Frequently Asked Questions

Entrance requirements

Admission to a university of applied sciences is subject to various requirements. Specific admission conditions apply depending on previous training and study specialisation. For more information please visit the «Study at BFH» page and the website of the relevant degree programme.

Master requirements

Admission to the Master degree programme requires a Bachelor diploma or equivalent university degree. Different admission procedures, aptitude assessments and requirements apply depending on the Master degree programme. Please refer to the website of the relevant degree programme for more information.

Requirements for foreign applicants

The admission of persons with foreign degrees is subject to submission of various documents and sufficient language skills. Please find out from our website and the relevant degree programme in good time about the procedure and the necessary documents.

Registration

Registration must be completed using the online registration form.

Registration deadlines

The registration deadlines for the Bachelor and Master degree programmes are binding. Registrations after the end of the registration period are still possible depending on the degree programme, although a study place cannot be guaranteed. Please contact the relevant degree programme if you have missed a registration deadline.

Registration fee

The registration fee is CHF 100.- (plus CHF 10.– processing fee in the case of payment via pay-in slip / paper invoice). The registration fee is to be paid within 10 days of receipt.  Your registration will not be processed until payment is received. A waiver or refund, for example in the case of a cancellation or non-participation in the process, is not possible. If the fee is not paid on time, Bern University of Applied Sciences will regard the registration as invalid and will discontinue processing it.

Multiple registration

You pay a registration fee for each degree programme to which you apply, and if necessary the aptitude assessment fee.

Required documents

Please submit the following documents in electronic format and as appropriate for your educational background (passport documentation: PDF/images: JPG):

• ID or passport*
• Passport photo according to international passport requirements*
• Diplomas and leaving certificates (e.g. vocational baccalaureate/specialised baccalaureate with grades, university entrance qualification, Abitur or upper secondary level qualification)
• Swiss Federal Certificate of Proficiency with grades
• Employer reference and/or internship certificate
• Curriculum vitae

* compulsory

Other documents may be required depending on your chosen programme and educational background, for example:

• a portfolio of work samples
• residence permit (if you’re applying from abroad)
• etc.

If you’re applying for a master’s degree programme, you must submit the certificate for your first degree (bachelor’s or equivalent qualification), as well as a transcript of records.

Missing documents at the time of registration

The registration can be submitted even if documents still need to be provided. This must however be noted under remarks and the copy of the original certificate must be submitted as quickly as possible afterwards.

• If secondary school education is still to be completed, a confirmation from the school or semester report is required.
• If vocational training / secondary school education is still to be completed, a training contract or semester report is required.

Language qualifications

Various language qualifications are required depending on the degree programme. Please visit the relevant website for information or contact the relevant degree programme secretariat.

Hard copies of documents

Hard copies of registrations and documents submitted at a later date will not be accepted. All documents will be submitted electronically.

Consequences if documents are not submitted

If missing documents are not submitted following requests and reminders, Bern University of Applied Sciences will regard the registration as invalid and discontinue processing it.

General

Do you want to have academic achievements gained at another university taken into account? If so, notify us on page 3 (previous training) of the online registration and select the «Yes» field under «Recognition of academic achievement». You will receive further details on the subject with the letter of matriculation.

Admission to advanced semesters

Should you wish to have your admission to an advanced semester assessed on the basis of the recognition of your academic achievements, please make a note of this in the remarks on page 9 of the online registration form.  and discontinue processing it.

Form and Deadline

Should you decide to withdraw your registration, you can notify us of your decision by e-mail. A verbal withdrawal of the registration will not be accepted.

Withdrawals deadlines

Beginning of studies in the autumn: 31 July
Beginning of studies in the spring: 31 January

The following deadlines apply to Bern University of the Arts students: autumn semester 15 June / spring semester 15 December.

If the notification is duly received, any semester fees already invoiced shall be cancelled and refunded as necessary.

Information

Please refer to the «Study at BFH» website for information about fees.

Registration fee

The registration fee is CHF 100.- (plus CHF 10.– processing fee in the case of payment via pay-in slip / paper invoice). The registration fee is to be paid within 10 days of receipt. Your registration will not be processed until payment is received. A waiver or refund, for example in the case of a cancellation or non-participation in the process, is not possible. If the fee is not paid on time, Bern University of Applied Sciences will regard the registration as invalid and will discontinue processing it.

Aptitude assessment fee

The aptitude assessment fee is CHF 150 or CHF 200 per degree programme and is to be paid before the aptitude assessment. The fee must be paid within 30 days. If the fee is not paid in time before the aptitude assessment, you may not take part in the aptitude assessment. In exceptional cases, foreign applicants to Bern University of the Arts can pay the aptitude assessment fee in cash on the spot.

Fees for studies and semester

Study and semester fees must be paid within 30 days. Study and semester fees consist of the following:

* International students are defined as persons of foreign citizenship who at the time of obtaining their university entrance qualification were domiciled under civil law neither in Switzerland nor the Principality of Liechtenstein. This rule applies as of the 2018/19 autumn semester.
 
Additionally, you have to pay a flat fee for material costs, variable for each degree programme, and other costs for teaching aids, specialised literature, consumables etc. Il you do not pay your study and semester fees or pay them late, your matriculation may be terminated and debt enforcement proceedings initiated against you.

Terms of payment

We regret that we cannot accept payment by credit card or via Western Union.

Foreign payments

It can take up to two weeks for a foreign payment to be transferred into the account of Bern University of Applied Sciences.

Multiple registration

You pay a registration fee for each degree programme to which you apply, and if necessary the aptitude assessment fee.

General

Please visit educa.ch for important information about scholarships in Switzerland (in German).

Scholarship offices

Addresses of scholarship offices incl. scholarship calculator are available at the following links:

Living expenses

For more information about living expenses please visit the budget advice website Budgetberatung (in German).

General, explanation

The details on the form are used to determine which canton is responsible for funding your study as part of the University of Applied Sciences Agreement. All students must complete the personal particulars form to establish which canton will fund studies. The form must be completed with care. StudAdmin will be happy to assist you if you have any questions.

Consequences

If the personal particulars form is not submitted on time following a reminder, Bern University of Applied Sciences reserves the right to charge CHF 50 for administrative costs. If the form is still not submitted after a second reminder, the effective study costs (CHF 10,000 - 15,000 per semester, depending on the degree programme) will be invoiced to the student.

Link to online registration

You can register for the Bachelor and Master degree programmes here and afterwards follow how your registration is progressing.

Password forgotten

The password and user name can be requested again in the login window for the registration form for the required period. To do so, select the «Forgotten username/ password» link and enter the e-mail address that you specified when you registered for the first time. An automatically generated message with the user details will then be sent to you.

Language for correspondence

Please note that general correspondence with you will be conducted in the language specified under «Language of correspondence».

I did not receive a confirmation mail on completing my registration

Registration is not completed until you have accepted the «General terms / Registration» on page 9 of the registration form and have clicked the «Submit Registration» button. The StudAdmin will be happy to assist you if you have any questions.

The required registration window is not yet activated

The registration window is activated one year in advance at the earliest. Wait until then or contact StudAdmin to seek a personal solution.

My enclosures / data have not been saved

Your enclosures/data are not saved until you acknowledge the data you have entered by pressing the «Save and continue» button. In the case of enclosures, the file path is then automatically deleted from the field. Once enclosures are uploaded successfully, the word «Uploaded» is displayed in grey on the right hand side beside «Browse/Search». If this text is not displayed, it was not possible to upload the enclosures. Check file size and format for suitability.

Belated submission of missing documents

If you are requested to upload missing documents later on, you can use the existing username and password, and upload the documents via the existing registration. There is no need to re-register. It is possible that after uploading the documents in the registration form on page 6, the text is not displayed, however as soon as you press «Upload», the file is uploaded.

Blank screen

This happens when you copy the page link using the Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V shortcut and insert it in a new window.

General

You can download various information, general documents and confirmation of enrolment from the student portal. The portal is also used to communicate news and information.  You can change your correspondence address via this portal. 

User Manual

The user manual for the student portal is filed in the student portal and can be downloaded from it.

Address changes

You can edit and manage your correspondence address yourself via the portal.

Confirmation of enrolment

The confirmation of enrolment for the relevant period can be downloaded from the student portal at the earliest as of the official start of the semester (01.08/01.02). Before this date, the letter of matriculation will be used as proof and with the comment that the actual confirmation of enrolment is to follow.

Online module registration

Unless otherwise specified, students are registered for modules by the departments or faculties. Students who must register themselves, are notified in advance about procedure and the deadlines. The relevant degree programme secretariat will be happy to assist if you have any questions.

For more information about online module registration please refer to the user manual for the student portal.