Specialized Music Performance – Classical

Applying from abroad

Foreign nationals require valid travel documents recognised by the Swiss government. A visa is often required. Exchange students must also apply for a residency permit and purchase health insurance before their studies begin. Please research your specific entry requirements carefully.

* The application fee can be paid by credit card or by deposit slip / paper invoice (+ CHF 10.– processing fee). There are no waivers or refunds for withdrawn or abandoned applications. The application is processed after payment has been received.
** If the application leads to matriculation, the matriculation fee is covered by the application fee.
*** ‘Overseas students’ refers to all citizens of foreign countries who were not official residents of Switzerland or Liechtenstein at the time they were admitted to the university programme.

There is also a fixed fee for materials whose amount depends on the degree programme as well as additional costs for teaching materials, specialist literature, supplies, etc.

Financial aid is available through grants and loans. Grants are one-off or ongoing payments that don’t usually have to be paid back provided you complete your course. Loans are one-off or ongoing payments that must be paid back after you finish your course. There are also numerous private foundations and funds that offer financial support to students. The electronic foundation directory administered by the Federal Department of Home Affairs offers a comprehensive summary of these organisations and can be searched by keywords (e.g. student, research, financial aid, etc.).

HKB scholarship fund

Many HKB students live in precarious financial circumstances. The opportunities to earn money while undertaking demanding and time-consuming studies are limited. And the cost of living in Switzerland is one of the highest in all of Europe. A doctor’s bill, a healthy diet, and paying the rent or semester and examination fees can become pressing problems. The HKB scholarship fund provides targeted support in such cases. To apply for support, you need to take the following steps:

1. Fill out the online application form in full and print it out
2. Send the application online
3. Submit the printed form to the secretariat for your degree programme

The deadline for applications for a semester fee waiver is 15 May to 15 June (for the following autumn semester), or 15 November to 15 December (for the following spring semester).

To the application form

Financial support during Corona-Lockdown

The restrictions in connection with the new Coronavirus were extented until at least june 8th, 2020. For many students with part-time jobs on hourly wages it is very difficult to generate income until this time. Therefore, the HKB scholarship fund offers HKB students the possibility to apply for a financial support of CHF 600. This payment is to be understood as an additional payment to the – if applicable – CHF 300 already paid out. To do this, please fill in the following form and send it by email to the head of your degree programme.

Other grants

Cantonal grants

Grants and loans for Swiss students and overseas students are generally paid out by the canton where the students’ parents are tax residents. Students who have been tax residents in the Canton of Bern for at least two years are able to apply for cantonal grants and loans. Applications should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office at the Department of Education.

Other grants

• Hirschmann grant for master’s degree students
• The Fritz Gerber Foundation for gifted young people awards grants for education, training and continuing education.
• Ernst Göhner grants for artists in training
• Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists
• Students from Germany can apply to receive German federal assistance for study abroad: Auslands-BAföG.
• The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) promotes young scientists and basic research in all scientific disciplines on behalf of the Swiss Confederation.

Further information (incl. financial aid calculator)

• Department of Education of the Canton of Bern

• Addresses for cantonal grant-awarding bodies

The websites ausbildungsbeiträge.ch, stipendium.ch and European Funding Guide cover all the key information about grants in Switzerland and overseas.

Support through cultural promotion

• BAK Federal Office of Culture
• Pro Helvetia
• Migros Cultural Office
• Artists in Residence
• Database of cultural promotion addresses in Switzerland

Contact

If you have any questions regarding scholarships and loans please contact Ramona Picenoni.

At Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH, we promote balance between study, work and family.

A limited number of nursery places are available to BFH staff and students. If you’d like to take advantage of this offer, the relevant documents can be found on the BFH Intranet. The fees are based on your income and are in line with the cantonal rates described in the Verordnung über die Angebote der sozialen Integration (Decree on Social Integration Offer ASIV) issued by the Canton of Bern. You can apply for a nursery place using the online form on the BFH Intranet. If you’re a new student or member of staff and don’t have access to the Intranet, please contact Corinne Badertscher (Tel. +41 (0)31 848 33 01, corinne.badertscher@bfh.ch). There is no legal entitlement to a nursery place.

For more information on how to co-ordinate your studies and your compulsory service, please phone HKB Student Administration on +41 31 848 49 49.

You’ve decided to study at the Bern University of the Arts? Then don’t hesitate and apply now! By applying online, you always have an overview of the status of your application.

Online Application

You should have the following documents available in electronic form
(passport photo: JPG / remaining documents: PDF). No document should exceed 1 MB. 

• ID card or passport
• Passport photo
• Bachelor`s diploma or equivalent university degree
• Transcript of records of current and/or terminated studies
• A diploma qualifying you for university studies (such as A-Levels, Matura from a Gymnasium, "Berufsmaturität", "Fachmaturität", Abitur)
• A CV in tabular form
• A personal statement about your motivation for these studies and for your professional aspirations
• A confirmation of your exmatriculation (If you were already matriculated at another university)
• Scores for accompanying musicians should be submitted together with your application.

For foreigners, in addition:

• Residence permit (if available)

If you do not yet have one or more of the required documents, please state why in the Comments section. 

The Music Division at HKB has cutting-edge facilities at its disposal at various locations, including 60 practice rooms, 80 teaching rooms, auditoria of various sizes, an outstanding music library, a recording studio, research facilities and instrument hire. Students can reserve many of the rooms online. We operate an open door policy.