A Warm Welcome to Stiftsschule Engelberg
We are a boarding school for girls and boys, we offer secondary school, four and six-year Gymnasium. Our students live with us during the week and are welcome to stay over the weekend.
Secondary school boarding takes place at the so-called Integrative Orientation School (IOS), which is run by the Municipality of Engelberg. It prepares students for an apprenticeship, for vocational school or for the four-year Gymnasium. We are deeply committed to providing our boarders with the individual support and guidance they need to thrive both academically and personally.
At gymnasium, we teach some subjects in English from the 2nd floor onwards – an advantage that will be very helpful in university: English has become the language of science. Carefully designed to meet the rigorous standards of both the Swiss Matura and the International Baccalaureate (IB), our programme leads to the award of both the bilingual Swiss Matura certificate and the IB Diploma, empowering our students to pursue their aspirations wherever they may lead.
Our pedagogy is based on our Benedictine tradition: we encourage our students to grow into personalities capable of conflict and consensus, ready to learn new things throughout their lives. By living together in the boarding school in particular, we lead to an understanding of – and commitment to – the concerns of the community. This is an important goal in personality development.
Our school and boarding school communities are intentionally small, allowing us to give each student the individual attention they need to flourish. There is no formal entrance examination; admission is based on prior academic performance and the outcome of a personal interview. We would be delighted to hear from you.
With best regards
Tobias Barmettler, Head of School, and the teachers
For a more intimate glimpse into daily life at our school, we warmly invite you to hear directly from our students and parents as they share their experiences within our community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here you will find answers to the questions we are most often asked. Should you require further details, we warmly invite you to telephone us – we are always delighted to assist.
Whether you wish to learn about admission requirements, our boarding experience, daily life at school, or our tailored programmes and provisions, you will find the essential information about Stiftsschule Engelberg here.
A year at the Gymnasium or IOS secondary school costs 48,500 francs. This includes tuition, supervision, accommodation and meals.
Additional costs apply for music tuition and supplementary lessons, as well as for examination fees, learning materials, and excursions.
Recognized grammar school students from the cantons of OW and NW are entitled to a reduction in costs under certain conditions.
Indeed, they are. The distinguished Gertrud von Speyr Foundation generously provides financial assistance to support parents or guardians for whom boarding fees exceed their means.
Additionally, the Foundation awards merit-based scholarships to students who achieve a minimum average grade of 5.2 in their report relevant to promotion, contributing CHF 3,000 towards the following year’s fees.
(NB: In Switzerland grades are awarded on a scale of 1 to 6, with 6 being the highest mark).
As part of the 900th anniversary celebrations for Engelberg Abbey, the Gertrud von Speyer Foundation awarded five full scholarships in 2020.
The Benedictus Foundation of the Monastery of Engelberg provides scholarships in recognition of exceptional achievement.
The "Association of Friends and Alumni of the Institut La Salle Neuchâtel" awards a scholarship of up to CHF 8,000 each year. Preference is given to a non-German-speaking student from another part of the country.
Cantonal authorities also provide scholarships and educational loans to support students’ studies.
The young people live at the boarding school from Sunday evening to Friday afternoon. However, they can also spend the weekend at the Stiftsschule or at the boarding school. This option is often used, for example for skiing, extra tuition or other learning. For weekend stays, there is an additional charge for accommodation, meals and supervision, either as a lump sum per year or per weekend.
There have been no more dormitories since 2014. The young people live and sleep in twin rooms and, from the Upper Form of the Gymnasium onwards, in single rooms. If available, single rooms can be booked in the Lower Form of the Gymnasium. However, we recommend the double room at the beginning; being in pairs makes it easier to start, learn and practise social skills. Girls and boys live and sleep in separate wings.
Our boarding rooms are designed with modern comfort in mind, each furnished with a wardrobe, a spacious desk, shelving, and a large window with inspiring views of the surrounding mountains. Each room is equipped with its own washbasin, while showers and WCs are conveniently located on each floor.
The students are responsible for the tidiness and cleanliness of their rooms; checks are carried out every Friday afternoon directly before they leave for the weekend.
Sick students are cared for by our nursing specialist. There are three general practices in Engelberg. The nearest hospital is the Stans Cantonal Hospital. It can be reached in half an hour, the Lucerne Cantonal Hospital in an hour.
Almost all of the teachers are secular. 7 of the 20 teachers are female. Pastoral care is led by a group that includes the Abbot of Engelberg Monastery, Abbot Christian Meyer OSB, who is also responsible for religious education in the Lower Form of the Gymnasium. The teachers regularly exchange ideas across all subject areas. The team is very well coordinated; there are very few departures and arrivals.
The Engelberg Stiftsschule was actually founded by the Benedictine monastery of Engelberg. It was taught exclusively by monks. Since the 1970s, more and more secular teachers and soon also female teachers have been standing at the blackboard and now also at the whiteboard.
The classes are small. In the Lower Form of the Gymnasium there are sometimes only 12 students, in the Upper Form of the Gymnasium up to around 23. These sizes have advantages: Teachers soon develop a good feel for the strengths of individual students and support them accordingly. The class spirit is strengthened by joint class and study trips, special weeks and vacation days.
No, we don't have a traditional Gymi exam. Instead, what counts is the personal admissions interview. Together we look at your average grades, your motivation and whether you are interested in life at boarding school.