For families new to the Swiss education system, the Matura offers a highly respected pathway to university, with different routes available depending on the school and programme.
At OBS, students prepare for the Swiss Federal Matura, or Eidgenössische Matura, which is assessed through external Federal examinations. This differs from the route followed at recognised cantonal Gymnasiums, where the Matura is awarded by the school itself.
The Swiss Federal Matura is a nationally recognised university entrance qualification designed to provide students with broad general knowledge, personal maturity and the academic skills needed for university study.
At OBS, students work towards this qualification through a bilingual programme that combines demanding academic preparation with small classes, individual feedback and personal coaching.
How is the Swiss Federal Matura different from a cantonal Matura?
Both routes lead to a recognised Swiss Matura qualification, but the way students are assessed is different.
At a recognised cantonal Gymnasium, school grades from the final year contribute to the final Matura result alongside examinations. At OBS, students prepare for the Swiss Federal Matura examination, where the final qualification is based on external examinations.
This distinction is important: OBS prepares students for the qualification, but does not award the Matura itself.
For students, this creates a different learning environment. Internal assessments remain important, but they are used primarily to identify progress, strengths and areas requiring further work. They do not directly determine the final Federal Matura result.
This allows students to focus on developing the knowledge and skills they need to meet the external standard, while receiving regular feedback throughout the programme.
Working towards externally set examinations also gives students experience of preparing for assessments where they cannot rely primarily on their own school’s grading practices. This can be valuable preparation for university, where students are increasingly expected to manage their own learning, prepare independently and demonstrate their knowledge in formal examinations.
How does the Matura pathway work at OBS?
Students usually enter the Matura pathway in Grade 10, although joining in Grade 11 may also be possible depending on a student’s previous education and academic readiness. There is no separate entrance examination for students progressing into the OBS Matura pathway.
The pathway normally lasts around three to three-and-a-half years, with Grade 10 serving as an important transition period in which students progressively adapt to the academic demands of Gymnasium-level study.
Students continue studying a broad curriculum across languages, mathematics, sciences, humanities and the arts. They also choose a Schwerpunktfach, or focus subject, and an additional subject, and complete a Matura thesis.
At OBS, current focus subject options include:
- Biology and Chemistry
- Physics and Applied Mathematics
- Economics and Law
Additional subject options include Philosophy, Economics and Law, and Biology.
The Federal examinations take place in two stages, allowing students to build towards the qualification progressively rather than preparing for every subject at once.
A bilingual Swiss Federal Matura
OBS students can complete the qualification as a bilingual Matura.
History and Geography are taught and examined in English, as are the supplementary courses within the bilingual programme.
For students who have already learned in both German and English at OBS, this creates continuity through their upper-secondary education. English is not simply studied as a language subject; students use it to engage with academic content in other disciplines.
This combination allows students to remain firmly within the Swiss education system while developing the academic language skills that can be valuable in international university and professional environments.
Personal coaching from Grade 7 onwards
A defining part of the OBS approach begins before the Matura years.
From Grade 7 onwards, every student works with an individual Personal Coach who provides a consistent point of contact throughout their secondary education.
The role of the coach is to support academic progress, wellbeing and general development, while helping students recognise their strengths, set manageable goals and gradually take greater responsibility for their learning.
The coaching model is built around trust, student-centred support, empowerment and consistency.
During the Matura years, this becomes particularly valuable. Subject teachers provide academic guidance, while the Personal Coach helps students look at their overall progress and understand where they need to focus most.
This means students can work intensively towards a demanding external qualification while receiving clear, individual support along the way.
Strong results in an externally assessed qualification
The Swiss Federal Matura is a demanding qualification, which makes the results achieved by OBS students particularly significant.
Over the past five years, 96% of OBS students have successfully passed the Swiss Federal Matura.
For comparison, official SBFI figures for German-speaking Switzerland show annual Federal Matura pass rates ranging from 60% to 73% between 2020 and 2024, with an average annual pass rate of approximately 67% over that five-year period.
OBS students are therefore working towards the same external standard as other candidates, with the school’s role focused on thorough preparation, individual feedback and sustained academic support.
The school’s first-stage examination results also show strong performance. Across the results presented through 2025, OBS students achieved an average grade of 4.47, compared with an SBFI comparison average of 3.82.
Where can the Swiss Federal Matura lead?
A recognised Swiss Matura provides access to Swiss universities and opens the door to a wide range of academic pathways.
OBS graduates have progressed to institutions including ETH Zurich, the University of St. Gallen and the University of Zurich, as well as universities abroad.
For most university subjects in Switzerland, the Matura provides direct access without a separate entrance examination. Medical and sport programmes are an important exception, as additional selection procedures apply.
For internationally oriented families, the qualification therefore combines a strong Swiss academic foundation with the possibility of continuing to universities in Switzerland or abroad.
Who can thrive in the OBS Matura programme?
The OBS pathway to the Swiss Federal Matura can be particularly well suited to students who value a broad academic programme, bilingual learning, clear external expectations and close individual support.
Students are expected to engage deeply with the Matura curriculum, but they also receive regular feedback from teachers and coaches to help them understand where they are progressing well and where further focus is needed.
For families looking for a pathway that combines the academic rigour of the Swiss Matura with bilingual education and personal support, the Swiss Federal Matura at OBS offers a distinctive option.
Find out more
Our Admissions team can explain the OBS pathway to the Swiss Federal Matura, including subject choices, bilingual learning, entry in Grade 10 or Grade 11, and the support students receive throughout the programme.