List of institutions not listed as Accredited Swiss Higher Education Institutions according to HEdA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Private business enterprises set up as higher education institutions claiming a form of accreditation with no official ties to local governments ministry fall under the category of unaccredited institutions of higher education (uHEI). Said institutions can award private degrees in accordance with the Swiss government under the HEdA. Such degrees do not confer entitlement upon the holder for which the Swiss authorities will recognize the studies offered, examinations passed, or the qualifications issued by said type of institutions.[1]
Institutional (academic) accreditation
Institutional accreditation in Switzerland is granted by the Swiss Accreditation Council after a review by the Swiss Agency of Accreditation and Quality Assurance (AAQ). Such Confederation-accreditation grants the institution in Switzerland the right to call (use) itself a University as well receiving state grants. (Student visa rights, accommodation) [2][3] Government-established Universities are institutionally accredited through the accreditation council or Ministry of Education. Some programs, especially medical fields like pharmacy and medicine, must be programmatically accredited through the accreditation council.[4]
Private and programmatic accreditation
Business schools can go to private programmatic Institutions to improve the level of their programs and quality offered to students. The so-called triple accreditation is often seen as the highest quality certification for business schools. The most well-regarded accreditation agencies are AACSB in the United States, AMBA in the United Kingdom, and EQUIS in the European Union, albeit they all accredit schools in other world regions. Many other accreditation agencies exist, but their accreditation is less well-regarded and may sometimes approach being an accreditation mill. In the accreditation guide, membership and accreditation from private accrediting agencies (IACBE, ACBSP, AACSB) do not fall under the same level of recognition. Private programmatic accreditation does not guarantee any acceptance for the degrees, titles, or qualifications awarded by uHEI; those still fall to the respected MoE the uHEI are registered.[1][5]
Some private uHEI grant dual degree programs with a partnered university. The degrees from such partnerships are properly recognized if the referenced University is recognized from the respective Ministry of Education.
Scholarship and visa
The Swiss Government does not provide any official support for scholarship programs and granting visas for uHEI. Some schools do offer those on their own, and they can provide students with it if they have enlisted in uHEI private programs and achieve it through these means. These scholarships are not granted by the Swiss Ministry of Education and are in no part of their own educational systems, visa included.[6]
Non-regulated professions
Private degrees from unaccredited institutions are considered to be usable only in non-regulated professions (such as a manager or journalist). In regards to employment, the valuation of these degrees falls to the employers. For certain non-regulated occupations, some employers require that applicants be registered or certified by the relevant professional association as a condition for employment.[5]
List of institutes and companies
This table is based on data from Swiss official sites Swissuniversities[7] and Akkreditierungsrat,[8] as well as whether the German government recognizes the institution's degrees as equivalent to German university degrees.[9] This information may not be complete.
| School | City, Canton | Awarding University degrees | Programmatic accreditations | Memberships | German recognition status[10] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Schweitzer International University | Genève, GE | Swiss entity in liquidation.[11] | |||||
| Academy of Business Management - The Open University of Switzerland | Zurich, ZH | Joint/Dual Programs with University of Dąbrowa Górnicza (WSB) - Poland, Taras Shevchenko National University (KNU) - Ukraine, Central University of Nicaragua (UCN) - Nicaragua | ASIC | AACSB | "Royal Academy of Economics and Technology in Switzerland", ous.edu.eu, registered as A.B.M.S. GmbH.[12] | ||
| AEB Schweiz - Akademie für Erwachsenenbildung | Lucerne and Zurich | Adult further-education institution, not a Swiss university | Non-university institution | "Academy for Adult Education", offers diplomas, CAS, DAS, Masters, etc.. aeb.ch | |||
| Benjamin Franklin College | Baar | liquidated | liquidated | liquidated | Name change, liquidated, still listed in Anabin repository.[13] | ||
| Baptistische Theologische Hochschule | Rüschlikon | Non-university institution | Private theological school, does not possess AAQ .[14] | ||||
| Business and Hotel Management School | Lucerne, LU | Delivers a university degree in partnership with Robert Gordon University for Bachelors & Masters, and with York St John University for MBAs. | ACBSP | EURHODIP, I-CHRIE, American Hotel & Lodging Association | Has business, hotel and culinary programs and degrees. | ||
| Basel School of Business | Basel, BS | IACBE | Non-university institution | TheBaselSchool.ch | |||
| BSL Business School Lausanne | Lausanne, VD | ACBSP | AACSB, AMBA-BGA, EFMD | BSL-Lausanne.ch | |||
| Cesar Ritz Colleges | Lucerne, LU | The International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education (THE-ICE), | AACSB | Non-university institution | Hotel & business school, not a Swiss university Cesarritzcolleges.edu | ||
| Center for Urban & Real Estate Management | Zurich | AACSB, EQUIS, RICS | Part of University Zurich but not recognized as University by Anabin, curem.uzh.ch | ||||
| Das Institut für Gemeindebau und Weltmission (IGW) (see German wiki) | Zurich | AEM, ECTE, FreiKirchen, SEA, | Non-university institution | Private theological school, not a Swiss university Bachelor and Master studies | |||
| EU Business School | Geneva, GE | [Titulo propio] through academic partnerships by Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), State-recognized University of Derby, London Metropolitan University, and Dublin Business School | ACBSP / IACBE | EFMD, AACSB, ABIS, IAUP, ECBE | Euruni.edu | ||
| EuroSwiss Universität | Neuhausen, SH | Non-university institution | Not a University in Swiss, does not possess AAQ EuroSwissUniversitaet.ch | ||||
| Europäische Universität für Interdisziplinäre Studien EUFIS | Leuk | ||||||
| Educatis AG (see German Wiki) | Kastanienbaum, LU | - | None | Private business school, not Swiss university Educatis.org | |||
| ESM - Ecole de Management et Communication | Geneva | ESM.ch | |||||
| Fern-University of Zurich | Cham | ||||||
| Freie Universität Lugano für Human- und technologische Wissenschaften | Lugano | Private business school (science/tech focus), not a Swiss university | |||||
| Geneva Business School | Geneva, GE | IACBE | AACSB ACBSP | Private business school, not a Swiss university GBSGE.com | |||
| Geneva School of Business and Economics | Geneva, GE | - | None | None | Not a Swiss university, No longer registered in Switzerland as a business under Zefix | ||
| Geneva School of Diplomacy | Geneva, GE | - | None | None | Not a Swiss university, Geneva School of Diplomacy | ||
| Gesthotel SA Hotel Management School | Bluche, Crans-Montana | Private hotel management school, not a Swiss university | |||||
| Glion Institute of Higher Education | Montreux & Bulle | Memberships
AACSB (member)[15]; International Center for Academic Integrity (member)[16]; Institute of Hospitality (Academic Partner)[17]
|
Swiss higher education institution; institutionally accredited under HEdA as a university of applied sciences institute (Swiss Accreditation Council decision 20 June 2025; appears on swissuniversities accredited list). | ||||
| GSBA Zurich | Zurich, Zurich | - | Not a Swiss university, GSB.UZH.ch No longer operational, under a different name | ||||
| HTMi, Hotel and Tourism Management Institute Switzerland | Sörenberg, LU | Private hotel & tourism school, not a Swiss university HTMI.ch | |||||
| IFM Business School | Geneva, GE | ACBSP[18] IACBE[19] | Private business school, not a university IFM.ch | ||||
| IMI International Management Institute Switzerland | Kastanienbaum, LU | Dual degrees with Manchester Metropolitan University. | Private business school, not a university IMI-Luzern.com | ||||
| Institut Technique Supérieur | Fribourg | Not a Swiss university | |||||
| International Hotel and Tourism Training Institute | Neuchâtel, NE | Not a Swiss university IHTTI.com | |||||
| International Management School Geneva | Geneva, GE | AACSB | Private business school, not a Swiss university IMSGeneva.ch | ||||
| International University in Geneva | Geneva, GE | ACBSP, IACBE | - | IUN.ch | |||
| Montreux Institute of Business Development[20] | Montreux, VD | Not in list / Not a Swiss university MIBD.ch | |||||
| Monarch Business School Switzerland | Zug, ZG | None | None | ACBSP | Not a Swiss university UMonarch.ch | ||
| Rochat School of Business | Montreux, VD | No | None | Private business school, not a Swiss university Rochatsb.ch, registered as 'Sacré Coeur (Switzerland).[21] | |||
| Rushford Business School | Geneva, GE | Private business school, not a Swiss university RushFord.ch. IACBE member, no IACBE accreditation[22] | |||||
| Sustainability Management School | Gland, VD | ACBSP | Private institution, not Swiss university Sumas.ch | ||||
| Swiss Montreux Business School (SMBS) | Montreux, Vaud | - | Private business school, not a Swiss university SMBS-Montreux.ch | ||||
| Swiss School of Business and Management (SSBM) | Geneva, GE | ACBSP | AACSB | Private business school, not a Swiss university SSBM.ch | |||
| Swiss Hotel Management School | Caux | Private business & hotel school, not a Swiss university | |||||
| Swiss International School of Business | Montreux Monthey, VD+VS | - | None | Private business school, not a Swiss university SISB.ch | |||
| Swiss Management Center (formerly SMC University) | Zug, ZG | Dual Degrees with Universidad Central de Nicaragua - UCN (?) | - | Private business school, not a Swiss university SMC.com | |||
| Swiss School of Business Research (SSBR) | Zurich, ZU | - | Private business school, not a Swiss university SSBR-Edu.ch | ||||
| Swiss School of Higher Education | Montreux, VD | - | None | Private business school, not a Swiss university SSHE.ch | |||
| Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality | Chur | Private business & hotel school, not a Swiss university | |||||
| Swiss School of Management | Bellinzona | No | IACBE | Private business school, not a Swiss university | |||
| University of Business & Finance Switzerland | Wettingen | Private business school, not a Swiss university | |||||
| United International Business School | Zurich, ZH | ACBSP | AACSB | Private business school, not a Swiss university UIBS.org | |||
| UBIS University | Geneva, GE | IACBE | EFMD | Private business school, not a Swiss university Ubis-Geneva.ch | |||
| Vatel Martigny, Switzerland - Hotel & Tourism Business School | Martigny, VS | Private business & hotel school, not a Swiss university Vatel.ch | |||||
| Victoria University | Neuchâtel | Private business school, not a Swiss university Specialized in Hotel and Management | |||||
| WES'SUP | Geneva | - | None | Private business school, not a university WES-SUP.ch | |||
| Wesford Genève | Aïre – Geneva | - | None | Not a Swiss university FcWesford.ch | |||
| Zurich Elite Business School | Zurich, ZH | - | ASIC | Private business school, not a Swiss university Zebs.ch |