Coordinating your studies with military service, civilian service or civil protection service
Gather information early on how to coordinate the start of your studies with these services. There are advantages & disadvantages to all of the options. We'd like to present them so you can select the best solution for you.
Guidance and information on planning your studies and signatures for request forms (postponement/interruption of service) are available as follows:
Before Bachelor’s degree studies begin
- Guidance: Study Programme Advisory
- Requests: Study Administration
Before Master’s degree studies begin (external students)
- Guidance and requests: Study Administration office of your degree programme
During Bachelor’s and Master’s degree studies
- Guidance and requests: Study Administration office of your degree programme
Please read the following information before contacting us for a consultation:
Coordinating the start of your studies with military training (recruit) school requires early and careful planning on your part.
Taking a gap year before your studies begin (recommended)
During a gap year you can complete military training school and perhaps your first repetition courses. If you intend to pursue a military career up to Leutnant, Hauptfeldweibel or Fourier or to perform your military service in one stretch (300 days, starting in summer), it is particularly recommendable to take a gap year.
Postponement of military training school until after your studies begin
Because the structures of degree programmes vary, no general advice can be given. Ask the study programme advice staff about your options, and their potential consequences.
Interrupting your service
On request military training school can be interrupted and divided into two parts, as follows: Part 1: General and functional basic training; Part 2: Operation preparation / unit training. Plan the interruption of your military service early, in consultation with study programme advice staff.
Repetition courses during the first two years of study
Repetition courses during your studies must be completed if they do not interfere with examinations, examination preparation periods or other nonpostponable obligations. In the first two years of study, which are viewed as assessment years in Art. 50 of the Weisung des Chefs der Armee über die Militärdienstpflicht (90.112, WMDP) (military directive, in German), repetition courses which take place during the teaching phase can also be postponed.
For the legal bases governing postponement or interruption of military service, and the relevant forms, see: external page Website Swiss Army (in German)
For more detailed information on military service and the corresponding request forms please contact the respective external page Cantonal Military Service Office (in German).
If you plan to pursue a longer period of military service (external page elite / officer training (in German)), please seek information early on from the sector external page Chance Armee (in German) of the Training and Education Command.
Further information: Download Merkblatt Militärdienst (in German) (PDF, 123 KB)
For information on civilian service see external page here (in German).
If you do civilian service you have the freedom to plan your assignments independently as long as you comply with the rules. Start planning early, and align your assignments with your study obligations.
For the legal bases governing postponement of service, and the relevant forms, see external page here (in German).
For information on civil protection service see external page here (in German).
Persons called to perform civil protection service may submit a written request for postponement to the office which called them up three weeks before service is due to begin at the latest. The request must provide grounds, and there is no automatic entitlement to postponement. The respective office makes the final decision. Important: Until the request has been approved the obligation to appear stands. For information on postponing civil protection service see the websites of the cantonal civil protection offices.
For the legal bases governing civil protection service and postponement of service, and the relevant forms, see external page here (in German).