The University of Fribourg is the only official bilingual Swiss University and the only bilingual (French-German) university in Europe. This characteristic constitutes a considerable advantage for young persons leaving university with Bachelor or Master qualification.

Passive, but nevertheless obligatory, bilingualism

The Department of Informatics puts passive obligatory bilingualism into practice :

• There is no real need to be able to speak the other main national language - understanding is sufficient. Students can always ask questions, submit exercises, present projects and pass exams in French, German or English.
• However, the teaching staff give lectures in the language of their choice (in  French or German for Bachelor courses, often in English for Master courses). In general, the numbers of courses given in French and German is quite similar.

A real advantage

Everyday experience has shown that bilingualism poses no problems for students. For Swiss students, the proficiency attained for the advanced general school leaving certificate (Maturité/Maturität) is adequate for understanding the course work. Students who do not have a sufficient proficiency can readily overcome this difficulty by attending language courses organized by the Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherche en Langues Etrangères (CERLE). (Foreign students whose mother language is neither French nor German should note that entry to Bachelor programmes at the University of Fribourg requires a sufficient standard in one of these two languages and that the student must give proof of proficiency or pass a language test organized by the CERLE)

This way of teaching allows students to learn and improve their skills in a second language during normal studies and is a real advantage when it comes to looking employment.