Switzerland: Island for impostors

“They call themselves Freie Universität Zug or Teufen, Odermatt-Walter Universität or Educatis Fernuniversität,” wrote Cash daily. It is reported that together they have never been recognized. Educatis from Altdorf in the canton of Uri registered an application in Bern, but it was rejected. The canton of Uri however nonetheless accepts it as “provisional.”

In Switzerland the recognition of universities is up to the cantons. A federal law whereby an institution may not call itself a university does not exist. Switzerland therefore is an “island for impostors.” “Why do the authorities allow singular universities to compromise Switzerland’s reputation as a research and education location?” asks author Ruedi Arnold, and rightfully so. It also concerns the MBA field. Ultimately the MBA is an academic degree. Here there are also conspicuous Swiss institutions that often have their sights set on the German market in particular. In Germany the use of their degrees however is forbidden.

The only canton, which up to now proceeds against black sheep is Aargau, reports Cash daily. The canton has a law, whereby an institution which calls itself a university without having the recognition is subject to punishment. Now the canton of Zurich is set to follow the example set by Aargau. The “implementation rule” is still missing however, and that can take awhile. The database www.anabin.de lists three non-recognized business schools in Zurich alone.

The canton of Uri doesn’t want the accusations of the Swiss newspaper to fall on its shoulders. “The canton of Uri acts with the regulations concerning the recognition of private universities as one of the few cantons with the legal basis in order to be able to acknowledge private universities,” according to a statement. The clear quality criteria for recognition were also outlined. A prerequisite however is reportedly that the respective university must be accredited through the Swiss University Conference (SUK). This accreditation is only possible however if the institution reaches a set size. Therefore, universities that haven’t yet incorporated teaching aspects or only done so partly are granted a provisional recognition. This was exactly the case with Educatis.

The provisional recognition came into effect in 2003 and lasts until 2016 – a striking period of time for a “provisional” recognition. Also, even if the “university” founded by a professor of the European School of Business (ESB) in Reutlingen, isn’t a degree mill, it is not permitted to administrate the MBA degree from Educatis in Germany up to now. The accreditation of the MBA program through Fibaa doesn’t change anything in this matter either. The German accreditation organization writes the following in its reports: “The program of study concludes with the academic degree ‘Master of Business Administration’ (MBA). The Masters degree is conferred by the university.” Fibaa however conceals the fact that the university is not a recognized university in Germany.