At the start of their university career in Switzerland, students in the Bachelor of Arts (Bachelors), Master of Arts (Masters) and Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) programmes are required to formalise their matriculation in accordance with the Swiss university system, on pain of exclusion from the course of study.
For matriculation, students must present the original diploma of the university entrance qualification. We will affix to the diploma the yellow sticker with the Swiss matriculation number, after which we will register it and immediately return it to the student. The Swiss matriculation number serves to identify the student in the Swiss university system and is unique and personal.
This page provides further details on key concepts and procedures:
The term "university entrance qualification" refers to the academic qualification that, according to the Federal Act on Funding and Coordination of the Swiss Higher Education Sector (HEdA) and the specific regulations of the study programmes of the University School of Music (SUM), allows a student to enter a study programme. Specifically:
This official document certifies that a student has obtained a specific qualification, i.e. the university entrance qualification. We accept documents in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish or Portuguese, while documents in other languages must be accompanied by an official translation in Italian, French, German or English.
Only these types of documents, in original, are accepted:
NOT permitted:
2.1 Diploma format
For matriculation purposes, documents with these characteristics are accepted:
For matriculation purposes, we cannot accept documents that do not correspond to these characteristics.
2.2 Certificate of ex-matriculation
Students who have previously confirmed their enrolment at another university institution in Switzerland, regardless of the area of study or whether or not they completed their studies, must present the ex-matriculation certificate issued by the last Swiss university institution where they confirmed their enrolment. Students must present the ex-matriculation certificate to the Academic services office. In the absence of this document, students may not be registered.
Students must complete their matriculation under specific call from the Academic services office. As a rule, matriculation takes place during calendar-weeks 36 (Bachelors and Masters students) and 37 (MAS), i.e. during the first half of September.
Students who, under exceptional circumstances, are unable to present their original diploma during the matriculation period must notify the Academic services office as soon as possible and arrange a new date for matriculation. For justified and proven reasons, matriculation may be completed by the end of September and in no case later than 15 October.
Students who do not formalise their enrolment by 15 October will be excluded from their Bachelors, Masters, or MAS courses.
Q: My school issued the certificate without a signature because in my country the law authorizes this. Can I matriculate with this document?
A: No. As explained in section 2.1, documents must be properly signed.
Q: My school has scheduled my final exam in the extraordinary session at the end of October. Can I still proceed with matriculation and begin my studies?
A: No. The 15 October deadline is insurmountable and matriculation is indispensable for accessing your studies.
Q: In the past, I confirmed my enrolment at another Swiss university but never attended any classes. How can I proceed with enrolment?
A: Even if you have not attended any classes at your previous university, it is possible that it has matriculated you ex-officio. In this case, it is essential to ask for a certificate of ex-matriculation, which you must present to the Academic Services office.
Academic Services Office