Upper secondary level

In 2021/22 almost 366 400 students attended an upper secondary level course. 59% were in vocational education and training and almost 29% in general education leading to an academic Baccalaureate, an upper secondary specialised school certificate or a specialised Baccalaureate. The remaining students were following a post-apprenticeship vocational Baccalaureate course (MP2), or a transitional or complementary course.

Upper secondary level students: change since 2005/06

	2005/06	2010/11	2015/16	2020/21	2021/22
Total	324 489	358 707	365 312	364 055	366 353
Female (%)	47.5	47.8	47.8	47.6	47.7
Foreign (%)	15.6	17.8	20.8	23.5	23.9
Transitional education low - upper sec.	15 881	17 114	17 692	16 975	16 648
Female (%)	56.1	54.7	48.6	47.7	47.7
Foreign (%)	31.3	37.5	48.5	51.8	51.9
Vocational education and training VET1	213 174	228 717	226 822	215 651	215 581
Female (%)	41.7	42.0	41.8	40.6	40.7
Foreign (%)	15.7	16.8	19.5	23.2	23.7
Vocational baccalaureate2	5 288	7 572	9 496	11 109	11 236
Female (%)	44.8	47.6	48.7	50.7	52.0
Foreign (%)	10.1	7.7	9.6	10.3	10.5
General education	82 119	92 087	96 840	104 483	106 302
Female (%)	60.0	58.8	59.5	59.8	59.3
Foreign (%)	12.6	17.7	20.2	21.6	22.0
Complementary education on upper secondary level	8 027	13 217	14 462	15 837	16 586
Female (%)	57.2	60.6	60.6	60.9	61.4
Foreign (%)	14.3	15.6	17.5	20.4	20.0

1 Including preparation for federal vocational baccalaureate integrated in vocational
education and training (FBV1)
2 Federal vocational baccalaureate after vocational education and training (FVB2) Source: FSO – Statistics on pupils and students (SDL)
Data as of: February 2023

Upper secondary level is made up of two major axes. Firstly, there is vocational education and training (VET) which leads to the award of a Federal VET Diploma or a Federal VET Certificate. Secondly, there is general education which covers programmes leading to the Baccalaureate (academic, vocational, specialised) as well as courses of study in an upper secondary specialised school. Transitional and supplementary courses complete the offer at upper secondary level.
The numbers of students in upper secondary level rose by 13% between 2005/06 and 2021/22. Their distribution among the different types of training or education has remained fairly stable throughout this period (almost two-thirds in vocational education and training, just over a quarter in general education programmes and the remaining percentage divided between the MP2 and transitional or complementary courses.

The education and training landscape at upper secondary level varies depending on the canton For the two types of education and training mostly chosen by young people, the proportion of students enrolled in vocational education and training varies between 31% (GE) and 78% (UR) of the total number of upper secondary level students, whereas the proportion of students in general education ranges between 14% (UR) and 58% (GE).

Related topics

Diploma - Upper secondary education

On this topic