Who can take a 10th grade year? Will I even be admitted?

The admission requirements and criteria for public and private programs vary widely.

For programs organized at the cantonal level, your grades don’t matter when it comes to admission to the general-education 10th grade. What does matter, however, is your past conduct in school. If you’ve completed the mandatory nine years of schooling but missed a lot of school or were often late, you may not be admitted. Nevertheless, you can still submit your application. Your case will then be reviewed. When applying, you’ll also need to prove in many places that you’ve tried to secure an apprenticeship but were unable to find one.

The eligibility requirements for non-public offerings are less stringent. You can obtain specific information about this from the providers themselves.

• Additional conditions apply to some offers for the 10th grade:
• For certain career paths, you need a minimum grade in specific subjects. For example, for the 10th grade with a commercial track, a secondary school diploma with a grade point average of 5 is sometimes required.
• To be admitted to a program that prepares you for high school, you need a good grade point average.
• For some career paths, you must take an entrance exam at the training institution. This exam assesses whether you are suited for that field. This is the case, for example, with the introductory course in design. This is a specialized version of the 10th grade and is required for anyone aiming to become a media designer, goldsmith, or pursue another career in the creative field.
• Sometimes you'll also be asked to submit Multicheck or Basic Check results. These are standardized tests administered nationwide by independent providers that demonstrate your suitability for a particular career field.

Providers for 10th grade and the career exploration year