How to choose a boarding school in Switzerland: admissions and timing

How to choose a boarding school: four decisions come first

How to choose a boarding school in Switzerland is mostly a question of order. Four decisions narrow the field before any form is filled in, and each of them removes houses from the list.

• Age and stage. The starting ages the houses state for boarding run from 9 to 12, and La Garenne also boards pupils in its primary section (ages 5 to 11), so a young child's age can decide the shortlist on its own.
• Diploma. The IB Diploma, A Levels, the US High School Diploma, the French Baccalauréat and the Swiss Maturité open different doors; check the university requirements before choosing the school.
• Setting. Four of the eleven houses on this site are in the Alps, at Chesières-Villars, Villars-sur-Ollon and Leysin; seven are around Lake Geneva, in and near Lausanne, Montreux and Geneva.
• Budget. Published boarding fees for 2026/27 and the one-off charges on entry are on our page on Swiss boarding school fees.

The houses side by side, with curricula, ages and altitudes, are on our comparison of Swiss boarding schools. This guide covers what follows the shortlist: timing, the admission file, junior boarding, what each diploma leads to, the questions to ask and the permit for a child under 18.

When to apply to a Swiss boarding school

There is no common deadline. Several houses admit pupils during the school year, while others ask families to apply early because boarding places are limited. The table sets out what the schools themselves say.

How to apply to a Swiss boarding school: key dates for 2027

The dates below are the specific ones the schools and Institut Le Rosey publish for entry in August or September 2027: open days, application rounds, scholarship deadlines and enrolment-related deadlines. Only dates seen on a school's own site on 24 September 2026 are listed; a house that sets no fixed date of this kind does not appear.

Joining during the school year

Several houses take pupils outside the usual August or September start, sometimes at a reduced fee for the months already gone. The terms below are what each school publishes on 24 September 2026; none of them is a promise of a place, since it still depends on which places are free.

• Collège du Léman admits at any time in the academic year if a place is free; the whole process can take as little as two to three weeks (Admissions).
• Brillantmont welcomes new boarding and day pupils in January 2027 (How to apply).
• Haut-Lac accepts applications all year round, depending on availability, within its rolling admissions system (Admissions FAQs).
• ENSR publishes an exact pro-rata schedule for boarders and day pupils starting during the 2026/27 school year: 100% of the fee up to 10 October 2026, 85% from 25 October to 23 December 2026, 65% from 10 January to 6 February 2027, 50% from 21 February to 26 March 2027, and 30% from 11 April to 3 July 2027 (Annual fees 2026/2027, boarding).
• La Garenne takes new pupils after 15 August or during the school year, though the first invoice must be paid before the pupil can start; enrolling before 1 May keeps the place for at least 15% of the first invoice and a CHF 5,000 contribution (General Conditions 2026-2027).
• Institut Le Rosey, outside our eleven houses, says a place becomes free during the year only rarely, usually at the start of the second or third term (How to become a Roséen; Le Rosey).

The 2026/27 school year is under way, so a family starting now is usually aiming at the 2027/28 year or at a place during the current one. A pupil from outside the EU/EFTA must apply for a Swiss permit before entering the country, so the permit belongs in the plan from the start (see the permit section below).

Swiss boarding school admission: the usual steps

The details differ, but the houses describe the same sequence. The examples come from the schools' own admissions pages, consulted on 23 September 2026.

1. 1Enquiry and visitAiglon offers an initial visit of about an hour and a half or, once the application is in, a full admissions visit of three to four hours (Aiglon). ENSR arranges a personal appointment with the director or dean, and its visits are free and non-binding (ENSR).
2. 2Application form and feeFamilies complete the form and pay a fee before any decision: Beau Soleil charges a non-refundable application fee of CHF 3,000 (Beau Soleil). La Garenne describes the same order: contact, application with documents, assessment and interview, decision (La Garenne).
3. 3School reports and referencesAiglon, Beau Soleil and St. George's ask for reports from the last two years; Leysin American School asks for transcripts from the last three years and three teacher recommendations (Leysin American School). Collège du Léman sends a confidential report form to the current school (Collège du Léman).
4. 4TestsBeau Soleil and Brillantmont set placement tests in English and mathematics, and Brillantmont adds tests for entry to Grade 11 or 13 (Brillantmont). Aiglon's online assessments cover problem solving, mathematical reasoning, logical thinking and literacy, and St. George's entrance assessments are usually taken online (St. George's).
5. 5Interview and personal statementBrillantmont interviews by Zoom or on campus, Haut-Lac interviews after reviewing the application, and St. George's holds a video call when a child relocating from abroad cannot visit. Beau Soleil asks the student for a handwritten letter of motivation, Leysin American School for a handwritten essay, and Collège du Léman for a video questionnaire from prospective boarders.
6. 6DecisionAiglon's enrolment committee communicates its decisions monthly: accept, waiting list or decline. Brillantmont's outcomes are acceptance, waiting list or refusal. Beau Soleil decides within a week, Leysin American School within 10 business days of a complete file.
7. 7Deposit and enrolmentThe deposit secures the place. Brillantmont states that the admission is not final until the admission deposit is received, and Leysin American School asks for its security deposit within 10 business days of acceptance.

English support matters at this stage. Leysin American School accepts IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo scores in place of its English placement test for non-native speakers; Collège du Léman may set an online English placement test and runs an English as an Additional Language programme (Collège du Léman).

What you pay on entry

Application and registration fees are charged before the decision, and those of Aiglon, Beau Soleil and Brillantmont are non-refundable. Deposits follow acceptance; Brillantmont refunds its admission deposit at the end of the student's stay (Brillantmont).

The table shows each house's highest boarding year group. Haut-Lac is not in it, because its admissions FAQ still gave 2025/26 fees on 23 September 2026 (Haut-Lac). The full fee schedules, compulsory extras and all year groups are on our page on Swiss boarding school fees.

Boarding school age in Switzerland and junior boarding

The youngest boarding age differs from house to house, which makes age the first filter for a child under 12. These are the ages the schools give on their own websites.

Junior boarding is organised differently from senior boarding. La Garenne houses its boarders in three residences by age, with full-time house parents living in each. St. George's offers weekly as well as full boarding, and at Haut-Lac weekly boarders stay from Monday to Friday and go home for weekends (Haut-Lac).

Curricula and what they lead to

Choose the diploma by the universities it should open. Swiss universities publish their entry requirements for each foreign certificate through swissuniversities, and the rules for 2026/27 differ clearly between diplomas (swissuniversities, admission by country).

The federal institutes of technology set a higher bar. ETH Zurich (for admission without an entrance examination) and EPFL ask IB holders for 38 of 42 points, and EPFL also for at least 6 out of 7 in mathematics and physics (swissuniversities, International Baccalaureate). EPFL requires its own entrance examination from holders of a US High School Diploma (admission by country).

The Swiss Maturité gives general access to Swiss universities (SERI). None of the eleven houses is on SERI's list of schools with recognised Maturité certificates (status 18 September 2026); pupils at schools outside that list can take the Swiss Maturity Examination, which gives direct access to Swiss universities (SERI, Swiss Maturity Examination). Chantemerle states that its Maturité exams are held under the Swiss Maturity Commission (Chantemerle), ENSR describes a two-year course with a session of external partial examinations at the end of each year (ENSR), and Collège du Léman prepares a bilingual Maturité fédérale (Collège du Léman).

Cambridge International offers 55 subjects at AS and A Level, and some can be started as an AS Level and extended to a full A Level (Cambridge International).

Questions to ask a school before you apply

A visit is the time to get answers in writing. The questions below cover care, teaching, weekends and health; where a school publishes an answer, it is given as an example.

• Pastoral care. Who lives in the boarding house, and who is on duty at night? La Garenne states that full-time house parents and boarding staff live in each of its residences; Collège du Léman describes round-the-clock support from house parents (boarding page).
• Class sizes. What is the average class, and the largest? Aiglon publishes an average class size of 12 (Aiglon) and Haut-Lac an average of around 15 students per class.
• Weekends. How many boarders stay at weekends, and what is planned for them? Weekly boarders at Haut-Lac stay from Monday to Friday and go home for weekends.
• Exeats. Which weekends must boarders leave school, where do they stay, and are the dates in the 2026/27 calendar?
• Medical care. Is a nurse on site day and night, and who arranges health insurance? Collège du Léman states that its boarders have 24/7 medical care and a dedicated counsellor.
• Languages. How many hours of French are taught each week, and what English support exists? Haut-Lac requires no minimum French or English up to Grade 10 and expects B1 from Grade 11.
• Safeguarding. May we read the child protection policy, and who is responsible for safeguarding in the school?
• Permit. Who applies for the residence permit, and is its cost in the fees? Brillantmont states that the family applies for the entry visa and the school applies for the student residence permit after arrival (Brillantmont).
• Refunds. Which fees are refundable if plans change, and when is the deposit returned?

Student permits for pupils under 18

A pupil who stays longer than three months needs a residence permit, and pupils from outside the EU/EFTA must apply for it before entering Switzerland (FNIA, Art. 10, version of 12 June 2026). The rules below come from SEM and the federal law; the cantonal authority decides each case.

Pupils from EU and EFTA states

SEM's factsheet names pupils among the persons in education who may live in Switzerland under the free movement agreement. They must show sufficient financial means and admission to a recognised institution for a general education programme; the permit is issued for the length of the course or for one year and renewed until the course ends, as long as the conditions are still met (SEM factsheet).

Pupils from other countries

Pupils from other countries are admitted for education under Article 27 FNIA: the school confirms the place, suitable accommodation and the necessary funds are available, and the pupil meets the personal and educational requirements. For children the law adds a condition of its own.

In the case of minors, their supervision must be guaranteed.

Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA), Art. 27 para. 2, version of 12 June 2026 (English translation, for information only)

SEM's directives count boarding schools as full-time schools, the only kind for which an education permit is issued, with at least 20 hours of lessons a week; a course of more than a year leads to a B permit. Education stays are normally approved for eight years at most (OASA, Art. 23 para. 3). A longer stay needs a well-founded reason and SEM's approval, for example schooling that follows a logical sequence, for which SEM names boarding school and gymnasium (SEM directives, 5.1.1, status 15 June 2026).

Visa-required nationals apply in person at the Swiss representation as a rule, and the representation interviews the applicant. SEM's list of documents includes the school's confirmation, the previous certificates, a letter of motivation, proof that the school fees are paid and proof of sufficient funds (SEM directives, 5.1.1).

Ask whether the school is listed in the Swiss Private School Register. SEM recommends that cantonal migration offices presume that registered schools meet the legal standard for proper education, while still checking each pupil's personal circumstances; cantonal rules on private schools continue to apply (SEM circular, 16 May 2024).

Health insurance

Everyone resident in Switzerland must take out health insurance, or be insured by their legal representative, within three months, and FOPH states that each member of a family, adult or child, must be insured individually (FOPH). Students with equivalent cover can apply to the canton for an exemption (FOPH, foreign students); ask the school whether its fees include medical insurance and which policies it accepts.

How we fit into the search

We are an independent search and selection service. We put the current published figures and options of the houses in front of a family and suggest a shortlist, with the reason for each house. You can write to us through the contact page; we answer within 24 hours.