Schools in Zurich: British-curriculum and international schools, fees and the route to UK universities

Zurich gives British families a proper choice: excellent free local schools taught in German, or international schools that cost about as much as a decent car every year. The right answer depends mostly on how long you're staying.

The short version

• School is compulsory in Switzerland from age 4 to 15, and Zurich's local schools (the Volksschule) are free to every child living in the canton [1][2].
• Children who are four by 31 July start two years of compulsory kindergarten in mid-August [3].
• International schools charge roughly CHF 29,000 to CHF 40,000 a year (about £26,400 to £36,700) in 2026/27, plus one-off fees [4][5][6][7].
• For A levels, look at the British-curriculum schools; ZIS and ICS teach towards the International Baccalaureate [4][5][6][7].
• UK university fees depend on where you've lived, not your passport: check home fee status early [8].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = CHF 1.0976).

Local school or international school?

This is the big decision, and it isn't the same one you'd face back home, where private school is the exception. In Zurich, plenty of well-off Swiss families use the local state school, and it's a perfectly good choice for British children too.

As a rough rule, children under eight or nine usually pick up German fast and settle well in a local school. Teenagers arriving with no German, or anyone planning to move back to the UK for sixth form or university, often do better in English. Our guide to Swiss state schools vs international schools in Zurich goes into the local system, the German support and the Gymi exam in detail.

British-curriculum schools

If you want your child to sit GCSE-style exams and A levels, as they would back home, these are the schools to look at.

International School Zurich North (ISZN), Wallisellen

ISZN takes children from three months to 18 years and describes its approach as built on the structure of the British curriculum, with IGCSEs and A levels in the upper school. The campus is a few minutes' walk from Wallisellen station, just north of the city [6].

Its fee page, checked in November 2026, lists annual tuition of CHF 31,620 for Grades 1 to 5 (about £28,800), CHF 34,872 for Grades 6 to 8 (about £31,800) and CHF 35,136 for Grades 9 to 12 (about £32,000), with a one-off registration fee of CHF 750 (about £680) [6]. Lunch is extra at CHF 13 a day [6].

Academia International School, Oerlikon

Academia's Zurich campus, near Oerlikon station, teaches from Year 7 upwards: lower secondary, then IGCSEs and A levels, with primary years at the group's Küsnacht campus [7]. Its 2026/27 price list for Zurich gives a single school fee of CHF 28,990 a year (about £26,400), plus a one-off registration fee of CHF 600 (about £550) [7]. It's one of the more affordable routes to A levels in the city.

Tandem International Multilingual School, Seefeld

For younger children, Tandem runs a bilingual English and German nursery, kindergarten and primary on Seefeldstrasse, combining the UK National Curriculum with Zurich's own Lehrplan 21 [9]. That mix suits families who want English now but may move to a local school later.

International Baccalaureate schools

The two biggest international schools in the Zurich area follow an international curriculum, finishing with the IB Diploma, which UK universities know well.

Zurich International School (ZIS)

ZIS is a non-profit day school for ages 3 to 18, with its primary campus in Wädenswil and its secondary campus in Adliswil [4]. Its 2026/27 fees are [4]:

• Kindergarten: CHF 27,750 (about £25,300)
• Grades 1 to 5: CHF 32,800 (about £29,900)
• Grades 6 to 8: CHF 36,450 (about £33,200)
• Grades 9 to 10: CHF 39,300 (about £35,800)
• Grades 11 to 12: CHF 39,700 (about £36,200)

On top come a non-refundable CHF 500 application fee and a one-off CHF 5,000 infrastructure contribution from kindergarten onwards (about £4,560) [4]. Fees include German lessons and English as an Additional Language support; AP and IB exam fees are extra [4].

Inter-Community School Zurich (ICS), Zumikon

ICS is a non-profit IB World School in Zumikon, on the hill above the lake's "gold coast" [5]. Its 2026/27 Financial Regulations set annual tuition of CHF 33,300 for Kindergarten 2 and Grades 1 to 5 (about £30,300), CHF 37,500 for Grades 6 to 8 (about £34,200), CHF 38,600 for Grades 9 to 10 (about £35,200) and CHF 40,300 for the IB Diploma years, Grades 11 to 12, including IB exam fees (about £36,700) [5]. The application fee is CHF 500 and the Capital Fund Fee is CHF 5,000 (about £4,560) [5].

Who pays?

If you're being posted to Zurich, ask before you sign whether your employer will pay school fees. Not every package includes them, and the difference between a package with fees and one without can be the price of a flat. Waiting lists at the popular schools build up for entry in August, so apply as soon as your move is likely.

Applying to UK universities from Zurich

Getting in is the easy part: British teenagers at Zurich schools apply through UCAS like everyone else, and A levels and the IB are both well understood. The catch is fees.

In England, fee status depends on where you've lived. UK nationals who were living in the EEA or Switzerland on 31 December 2020 can still qualify for home fees and student finance if they've lived continuously in the EEA, Switzerland, the UK or Gibraltar since then, have three years' residence in those places before the course, and start the course before 1 January 2028 [8]. Children of such UK nationals can qualify too, even if they aren't British themselves [8].

Families who moved to Zurich after 2020 fall outside that route. They usually need to show the student has been ordinarily resident in the UK for the three years before the course, which can still work if your time abroad counts as a temporary absence, for example a fixed-term posting with a clear plan to return. Universities make the call, so raise it early. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own funding bodies and slightly different rules [8]. Our guide to UK student loans while living abroad covers repaying loans once you've left.

If your teenager would rather stay in Switzerland, the Swiss universities, including ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, mostly teach undergraduate degrees in German, so a Swiss Matura or strong German matters.

What to do before the move

1. Decide how long you'll stay. Two years points one way, ten years the other.
2. Visit or video-call schools and ask about waiting lists, the August intake and mid-year entry.
3. Register at the Kreisbüro or Gemeinde when you arrive; your local school place follows from your address.
4. Get your child's records from their UK school, including reports and any special educational needs plans.
5. Start German lessons before you leave, whichever school you choose. Even a few words help in the playground and at the bakery.

Swapping notes on schools with other parents? Ask in our community group for Brits in Switzerland.

Sources

1. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Switzerland (last updated 24 December 2025)
2. Kanton Zürich: Volksschule
3. Kanton Zürich: Kindergarten
4. Zurich International School: Fees 2026/27
5. Inter-Community School Zurich: Tuition and fees (Financial Regulations 2026-2027)
6. International School Zurich North: Fees (checked November 2026)
7. Academia International School: Price list Zurich 2026/27
8. GOV.UK: UK nationals in the EEA and Switzerland: access to higher education and 19+ further education
9. Tandem International Multilingual School

Keep reading

• Swiss state schools vs international schools in Zurich
• Renting in Zurich
• Cost of living in Zurich vs London and the UK average
• UK student loans while living abroad