Education and science

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In focus

Paths and transitions in compulsory education

90.3% of the approx. 67 000 pupils who started the third year of primary school in 2012 completed a linear course of six successive school years or possibly an accelerated course by skipping one school year.

Study grants and loans

In 2020, the cantons paid a total of CHF 385 million in grants and loans to persons in education. Almost the entire amount were allocated as grants (94%).
47'315 people obtained a study grant and 2'843 a loan.

The main figures

Description of the infografic

People in education, in 2019/20, in thousands
• Compulsory education: 965,9
• Upper secondary level: 361,5
• Advanced professional education and training: 61,6
• Higher education institutions: 270,5 (2020/21)

Teaching staff, in 2019/20, and higher education staff, in 2020, in thousands
• Compulsory education: 100,9
• Higher education institutions: 97,9
• Upper secondary level: 34,5
• Colleges of higher vocational education and training: 7,3

Diplomas, in 2020, in thousands
• Upper secondary level
    Vocational education and training: 70,2
    General education: 43,4
• Tertiary level
    Advanced professional education and training: 25,7
    Higher education institutions
        -Bachelor: 32,6
          -Master: 19,6
          -Doctorate: 4,4

Educational expenditure, in 2018
• Educational public expenditure: 38,9 bn
        Share of the gross domestic product: 5,4%

Research and development (R&D), in 2019
• Expenditure on R&D, in Switzerland: 23 bn
         of which business enterprises: 68%
• R&D personnel in the business entreprises (full-time equivalents): 51 623

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