Studying at Università della Svizzera italiana with the IB

• swissuniversities rule.

Direct application through the USI online application form at www.usi.ch/en/education-application. Foreign qualifications need documentation in line with swissuniversities requirements; applicants with an International Baccalaureate are asked to check the USI-specific admission requirements published at swissuniversities.

• English-taught Bachelor's programmes at USI require a good command of English.
• Bachelor in Informatics: no official language certificate is required; the candidate is solely responsible for having enough English to follow the courses.
• Bachelor in Economics: a recognised language certificate at CEFR level B2 is required and must be included in the application dossier.
• Bachelor in Economics: applicants whose previous degree was not obtained in English must provide an internationally recognised B2 certificate or an equivalent test result (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS).
• Bachelor in Economics: applicants with a secondary school leaving certificate from an English-speaking high school are exempt from the certificate.
• Bachelor in Economics: minimum scores accepted include IELTS 5.5, TOEFL iBT 70, Cambridge English First (pass grade C), IELTS Academic Online 5.5 and TOEFL iBT Home Edition 70; certificates not on the list are not accepted.
• Bachelor in Economics: certificate must have been obtained within three years as of 1 September; CPE and CAE certificates are accepted for up to five years from issue.
• Bachelor in Economics: the English certificate (or proof of registration for an exam) is due at enrollment, or the level must be reached within the first four weeks of the semester via an external certificate or the internal test of the Laboratory of Modern Languages.
• Italian is not required for admission.

• Autumn Semester 2027 (academic year 2027/28): applications open December 2026.
• Autumn 2027 intake: 30 April 2027 for international (non-EU/EFTA) candidates.
• Autumn 2027 intake: 30 June 2027 for Swiss and EU/EFTA candidates who do not need a visa.
• Late applications are considered only if places are still available.

• Published IB benchmark: 32 points, not counting the 3 core points (TOK and EE).
• The IB, European Baccalaureate, and International Advanced Level + International GCSE are named as foreign qualifications whose requirements applicants must verify at swissuniversities.
• Applicants are also advised to consult the USI Guidelines on Admission Requirements and Application Procedures for Bachelor's and Master's Programmes.
• Applicants who do not yet hold their upper secondary school leaving certificate when applying may receive conditional admission, confirmed only once all outstanding requirements are met by the deadlines set by the Student Administration Service.
• Applicants for foreign qualifications must submit a school transcript and a study plan if the high school diploma was obtained abroad.
• Diplomas not issued in Italian, German, French, English or Spanish need a certified translation.
• Applicants usually get the outcome within 20 working days of submitting, longer if documents are missing or incomplete.
• Application fee is CHF 100, non-refundable on withdrawal or rejection and deducted from first-semester tuition if enrolled; candidates with previous degree studies in Lisbon Convention signatory countries are exempt.
• Candidates aged 25 or more without the required secondary certificate may be admitted 'su dossier' based on prior training and work experience.
• For 2026-27, 190 places are available in the Italian-language Bachelor in Scienze economiche, with a first-come, first-served waiting list once full.
• Where equivalence is unclear, USI may ask for an interview or a test. Medicine: EMS aptitude test.