🇨🇭 Recognised by the federal government

The federal government pays back half

absofort is registered with the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation as a provider of preparatory courses. Anyone who takes the diploma programme and then sits the federal examination can reclaim 50 % of the course fees.

Diploma programme
4'899.00 CHF
Federal subsidy (50 %)
− 2'449.50 CHF
You end up paying
2'449.50 CHF

The subsidy is paid by the federal government directly to you, not to Alpasana — you pay for the programme in full first. Maximum for a federal professional examination: CHF 9,500; for this programme the cap is therefore not binding.

How to get there — in this order

The order is not a matter of taste. Skip step 1 and you risk paying for the whole programme and receiving no subsidy at all.

1
Clarify your admission first

The examination body ICT-Berufsbildung Schweiz runs a pre-clarification portal. You upload your CV, references and diplomas and receive an admission decision within two to four weeks. Required is a Swiss federal VET diploma or an equivalent ICT qualification with at least two years of practice — or a federal VET diploma or baccalaureate with at least four years of practice, two of them in project, product or process work.

→ Do this FIRST. No admission, no examination; no examination, no subsidy.
2
Book the programme in your own name

The invoice must be made out to you and paid by you. If your employer pays the course fee directly to Alpasana, that portion is excluded from the subsidy. If your employer instead pays you a contribution, your entitlement is unaffected.

→ We issue the payment confirmation the federal government requires — just let us know.
3
Sit the federal examination

You register separately with the examination body and pay the examination fee yourself. The examination must actually be taken — being registered is not enough.

→ Whether you pass makes NO difference to the subsidy. Sitting it is enough.
4
Apply to the federal government

After the examination you submit the invoice in your name, the payment confirmation and the examination decision through the federal online portal. The subsidy then goes straight to your account.

→ Deadline: two years from the date the examination decision is issued. The course must not have started more than seven years ago.
Check your admission now, free of charge ↗
Pre-clarification portal of the examination body ICT-Berufsbildung Schweiz · answer within 2–4 weeks

What you need to watch out for

These five points decide whether the subsidy arrives. We would rather name them now than have you find out afterwards.

⚠️ The examination fee does not count.

Only course fees are eligible. The fee for the federal examination itself — around CHF 3,000 — is paid on top and is not refunded.

⚠️ Course fees paid directly by your employer are excluded.

If your company transfers the money directly to us, that portion falls away. If it pays you a contribution instead and you pay for the programme yourself, your full entitlement remains. This distinction is worth settling before you book.

⚠️ Tax residence in Switzerland.

What counts is the moment the examination decision is issued to you — not the start of the course.

⚠️ The examination must be taken.

The programme alone triggers no subsidy, and neither does the Alpasana diploma. Only sitting the federal examination creates the entitlement — but then regardless of the outcome.

⚠️ There is no guarantee of payment.

The federal government decides on the subsidy, not Alpasana. We keep the course on the register and issue you the necessary documents; the decision rests with the administering office.

ℹ️ For the diploma programme only. Federal subsidies exist solely for courses preparing for a federal examination. Our job-role certifications, IT courses, kids courses and Microsoft preparation courses do not qualify — they lead to private credentials without a state examination.

Alpasana GmbH is registered as a course provider in the online portal «Preparatory courses for federal examinations» (provider number 176238). The federal subsidy is a payment from the federal government to the participant; amount, conditions and procedure follow the Vocational and Professional Training Ordinance and may change. Only the information published by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation is authoritative. Amounts and deadlines stated here: August 2026.