Zurich Gymiprüfung 2027: Dates, Pass Mark and the Private Routes to the Matura

Every March, thousands of pupils in the canton of Zurich sit the same exam on the same day: the Zentrale Aufnahmeprüfung (ZAP), which everyone calls the Gymiprüfung. It decides who enters a public Gymnasium, the school that leads to the Swiss Matura and from there to university.

This guide gives the dates and rules for 2027 as the canton publishes them. It explains how the pass mark works, including the rule for pupils who come from a private school, and it sets out the private routes to a Matura for families who want another way, or need one once the results are in.

The short version

• The exam is on Monday, 8 March 2027. Registration closes on 10 February 2027.

• It tests German and mathematics. Mathematics counts for half of the exam mark.

• Pupils from a public school need 4.75 overall, with their school marks counting for half. Pupils from a private school need 4.5 in the exam alone.

• Passing gives a place for a probation term of one semester. The place is confirmed only after it.

• Seven private schools in the canton award recognised diplomas and run their own admissions. Others prepare for the federal Matura exam or for an international diploma.

What the Gymiprüfung is

Zurich has two ways into the Gymnasium. The Langgymnasium starts after the sixth year of primary school and lasts six years. The Kurzgymnasium starts after the second or third year of secondary school (Sekundarschule) and lasts four years. Both end with the same Matura. Each has its own version of the ZAP, and both are held on the same day.

To enter a public Gymnasium in the canton, a pupil must pass the ZAP. The public schools charge no tuition for pupils who live in the canton.

Dates and rules for 2027

• Registration: online, from 1 January to 10 February 2027. The canton calls this deadline binding. The arts and sports Gymnasium Rämibühl closes earlier, on 15 January 2027.

• Exam day: Monday, 8 March 2027. In 2028 it is Monday, 6 March.

• Fee: CHF 50, not refunded.

• Langgymnasium: for pupils in the sixth year of primary school, born after 31 July 2012.

• Kurzgymnasium: for pupils in the second or third year of Sekundarschule, section A or B, born after 30 June 2010. Pupils from section B also need a written recommendation from their class teacher.

Results arrive by post and can be seen online the day after. A pupil who is ill on the day must tell the school at once and send a medical certificate within three days, and is then called to a later sitting. The canton publishes every detail on its pages about the exam.

What the exam tests

Both versions test the same two subjects in three papers: German language and reading comprehension, a German essay, and mathematics. The two German papers count for a quarter each, mathematics for half.

Langgymnasium candidates write from 8.00 to 11.45: 45 minutes of language and comprehension, an hour of mathematics and an hour for the essay. Kurzgymnasium candidates have 45 minutes for the first paper and 90 minutes each for mathematics and the essay, which they write in the afternoon.

For 2027 the canton has slightly adjusted what the Langgymnasium exam asks in German, because primary schools now work with a new German textbook.

The pass mark: 4.75 or 4.5

Swiss marks run from 1 to 6, and 4 is a pass. The ZAP asks for more, and how much depends on where the pupil goes to school.

• From a public school: the school marks count for half and the exam for half, and the overall mark must be at least 4.75. For the Langgymnasium, the school mark is the average of German and mathematics in the January report of the sixth year. For the Kurzgymnasium, it is the average of five subjects in section A: German, English, French, mathematics, and nature and technology.

• From a private school: the school marks are not counted. The exam mark alone decides, and it must be at least 4.5.

Neither rule is the easy one. A pupil with strong school marks arrives with a cushion and can afford a weaker morning. A pupil from a private school has a lower mark to reach and no cushion: everything rests on one day. Families who choose a private Sekundarschule to prepare for the Kurzgymnasium should know that this is the rule that will apply.

After the exam

Passing the ZAP gives the right to start the probation term (Probezeit) in the following school year. It lasts one semester, and the canton reports that most pupils pass it, in the Langgymnasium and in the Kurzgymnasium.

A pupil who does not pass can try again the next year, with a new registration. From the third year of Sekundarschule, a pupil can register for up to three entrance exams in one school year: the Kurzgymnasium, the commercial or computing middle school, the Fachmittelschule or the vocational Matura.

The private routes to a Matura

The public Gymnasium is one school among several that lead to university. Four private routes exist in the canton. They differ most in who examines the pupil at the end, which is the first question to ask.

1. A private school with a recognised diploma

The canton keeps a list of recognised private Mittelschulen. Seven schools are on it:

• AKAD College, which teaches adults

• Atelierschule Zürich

• Freie Schule Zürich

• Freies Gymnasium Zürich

• Freie Katholische Schulen Zürich

• Gymnasium Unterstrass

• SIS Swiss International School Zürich

A school with a recognised Matura examines its own pupils (the Hausmatur), on a curriculum the canton has approved. These schools do not use the ZAP. Each runs its own admission, usually a written exam in German and mathematics, sometimes with an oral exam or an interview, and each sets its own dates and fees.

2. A school that prepares for the federal Matura exam

A school without that recognition can prepare pupils for the Schweizerische Maturitätsprüfung, the Matura exam run by the Confederation. It is open to anyone who does not attend a recognised school, and its certificate gives direct access to Swiss universities.

The exam is held twice a year in each language region. A candidate has two attempts and may take the exam in two parts. No school is required: the State Secretariat for Education says preparing alone is possible, and that it rarely succeeds. Our guide to the Swiss Matura explains the diploma itself.

3. An international diploma

International schools in and around Zurich teach the IB Diploma, British A-levels or the French baccalauréat. They admit pupils through their own process, not through the ZAP. Swiss universities accept these diplomas on conditions that differ by diploma and by university, so check them before choosing. Our comparison of the Matura, A-levels and the IB sets the three side by side.

4. A private Sekundarschule, then the Kurzgymnasium

A pupil who misses the Langgymnasium at twelve has a second way in two or three years later. Private Sekundarschulen often prepare for the Kurzgymnasium exam. Their pupils then sit the ZAP under the private-school rule: 4.5 in the exam, with no school marks counted. The Kurzgymnasium leads to the same Matura as the Langgymnasium.

Questions to ask a private school

• Who examines the pupils at the end: the school's own teachers, the Confederation or an international board?

• Which diploma is recognised, by whom, and for which programme?

• What does admission ask for, and by which date?

• What does one year cost with everything included?

• What happens if a pupil does not pass a year or the final exam?

Where to look next

Our directory lists the private schools in the canton of Zurich with their levels, languages and diplomas. To verify what a school tells you, read how to check that a Swiss private school is accredited. Schools across Switzerland that teach the Matura are on our Swiss Matura page.

We checked the dates and rules in this article against the canton's pages on 12 November 2026. The canton's pages are the ones that count: read them again before you register.