two requirements: an international university degree of at least three years, or the country-specific admission requirements for your school-leaving certificate.
Route 1: a university degree from abroad
Applicants holding a recognised foreign university degree (a full-time bachelor's of at least three years, a master's based on one, or a licentiate) can be admitted without restriction to all degree courses (2026/27, the latest published). Trainings and further training qualifications (Executive Master) are not recognized.
Route 2: your school-leaving certificate
The country list gives the admission qualifications for all non-medical courses of study (2026/27, the latest published). For some countries the certificate is accepted only with a supplementary examination (chapter 9), and where a certificate is not recognised you may need to pass a Swiss-style school-leaving exam.
Studies in Germany, Austria, France or Italy
Bilateral agreements with Germany, Austria, France and Italy let you move into a degree course in your former field if you have completed an important part of your studies at a university there, with an intermediate test. Language and aptitude tests may still apply.
What counts as a recognised school-leaving certificate
Every foreign certificate is tested against the same standards: at least 12 school years, of which at least 3 years at academic upper secondary school (2026/27, the latest published).
The subject mix matters too. A certificate has general educational value only if at least 6 individual subjects of general educational value are shown continuously in the last 3 years of school. Computer Science or Philosophy can only be the 6th subject.
What is not recognised
Some qualifications are not recognised even with the right subject combination, among them:
- subject related upper secondary school-leaving certificates, or certificates from universities of applied sciences
- correspondence courses, evening courses and non-student school-leaving certificates
Proof of admission
Several country rules add a proof of admission. It must be issued for the desired field of study by a state or state-recognized university with the right to award doctorates in the country of origin, and must not be older than one year. In justified cases, the university management may waive a proof of study place.
On request, you must prove that no exclusion or expulsion from another university has occurred.
IB Diploma and European Baccalaureate for Bern
The IB Diploma is recognised if it shows 32 out of 42 points (without bonus points) and 6 subjects that meet the general subject rules (2026/27, the latest published).
The Higher Level condition has a subject angle: at least 3 subjects must be in the Higher Level, of which at least 1 in Mathematics or another scientific subject (subject group 3 or 4).
If you hold the European Baccalaureate, it is recognised if the certificate complies with the subject list of the general rules.
Official source: Admission Requirements 2026/27 (PDF).
A-levels and other UK qualifications for Bern
For England, Wales and Northern Ireland Bern asks for six subjects of general educational value in total, with a split between A-level subjects and further subjects (2026/27, the latest published).
The three A-level subjects
The three further subjects
Official source: Admission Requirements 2026/27 (PDF).
US High School Diploma and AP exams for Bern
A US applicant needs the High School Diploma plus 6 Advanced Placement exams with a score of 3 or higher (2026/27, the latest published).
The exams must also fit the subject rules: the rule reads "according to 5.4.2", which is the subject list in chapter 4.
Choose the exams with the subject groups of chapter 4 in mind.
Official source: Admission Requirements 2026/27 (PDF).
Bern requirements by country of your certificate
The country list in the 2026/27 rules sorts certificates into three kinds of entry: admission on the certificate itself (sometimes with a proof of admission), admission only with the supplementary examination, and countries where only a first university degree is accepted (2026/27, the latest published).
Each row below is the country's entry in the university's list. Where a row says proof of admission, chapter 4 explains what that is.
Germany adds a condition for three subjects: a proof of admission is mandatory for courses of study in Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Psychology.
The path for some of these countries is longer, because the certificate alone does not open the door. Chapter 9 explains the supplementary examination. Official source: Admission Requirements 2026/27 (PDF).
The supplementary examination of the Swiss universities
For some countries the certificate is accepted only together with a supplementary examination: it is held once a year before the start of the fall semester, in Zurich, organised by ECUS.
You can only take it with a confirmation from the University of Bern that your qualifications together with a pass are sufficient for the desired degree, so a complete application comes first.
What the examination covers
The examination covers five subjects and is divided into two parts. In part 1, the language of instruction (level C1) is compulsory for all candidates, in an oral and a written examination; the German exam is organised individually by the Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, at level C1.
Part 2 has three compulsory subjects, Mathematics, English and History, and one obligatory elective from Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Geography. In the oral exams, prep time is 15 minutes and the examination 15 minutes.
Official page: Supplementary examination of the Swiss universities.
German language requirements for Bern (C1)
If German is not your native language, you must provide proof of German language skills to C1 level or equivalent, or take a German test at the University of Bern.
The rule in the admission requirements reads: candidates who are not native speakers of German must provide proof of sufficient knowledge of German (level C1) (2026/27, the latest published).
Evidence can be native speaker status, the language of instruction of your school-leaving certificate, or the German test.
Certificates that exempt you from the test
- Goethe-Zertifikat C1 or C2
- telc Deutsch C1-Zertifikat
- TestDaF with a grade of at least 4 in each part
- Deutsches Sprachdiplom, second level (DSD II)
- ÖSD Prüfung C1 Oberstufe Deutsch
- DSH with grade 2 or 3
- a pass in the Swiss supplementary examination in German
No other German tests or certificates are recognised.
Exemptions by faculty
| Faculty | Exemption from the German test |
|---|---|
| Faculty of Law | no exemption |
| Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences | no exemption |
| Faculty of Medicine | no exemption |
| Vetsuisse Faculty | no exemption |
| Faculty of Sciences | no exemption |
| Faculty of Human Sciences | no exemption |
| Faculty of Humanities | by application |
Official page: German language skills at Bachelor level (PDF).
The University of Bern German test
Without a certificate you take the university's own test: it takes place only at the beginning of the autumn semester, and for entry in the spring semester a recognised German certificate must be presented.
The test is an abridged version of a C1 test. To pass, you need sufficient spoken and written, active and passive German at level C1 and a broad, partly academic vocabulary. The admission requirements place it about three weeks before the lecture period of the fall semester, and registration goes through the Admissions Office by July 31.
Pass, fail or miss the test
You remain registered pending the outcome, and final matriculation occurs on passing the test. If you fail, your application is revoked and you are not registered, and after two failures a new application is possible only after at least 5 years.
If you cannot attend, you must withdraw in writing no later than 10 days before the test.
Official page: German test at the University of Bern (PDF).
Medicine and other programmes with limited places
For human, dental and veterinary medicine the page is blunt: an application with a foreign school-leaving certificate and/or study permit is not very promising, with exceptions for persons who also fulfill the conditions according to Annex 2 of the Ordinance on the University.
Medical applications follow a separate track. Applications for the Bachelor in Human, Dental or Veterinary Medicine are made online to swissuniversities, up to February 15, and late applications are not permissible.
swissuniversities sets an aptitude test in early July whenever applications exceed the places. The Faculty of Medicine allows no exemption from the German test.
Sport Science
The number of places for Sport Science is limited, and an aptitude test applies if there are more applications than places. The application must reach the Admissions Office by February 15 for the major or the minor worth 60 ECTS credits.
Official page: Human, Dental and Veterinary Medicine, University of Bern.
Applying to Bern step by step
Apply online and send the documents on paper: apply online before the specified date and submit the documents required for assessing your admission in paper form. For the fall semester the published deadline is April 30 (2026/27, the latest published).
The three possible decisions
Late applications and visas
A late application must arrive by August 31 for the fall semester, for an additional fee of CHF 100. The same deadlines apply to applicants with an international qualification, but late applications from students applying from countries that require a visa are not permissible; the admission requirements exclude them as well.
Spring semester
The spring deadline is December 15, and some Bachelor programmes can also be started in the spring semester; lectures start in the middle of February.
Official page: Application and admission with an international certificate.
Bachelor programmes: medicine, law, economics, business and computer science
Bachelor programmes at Bern run six semesters and are worth 180 ECTS credits, and the programme list includes Medicine (Mono), Law (Mono), Economics (Major), Business Administration (Major) and Computer Science (Major).
The overview sheet confirms the length: Bachelor degree courses last 6 semesters or 3 years = 180 ECTS credits (2026/27, the latest published).
The German test table names the economics faculty as the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. The programme list calls it the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
Official page: Bachelor degree programs, University of Bern.
Tuition and fees at Bern, from fall 2026
Tuition is CHF 850 per semester, and non-Swiss students pay an additional CHF 1’700 per semester if they did not have their civil law residence in Switzerland or Liechtenstein when they achieved their entrance qualification. With the semester fee, the page totals CHF 909 per semester for regular students and CHF 2,609 for international students.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | CHF 150 |
| Registration fee, one-time | CHF 100 |
| Application after the regular deadline, in addition | CHF 100 |
| Tuition per semester | CHF 850 |
| Additional for non-Swiss students, per semester | CHF 1’700 |
| Semester fee, all students | CHF 34 |
| Student Union (SUB) members, semester fee increase | CHF 25 |
The extra amount depends on where you lived, not on whether you are an EU citizen: it applies to non-Swiss students who had no civil law residence in Switzerland or Liechtenstein at the time of the entrance qualification.
If the application leads to enrollment, the application fee counts as the registration fee, and an application fee can neither be refunded nor transferred to another semester.
Official page: Fees from fall semester 2026 (PDF).
Visa, residence and arrival for Bern
Visa timing shapes the application: late applications from students applying from countries that require a visa are not permissible.
The university lists its own guidance under further information: conditions relevant to entering and residing in Switzerland, accommodation, student financing and health insurance.
Timing for arrival: the invitation to register comes from the beginning of April at the earliest for fall, after which the original documents are checked and the tuition invoice follows; the certificate of registration and UNICARD follow receipt of payment.
Depending on your certificate, two exams can sit before enrolment: the German test in calendar week 35 and the supplementary examination in Zurich. Book travel after your decision letter, not before.
Official page: Application and admission with an international certificate.
Who is the University of Bern for? Summary
Bern suits applicants who can study in German and whose certificate is on the country list: German at level C1 is required, and the country list covers all non-medical courses of study.
- Check your certificate in the country table, chapter 8, and the rules for IB (32 out of 42 points), A-levels or AP.
- Check whether your country needs the supplementary examination: registration closed on 15 June in the 2026 session.
- Prove German: a certificate from the list, or the university test in calendar week 35.
- Apply by April 30 for the fall semester (2026/27, the latest published).
- Budget CHF 2,609 per semester if the non-Swiss surcharge applies to you.
Medicine is a different path: an application with a foreign certificate is not very promising.
All rules above are the 2026/27 versions, the latest published. The university republishes its admission requirements every academic year, so recheck the country entry before you apply.
Bern: frequently asked questions
Can I study at the University of Bern in English?
At Bachelor level, the teaching language is always German except for studies of foreign languages. Check the requirements tab of each programme for any extra language rules.
Do I need German to study at Bern?
Yes. Candidates who are not native speakers of German must provide proof of level C1. You can show C1 or equivalent proof, or take the German test at the University of Bern.
Is my school-leaving certificate accepted at Bern?
It depends on the country. The country list covers all non-medical courses of study; some countries also need a Swiss-style school-leaving exam where a certificate is not recognised or the supplementary examination. The IB Diploma needs 32 out of 42 points.
When is the Bern application deadline?
For the fall semester the deadline in the latest published rules was April 30, and a late application must arrive by August 31 for an extra fee of CHF 100. Late applications from visa countries are not permitted.
How much does it cost to study at Bern?
Tuition is CHF 850 per semester, and non-Swiss students without Swiss or Liechtenstein residence at the time of the entrance qualification pay CHF 1’700 more. The page totals CHF 2,609 per semester for international students.
Can I study medicine at Bern with a foreign certificate?
The page calls an application with a foreign school-leaving certificate not very promising. Applications go to swissuniversities up to February 15, and an aptitude test is set in early July if applications exceed the places.
Where these numbers come from
Official pages of University of Bern, UCAS, gov.uk and the ranking publishers. Applicant reports, where shown, are self-reported and labelled.
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Photos: Front of the main building of the University of Bern: photo Bobo11, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons · Library of the vonRoll university centre in Bern: photo Alexey M, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons