Welcome to Basel Academy of Music

Studying Music at FHNW Academy of Music in Basel, explore the range of institutions, the diversity of BA- and MA-programs or the big variety of areas of study.

Discover our Bachelor and Master programmes and our PreCollege! Visit open lessons with our teaching staff and receive insights about the study programmes with current students from all around the world during the Info Days.

Once you got the information from our student administration office, that you passed the aptitude test, you can proceed with your enrolment. Please send us the following documentation, including a number of forms which we will be sending out to you soon:

• registration form, completed
• declaration of consent, signed
• completed personal details form and a copy of your passport/ID card/certificate of residence (as stipulated on the personal details form)
• copy of your Matura/Baccalaureate/school-leaving certificate
• copy of your Bachelor degree certificate (if already present)
• a recent photo

>>> Deadline: 31 May <<<

Here is a little taster of what the city of Basel has to offer: https://www.basel.com/en

Passport/visa
Check with your country of residence which papers you require to enter Switzerland (passport, visa). If you are subject to a visa requirement, contact the Swiss representation (Swiss embassy or consulate) in your country of residence: https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/fdfa.html
https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/themen/einreise.html
Please note that it may take up to 3 months to process your visa application. So, don't leave it too late!

Legal domicile/personal details form
The documents you need to submit vary depending on whether you are a Swiss or non-Swiss national. Detailed information is available in the admission confirmation letter which you will receive from the FHNW Basel Academy of Music upon passing your aptitude test.
If you have already studied at another university in Switzerland, you must enclose a confirmation of exmatriculation from that university with your registration documentation.
FHNW Basel Academy of Music students should live in or close to Basel for the duration of their studies.

Financial evidence requirement
Check with the Swiss embassy or consulate to find out whether you need to provide financial evidence (e.g., parental guarantee, pay slips, bank statements, grant confirmation) to obtain a residence permit. The Migration Office in Basel can also provide further information:

https://www.bdm.bs.ch/Wohnen/basel-for-new-arrivals.html

Arrival/moving/customs formalities

Switzerland is not part of the EU. All goods and objects therefore must be declared to Swiss customs. However, household effects, personal effects, musical instruments, and school materials can be imported duty-free, even if Switzerland is not your registered place of residence.

Please check the website below and complete the customs declaration form before entering Switzerland:
https://www.bazg.admin.ch/bazg/en/home/information-individuals/personal-property--students--holiday-homes--getting-married-and-/importation-into-switzerland/moving--household-effects-.html

Musical instruments that consist in part or in whole of materials from CITES-listed animal or plant species (ivory, tortoiseshell, Brazilian rosewood etc.) are subject to authorisation and inspection. For details see: https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/en/home/gebrauchsgegenstaende/reisen-mit-gebrauchsgegenstaenden/musikinstrumente.html

To bring a car into Switzerland, you need to satisfy a number of requirements. Parking fees in Switzerland are high. Driving on motorways is subject to tolls. Given that Switzerland has an extensive, modern and reliable public transport network, we advise against importing a car.
https://www.bazg.admin.ch/bazg/en/home/information-individuals/road-vehicles-and-watercraft/importation-into-switzerland.html

Language requirements vary depending on the degree programme. The level of proficiency required for admission can be found at fhnw.ch/music under 'Key data'. Students must provide proof that they meet the language requirements before they begin their studies.
After moving to the canton of Basel-Stadt, students who will be staying in Switzerland for at least 366 days will receive 80 free lessons to brush up their German language skills. The need for such tuition is established during the admission interview at the Migration Office. If you feel you require more intensive instruction, contact a local language school, such as:

germankurse.bs.ch/; ggg-kurse.ch/; sprachenzentrum-angebot.unibas.ch

Alternatively, there are always students who are keen to offer informal German classes in exchange for lessons in a new language.

Students with a very rudimentary knowledge, if any, of German must take German language classes to acquire the level of proficiency required to follow the course content and complete all writing assignments successfully. The FHNW Basel Academy of Music management may test an applicant's language skills and, based on the results, require the person to meet certain conditions in order to continue their studies.

All study regulations are published in German.

Bachelor of Arts FHNW in Musik

Bachelor of Arts FHNW in Musik und Bewegung

Master of Arts FHNW in Musikpädagogik

Master of Arts FHNW in Musikalischer Performance

Master of Arts FHNW in Spezialisierter Musikalischer Performance

Master of Arts FHNW in Komposition / Musiktheorie

Find the most important semester dates 2022/23-2027 here.

Find the most recent Degree Program for the Basel Academy of Music, Institut Klassik, Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and Institut Jazz here

The Swiss-European Mobility Programme funds mobility periods within Europe for students, teachers and staff at Swiss and European higher education institutions. The programme encompasses mobility activities from and to Switzerland (outgoing and incoming).

You can find more information here.

Registration fee CHF 200.– (once)

Semester fee CHF 700.– for Swiss citizens and persons legally domiciled* in Switzerland | CHF 1,000.– for EU/EFTA nationals | CHF 1,250.– for third-country nationals
Material Costs per semester CHF 100.–
Student council per semester (Fachschaft Musik) CHF 10.–

Diploma fee CHF 300.– (once)

* Having a residence for educational reasons in Switzerland does not constitute a residence under civil law.

Please find here all the details regarding tuition fees of FHNW.

A conservative estimate of your monthly living costs while studying at the FHNW Basel Academy of Music is around CHF 1,200 to 1,500. For further information see: https://www.studyinswitzerland.plus/cost-of-living/

Grants for FHNW Basel Academy of Music students
Bachelor and Master students experiencing financial hardship can apply to the FHNW Basel Academy of Music for financial assistance.
Classical music department: The application form can be collected from the secretariat from mid-August or requested by email. bGlsaWFuLndpZXNuZXJAZmhudy5jaA==
SCB: Students will find details on the information board at the beginning of the semester.
Jazz Institute: The application form can be collected from the student administration.  

The different institutes within the FHNW Basel Academy of Music also offer grants on a limited basis. They also have connections to foundations and public sources of financial aid. In cooperation with them, grant applications will be considered and the candidates chosen. Applications may only be submitted at the beginning of the autumn semester. A FHNW Basel Academy of Music grant will not cover all your living costs during your time in Basel. In most instances, they only cover the cost of the tuition fees, either wholly or partially.

In addition to FHNW Basel Academy of Music scholarships, many Swiss foundations offer financial assistance and scholarships which students can apply directly for. A full list can be found at www.fundraiso.ch

Scholarship advice, Classical Music Department: Martina Pratsch
Scholarship advice, Schola Cantorum Basiliensis: Federico Sepúlveda
Scholarship advice, Jazz Institute: Susanne Abbuehl

Additional offers
Scholarship fund of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis teaching staff
A special scholarship fund is administered by the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis teaching staff. Further information is available on the intranet. Contact: Christelle Cazaux

Jazz Scholarship Fund
Students experiencing financial hardship can apply to the FHNW Jazz Institute Scholarship Fund for financial assistance. Following a preliminary interview with the Institute, students should send an application no later than June 30 for the upcoming academic year to c3RpcGVuZGllbmZvbmRzLmphenouaHNtQGZobncuY2g=. Contact: Susanne Abbuehl

The FHNW Basel Academy of Music/Musik-Akademie Basel does not have any halls of residence/dormitories. We recommend the following websites for rental, sublet and flat share listings:
wgzimmer.ch; wove.ch; markt.unibas.ch.
Short-term accommodation options include: youthhostel.ch/en/hostels/basel/; baselbackpack.com/; hyve.ch/en/hyve

Residence permit

All foreign nationals who intend to stay in Switzerland for more than 90 days require a residence permit. To begin this process, you need to contact the Amt für Bevölkerungsdienste und Migration immediately after you arrive in Switzerland, but not later than 14 days after your arrival. For detailed information about the documents you will have to provide see:

https://www.bdm.bs.ch/Wohnen/Einreise-und-Aufenthalt/Sch-ler-und-Studenten-aus-Drittstaaten.html

https://www.bdm.bs.ch/Wohnen/zuzug.html

The permit is valid for one year only. However, you can renew it annually until the completion of your studies, provided that you continue to meet the permit requirements.

Working while studying
To perform part-time work, gigs, and concerts both on and off campus, you will need a residence permit that also covers incidental employment ('Ausbildung mit Nebenerwerb'). The FHNW Basel Academy of Music will provide students from EU-EFTA countries with a 'confirmation of employment' when they begin their studies. Please submit this confirmation together with all other required documents when applying for your residence permit.

For students from non-EU/EFTA states (also known as 'third countries'), the university applies for 'incidental employment at FHNW' permits. We will contact you when you begin your study programme. Please check your FHNW e-mail account for our message  and please respond promptly.

working and studying factsheet

Living in a neighbouring country

You may also choose to live in a neighbouring country while studying in Switzerland.

Residence permit
Contact the local authorities to register your place of residence and, where necessary, apply for a residence permit.

Working while studying
As an EU/EFTA citizen residing outside Switzerland, you may work in Switzerland for up to 90 days/year without a permit. However, your employer must enter your work days in advance on the online portal of the Amt für Wirtschaft und Arbeit (local labour office). For regular gainful employment in Switzerland (more than 90 days/year), please contact the migration office in your canton of employment and apply for a cross-border commuter permit.
If you are not a citizen of an EU/EFTA state (also known as 'third countries') and do not live in Switzerland, you cannot work for more than 8 days/year. Please contact the authorities in your country of residence (France/Germany) for all work permit matters.

working and studying factsheet

Health insurance cover (including accident cover) is required by law in Switzerland and is compulsory for all students living in Switzerland.

Students who normally reside abroad but attend our university for a limited period of time also must take out health insurance for the duration of their stay in Switzerland. Good deals are available at Swiss Care, for example: https://swisscare.com/.
Foreign students living in Switzerland can apply for exemption from Swiss compulsory health insurance, provided that their existing health insurance policy offers cover equivalent to that of a Swiss health insurer. Exemption requirements vary depending on the country of origin (EU/EFTA state vs non-EU/EFTA states). Please note that, with few exceptions, anyone who takes up gainful employment in Switzerland, no matter how many hours they work or the amount they earn, must take out Swiss health insurance.

You can also apply to the Amt für Sozialbeiträge for a premium reduction.

Private liability insurance cover (for property damage and personal injury) is not compulsory in Switzerland. However, we strongly advise that you take out such cover. Be sure to check the scope of your liability insurance policy.

For details see: Health insurance: Foreign students in Switzerland
https://www.kvg.org/en/home.html
Premium Reduction in the canton of Basel-Stadt

FHNW insurance factsheet

The old-age and survivors' insurance (OASI), invalidity insurance (IV) and loss of earnings insurance schemes (LEC) are an integral and fundamental part of Switzerland's social security system. All students whose legal domicile is in Switzerland must pay contributions to the OASI, IV and LEC insurance schemes (minimum amount/year: CHF 503); this legal obligation begins on 1 January following the person's 20th birthday. Foreign students who live in Switzerland exclusively to pursue their education and therefore do not register Switzerland as their legal domicile are exempt from this legal obligation. The compensation office of the canton of Aargau collects these compulsory insurance contributions. Details and exceptions are set out in the factsheet 'OASI/IV/LEC contributions for students' (German and English).
Factsheet Contributions

A Swiss bank account is usually required to receive money (scholarships, salaries). We therefore strongly advise you to open an account as quickly as possible. Almost all banks and the post office offer free accounts for students.