Enrolment in a Baccalaureate school usually takes place in the last year of lower secondary level or following the lower secondary level. The Baccalaureate programme generally lasts four years. In the case of a three-year Baccalaureate programme (enrolment after lower secondary level), preparatory Baccalaureate education must take place in the last year of lower secondary education. Alongside Baccalaureate schools that last four years (short-cycle Baccalaureate schools), some German-speaking cantons also have Baccalaureate schools in which enrolment takes place after primary level (long-cycle Baccalaureate schools, which last six years). The French-speaking and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland do not have any long-cycle Baccalaureate schools.

Each Canton stipulates the conditions for admission to a Baccalaureate school. The decision is based on an assessment of the student’s achievements. This may take the shape of an overall assessment, the student’s grades, an entrance examination, or a combination of these instruments.