Study with the IB
LeadingStudying at Universität Basel with the IB
By Michael Thompson - Head of Teaching Excellence; 15 years as an IB Coordinator
Data checked 4 October 2026
32+
Points benchmark (excl. 3 core points)
Yes
Accepts the IB
Basel, Switzerland
Location
1460
Founded
~12,896
Students
Public
Institution
Subject and level conditions
- Own subject list: maths AA or AI (Math Studies not accepted); Economics and Business Management count as one subject. Basel's own page asks for a group 4 or 5 subject at HL; swissuniversities lists the general three-HL rule for Basel.
Language requirements
- Mostly German, some English. C1 German expected at the start; no certificate is required.
Worth knowing
- Published IB benchmark: 32 points, not counting the 3 core points (TOK and EE).
- Non-Swiss secondary school leaving certificates must largely correspond to the Swiss Maturität certificate. They are recognized only if three criteria are met cumulatively: educational objective, educational content / general education subject catalogue, and period of study.
- Certificates from countries that have not signed the Lisbon Convention are subject to additional requirements, which are set out in a separate 'list of countries'.
- Only upper secondary school grades that the responsible non-Swiss authorities credited to the certificate, or grades earned later as a supplement and recorded in a separate certificate, are taken into account.
- Not recognized in general: distance education certificates, night school certificates, and certificates not attained in a school class.
- Not recognized: entrance examination certificates from foreign higher education institutions.
- Certificates for upper secondary education completed in different education systems are recognized only if the last 3 years at upper secondary level are documented, all 3 years were passed, and the general education subject catalogue was consistently fulfilled during those years.
- Medicine and dentistry: EMS aptitude test.
Aiming for 32+ points?
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More universities in Switzerland
Sources
- unibas.chGeneral recognition criteria for non-Swiss secondary school leaving certificates (cumulative criteria, Lisbon Convention note, non-recognized certificate types); mentions a separate IB/DP admission page without giving IB details.
- unibas.chswissuniversities recommendation and university admission pages, verified for the Switzerland hub (C6), last reviewed 2026-09-30
- unibas.chswissuniversities recommendation and university admission pages, verified for the Switzerland hub (C6), last reviewed 2026-09-30
- wikidata.orgFounding year, student numbers and institution type (Wikidata, CC0).