Graduates from Surval Montreux will be taking up university places throughout the world.
As an intentionally small all girls boarding school, each year Surval Montreux’s graduating cohort is comparatively small, but they are certainly punching above their weight in the range of university offers received.
Celebrating wide-ranging, competitive university offers for 2024 entry
This year's graduating class will depart Surval to take up university places throughout Europe, the UK and the USA, with offers from a wide range of universities including: Northeastern University London; The American University of Paris; The University of Amsterdam; IE University, Madrid; University of Washington; Fordham University; UMass Boston; Baylor University; IFM Business School; Geneva Business School; and Webster University.
We are extremely proud of our Grade 12 students and congratulate them for receiving offers to their universities of choice. Each application involves a lot of hard work and commitment on the part of the students, supported by our team of dedicated staff. Many factors go into choosing the right university for an individual student and rankings are just one aspect.
- University of Washington: Ranked #25 in the world by Times Higher Education
- University of Amsterdam: Ranked #61 in the world by Times Higher Education
- Geneva Business School: Ranked the #2 business school in Switzerland by CEOWorld
- IFM Business School: Ranked the #3 business school in Switzerland by CEOWorld
A typical Surval student is internationally minded and likes to keep her options open until closer to the end of Grade 12. The world is her oyster and it can be hard to decide. She will typically submit applications to a range of destinations until she becomes clearer about her next steps.
American High School Diploma and Advanced Placements - a strong route to US & UK universities
Routes to university are understandably high on parents’ agendas when choosing a school. Survaliennes graduate with a range of Advanced Placement (APs), which are one-year academically rigorous college-level courses, as part of their American High School Diploma.
The American High School Diploma and APs are a naturally understood route to US colleges, with a strong suite of APs and SATs* making them eligible for competitive courses. Equally, they provide strong routes to universities throughout Europe, as evidenced in our list of 2024 offers.
To apply for competitive UK universities from the American High School programme, students must build up a portfolio of 4-5 strong APs ideally combined with a strong SAT score. To build the most competitive portfolio, the earlier we can start the university guidance programme the better.
A comprehensive university counselling programme
At Surval our focused university guidance programme begins in earnest in Grade 10, ensuring that girls are ambitious in their academic choices and setting their pathway to competitive university applications. It is not just about guiding them in their choice of academic courses, but also in their selection of electives and engagement in wider activities, for instance in our overseas service project and leadership opportunities, or through participation in summer programmes. Through 1:1 university counselling students will be guided through their planning to ensure they apply for a suitable range of university and college courses best suited to their interests and strengths.
UK university applications
Where a student is focused on the UK, and achieving a wide range of APs is beyond reach depending on the natural aptitude of the student or their late entry point into Surval, applying for a competitive international foundation programme can be a more confident route to a competitive UK university undergraduate course. It is important to highlight that there is no shortage of undergraduate courses to which they could achieve direct entry even without a range of APs, but for those targeting more competitive courses an international foundation programme initially can be a more guaranteed route.
With the American system a 12-year programme, as opposed to the 13-year UK system, students graduating from Surval at the end of Grade 12, will often be aged 17, and therefore, stepping into a 1-year international foundation programme can be a perfect stepping stone to a 3-year UK undergraduate programme. - and amounts to the same as a 4-year US college programme.
Tailored programmes for individual success
A Surval student wishes to gain strong academic credentials whilst making the most of everything that comes with studying in Switzerland and at Surval: developing multilingualism; exploring the richness of cultures within easy reach of Montreux; enjoying a healthy, outdoor life in particular winter sports; showing a commitment to service through local and international outreach, and so on. Our curriculum is carefully designed to ensure appropriate commitment to academic studies, balanced with exploration of wider interests and perspectives which will stay with them for life. In our highly personalised environment, we have the flexibility to tailor each girl’s programme to meet her interests, strengths and ambitions, and ensure that, regardless of her pathway to and entry point at Surval, she has a strong pathway out of Surval.
For more information about our programme and university pathways, take a look at our Course Guide.
*Preparation for SATs, IELTS, TOEFL etc and academic writing clinics to support university applications are provided for all students as part of Surval’s core provision.
For an overview of the American High School Diploma and AP courses in the context of UK university admissions, please visit UCAS’ website (the dedicated website for UK university admissions)