Intercantonal Agreement on Contributions to Training Costs of Universities (Intercantonal University Agreement, IUV) - Purpose (IUV)

1. The agreement governs the equitable inter-cantonal access to the cantonal university institutions and institutions in the university sector, as well as the compensation to the cantons that host these institutions.

2. It thereby promotes inter-cantonal burden sharing and the free movement for students, and is part of a coordinated Swiss higher education policy.

1. Intercantonal Agreements, which govern the joint sponsorship of one or more universities and institutions in the higher education sector, take precedence over this agreement, provided they do not violate the principles according to Article 3.

1. The financing cantons shall provide the cantons hosting universities (university-hosting cantons) with contributions for their students towards the costs of university education.

2. The university-hosting cantons must provide their students with at least the same monetary benefits as stipulated by this agreement.

3. They shall grant students from all participating cantons the same legal status.

**1. Eligible for Contributions are Study Programs of Institutionally Accredited Public Legal Cantonal Universities and Accredited Public Legal Institutions of the Cantons in the University Sector.**

2. The Conference of the Agreement Cantons may declare universities and institutions in the university sector, which are undergoing the accreditation process, as eligible for contributions. It defines the applicable criteria for this in guidelines. Article 26 is reserved.

3. Study programs, the completion of which provides access to a regulated profession, are considered eligible for contributions if the additional recognition requirements formulated in the relevant law are met.

4. Study programs within the meaning of the preceding paragraphs are

a) Bachelor or Master studies,

b) Doctorate studies, taking into account Article 11,

c) other study programs designated by the Conference of the Agreement Cantons.

5. Study preparation offers and continuing education offers are not eligible for contributions.

1. Study programs of institutionally accredited private universities and accredited private institutions in the university sector may be recognized as eligible for contributions by the Conference of the Agreement Cantons. The prerequisite is that the canton of the location

a) financially participates in the private university,

b) provides its students at the private university with at least the same financial benefits as provided for in the present agreement,

c) ensures that the private university grants students from all agreement cantons the same legal status, and

d) is represented in the governing body of the private university or is otherwise involved in the strategic management of the university.

2. Article 4 paragraphs 3 and 5 and Article 6 also apply to private institutions.

1. The study programs subject to contributions are recorded in a database by academic departments.

2. If the allocation of individual programs to a department does not arise from the characteristics of the system or is contested, the IUV Commission makes an allocation decision.

1. Students who trigger a contribution within the meaning of this agreement are individuals who are enrolled in a study program subject to contributions.

2. No contributions are made for students who do not receive study services.

3. The number of students is determined based on the student statistics of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

1. The inter-cantonal contributions are established as an annual lump sum per student per cost group.

2. These contributions are billed to the responsible cantons based on the student numbers recorded in the autumn and spring semesters. The IUV Commission decides on the modalities of invoicing.

1. Basis for the Assessment of Intercantonal Contributions are the Standardized Costs per Discipline. These are derived from

a) the operational costs for teaching, remaining after the deduction of third-party funds for teaching, at 100 percent, and

b) the operational costs for research, remaining after the deduction of third-party funds for research, at 85 percent.

2. The definition of disciplines and their allocation to a cost group is specified in the annex to the agreement.

3. The conference of the agreeing cantons may, in case of significant changes to the assessment bases defined in paragraph 1, alter the allocation of a discipline to a cost group, establish additional cost groups, and/or divide existing cost groups. In justified cases, it may also cap the operational costs attributable to research.

1. Based on the standardized costs per department, the average costs per cost group are calculated, and a deduction equivalent to the average tuition fees and the actual or lump-sum calculated federal contributions is made. The contributions correspond to 85 percent of the thus calculated costs.

2. The inter-cantonal contributions for cost group III amount to a maximum of twice the average of the costs determined for the departments of this cost group for teaching in accordance with Article 9, paragraph 1, letter a. In justified cases, the conference of the agreement cantons may increase the contributions for cost group III beyond the defined maximum. Article 26, paragraph 3, remains reserved.

3. The conference of the agreement cantons is responsible for determining the contributions and the duration of their validity.

1. Intercantonal Contributions Under the Agreement must be paid for both a First Degree and, if applicable, a Second Degree. A degree program (First or Second Degree) may include study offerings at the Bachelor's, Master's, and possibly Doctoral levels. The prerequisite for financing a Second Degree is an initial university degree at the Master's level.

2. The obligation to contribute is limited to 12 semesters for a First Degree and an additional 12 semesters for a Second Degree. For students in medical study programs, the duration of the obligation to contribute is extended to 16 semesters.

3. The Conference of the Cantons Party to the Agreement shall determine the maximum duration eligible for contributions for study offerings in accordance with Article 4, Paragraph 4, Letter c.

1. The payment obligation lies with the contracting canton in which a student had a civil law domicile (Articles 23 ff. of the Swiss Civil Code) at the time of obtaining the admission certificate to a university-level institution.

2. In the case of enrollment in a second course of study, the payment obligation lies with the canton in which a student has a civil law domicile at the time of starting the second course of study (beginning of the semester).

1. The cantons responsible for universities may levy reasonable individual tuition fees. If the sum of the contributions according to Article 10 and the individual tuition fees exceeds the standardized costs per cost group according to the annex, which form the basis of the contributions, the contributions shall be reduced accordingly.

1. Applicants and students from the contracting cantons have the same legal status regarding admission to the study program as those from the university sponsoring canton(s). This also applies in cases of admission restrictions.

1. Students from non-agreement cantons have no entitlement to equal treatment.

2. They will only be admitted to a course of study eligible for contributions under the meaning of this agreement once students from agreement cantons have been accepted.

3. They shall pay contributions for the utilized study programs that are at least equivalent to the contributions according to Article 10.

1. The Conference of the Agreement Cantons consists of one government council representative from each canton that has joined the agreement.

2. It has the following responsibilities

a) Determination of the inter-cantonal contributions per cost group and the duration of their validity, including the definition of the federal contributions to be deducted (Article 10),

b) Definition of the subject areas and assignment to a cost group (Article 9 paragraph 2),

c) Amendment of the assignment of a subject area to a cost group, establishment of additional cost groups and/or division of existing cost groups, as well as corresponding adjustment of the appendix (Article 9 paragraph 3),

d) Capping of the attributable operating costs for research in justified cases (Article 9 paragraph 3),

e) Increase of the contributions for cost group III beyond the defined maximum (Article 10 paragraph 2),

f) Definition of further study offers (Article 4 paragraph 4 letter c) and determination of the corresponding standard study duration (Article 11 paragraph 3),

g) Reduction of contributions (Article 13),

h) Decision on the eligibility for contributions of study programs of universities undergoing accreditation (Article 4 paragraph 2), of study programs whose completion includes access to a regulated profession (Article 4 paragraph 3), as well as of study programs of private universities (Article 5),

i) Approval of the budget and accounting regarding the implementation costs (Article 19),

k) Election of the members and the chairperson(s) of the IUV Commission (Article 17), and

l) Determination of the financial year from which the contributions for cost group III are calculated based on validated costs.

3. The resolutions according to paragraph 2 letters a to g as well as l require a two-thirds majority of the conference members, including at least half of the university cantons according to the Higher Education Concordat. For the remaining resolutions, a simple majority of the conference members present is required.

1. For the implementation, the conference of the contracting cantons elects a Commission IUV. The term of office is four years.

2. The Commission IUV is composed of eight governmental council representatives from the contracting cantons. Four members of the Commission IUV represent a university canton, and four a non-university canton.

3. One representative each from the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) participate in the meetings in an advisory capacity.

4. The Commission IUV is entrusted with the following tasks in particular

a) Monitoring the implementation, in particular of the office,

b) Deciding on the allocation of an offer to a subject area in contentious cases (Article 6 paragraph 2),

c) Submission of proposals to the conference of the contracting cantons for decisions in accordance with Article 16 paragraph 2 letters a to g and l, and

d) Regulation of accounting, contribution payments, dates and deadlines, as well as the procedure for any default interest.

1. The General Secretariat of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) serves as the administrative office of the agreement.

2. It conducts the central collection of contribution payments.

1. The costs of executing this agreement shall be borne by the contracting cantons in proportion to the number of their students. These costs will be invoiced to them annually.

1. The dispute resolution procedure according to the IRV shall be applied to disputes arising from this agreement.

2. If the dispute cannot be settled, the Federal Supreme Court shall decide upon the claim in accordance with Article 120 paragraph 1 letter b of the Federal Supreme Court Act (BGG).

1. Accession to this agreement is declared to the Council of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education.

2. By acceding to this agreement, the cantons simultaneously declare their withdrawal from the Intercantonal University Agreement of 20 February 1997.

1. The Board of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education shall bring the agreement into force when 18 cantons have acceded to it.

2. The entry into force shall be notified to the Federal Government.

1. The agreement may be terminated by giving two years' notice effective on December 31st of any year, through a written declaration to the conference of the contracting cantons.

1. If a canton terminates the agreement, its obligations under this agreement for the students who are in training at the time of withdrawal shall continue until the end of their studies.

1. The Principality of Liechtenstein may accede to this Agreement based on its own legislation. It is entitled to all the rights and obligations of an agreement canton.

1. The contribution entitlements according to the Intercantonal University Agreement of February 20, 1997, shall remain in effect until a decision is made regarding institutional accreditation (Article 4 paragraph 2 and Article 5 paragraph 1) in accordance with the HEdA or until a decision is made regarding the fulfillment of additional recognition requirements according to Article 4 paragraph 3 and Article 5 paragraph 2, but no longer than eight years after the HEdA comes into force.

2. The performance compensation of those cantons that have not or not yet joined the Intercantonal University Agreement shall occur for a maximum of two years after the agreement enters into force, based on the Intercantonal University Agreement of February 20, 1997. After this period, Article 15 applies to all non-agreement cantons.

3. As long as there are no validated costs concerning the education of human, dental, and veterinary medicine, the intercantonal contributions for Cost Group III shall be double the contributions for Cost Group II. The conference of the agreement cantons shall decide from which accounting year the contributions for Cost Group III shall be calculated based on validated costs.

1. During a transitional period of three years following the entry into force of the IUV 2019, the calculation of the cantonal contributions shall proceed as follows

a) Multiply the difference between the contributions as per IUV 2019 and IUV 1997 by a factor of 0.25 (first calculation year), by a factor of 0.5 (second calculation year), or by a factor of 0.75 (third calculation year) and establish a corresponding adjustment amount for each canton,

b) Calculate the effective contributions per canton based on the contributions according to IUV 1997 plus the adjustment amount pursuant to letter a.

2. After the conclusion of this three-year transitional period, the calculation of cantonal contributions shall be based exclusively on the IUV 2019.