Few matters vex parents as much as the question of which university their child will attend. For globetrotting expatriates, whose children may attend a number of international schools over the course of their careers, knowing how these schools prepare children for university is especially important.

“The rigour of the academic program is where you start – it is the be-all and end-all,” says Elisabeth Marksteiner, college counsellor at the International School of Zug and Luzern in Switzerland, which offers both the International Baccalaureate diploma programme and Advanced Placement (AP) courses.