EPFL Lausanne: Admission, French, Costs and the Real Bar for 2027

For autumn 2027 entry, EPFL caps the first year of its Bachelor at 3000 students, a limit that runs from 2025 for at least four years, and your school-leaving certificate decides whether you are ranked for direct entry, go through the CMS foundation year or can enter only through EPFL's entrance exam. Every EPFL Bachelor requires French at level B2, and the EPFL pages read for this report give no 2027 closing date and no tuition fee.

An EPFL Bachelor is a 180 ECTS degree spread over three years, offered in 13 programmes, and it is the mandatory path to an EPFL Master. The EPFL Master comes in 29 programmes; EPFL's Master pages give no credit total or length.

EPFL’s Rolex Learning Center

EPFL's home page says EPFL trains more than 15,000 students across all levels of education, and EPFL's About page counts students, professors and collaborators of more than 120 nationalities. Times Higher Education, from data collected for its World University Rankings 2027, counts 13,872 students at EPFL, 64% of them international.

EPFL admission in one table

EPFL's minimum grades are a gate, not the bar. EPFL ranks EU, EFTA, UK and IB applicants by their certificate's general average and accepts them at the beginning of August within the places available, so the minimum does not guarantee a place. Passing the CMS or the entrance exam does: those applicants are guaranteed to be accepted.

Three rules that catch international applicants out

• French comes first. EPFL requires level B2 in French to follow its Bachelor's programmes, and if you did not study French at upper secondary school, you will need to attest your level when you apply.
• Your certificate sets your route. With a national certificate from outside the EU, EFTA and UK, from a country missing from EPFL's CMS conditions document, EPFL can only accept you through the entrance exam; without one of the school-leaving certificates or higher-education diplomas EPFL's admission criteria describe, you cannot be accepted at all.
• Getting in is not the last filter. A GPA below 3.50 at the end of your first fall semester makes the spring review course mandatory, and you must pass it to retake the first year.

In the latest editions, EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) is #=22 in the QS World University Rankings 2027 and 36th in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027. In THE's 2026 subject tables EPFL is 20th in Physical Sciences, 21st in Engineering and 21st in Computer Science.

The = sign means EPFL shares its QS place with at least one other university. Every EPFL position here comes from the publisher's own EPFL page, because EPFL's International ranking page shows its results only as a graph.

=22nd

World University Rankings · QS 2027

36th

World University Rankings · THE 2027

21st

Engineering · THE subject rankings 2026

21st

Computer Science · THE subject rankings 2026

For your application, the subject tables tell you more than the overall place. EPFL places 50th in THE's Life Sciences table, a field THE says EPFL branched out into more recently. For the ShanghaiRanking ARWU or the U.S. News Best Global Universities, read the position and the edition on that publisher's own EPFL page.

How EPFL's QS position has moved

The QS chart on EPFL's profile puts EPFL at #12 in the 2018 edition, #36 in 2024, #26 in 2025 and #=22 in 2026, the same place as in 2027. If an older guide gives EPFL a better QS place for 2025, check the edition: the chart shows EPFL at #14 in 2016, 2017 and 2021.

What EPFL's reputation rests on

EPFL is one of two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology and is twinned with ETH Zurich. EPFL belongs to the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain, a union of research institutes and universities that also includes ETH Zurich, and THE notes that, unusually for a Swiss university, EPFL is controlled by the federal government.

EPFL dates its foundation to 1853 and began as a school with 11 students. In 1869 the school became the technical department of the public Académie de Lausanne and, after the academy became the University of Lausanne, established itself as a federal institute in its own right.

EPFL aerial

EPFL counts over 500 laboratories and research groups on campus. THE describes EPFL as highly regarded for its research and teaching in engineering, notes that the campus is home to a nuclear reactor, a fusion reactor and a Blue Gene/Q supercomputer, and names the Blue Brain Project and the Human Brain Project among the international research projects EPFL has coordinated. EPFL alumni include Jacques Dubochet, winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

EPFL turns lab research into companies through its Startup Launchpad, which offers founders tools, funding opportunities and hands-on support, and through the EPFL Innovation Park, a hub that hosts companies. Recent Launchpad awards include CHF 30,000 Ignition Grants and CHF 100,000 Innogrants.

Who studies and teaches at EPFL

EPFL describes itself as Europe's most cosmopolitan technical university, with students, professors and collaborators of more than 120 nationalities. In the data THE collected for its 2027 ranking, 64% of EPFL students are international and there are 13.8 students per member of staff. The EPFL Alumni network counts more than 39’000 former students in nearly 80 countries.

EPFL's student count depends on who is counting. EPFL says it teaches more than 15,000 students across all levels of education, QS lists 12,238 and THE's 2027 data counts 13,872. QS also lists 1,849 faculty staff at EPFL.

EPFL's admission pages give no Bachelor acceptance rate for autumn 2027 entry; what EPFL does publish is a limit of 3000 students in the first year of its Bachelor's programmes, in force from the beginning of the school year in 2025 and for at least four years. With an EU, EFTA, UK or IB certificate you compete for those places on your certificate's results, so meeting EPFL's minimum grades does not guarantee you a place.

EPFL accepts holders of an EU, EFTA or UK certificate or an International Baccalaureate at the beginning of August within the places available, ranked by the general average (or total number of points scored) of the certificate. Students repeating the first year, holders of a Swiss maturité gymnasiale, and those who have successfully completed the CMS or entrance exam are guaranteed to be accepted, whatever the limit.

What EPFL publishes about Bachelor admission

EPFL's Bachelor admission criteria page gives no number of applicants, offers or new first-year students, overall or for holders of a foreign diploma. EPFL's Institutional Data page says its data covers enrolment, research, innovation, sustainability and much more, but the statistics it links to were not among the pages read for this report.

Because EPFL's admission pages give no such counts, an EPFL Bachelor acceptance percentage on another website is not EPFL data. The old description of EPFL as open admission at Bachelor level no longer holds, because EPFL has limited its first-year places from the beginning of the school year in 2025.

Who competes for first-year places in 2027

EPFL set its limit for at least four years, so it still covers an autumn 2027 start. EPFL's admission page also says the criteria are valid for the ongoing year, so read it again when EPFL's application form opens in November. Your route depends on your diploma:

EPFL's minimum grades are a gate, not the level of admitted students. Meeting them puts you in the ranking, and the EPFL pages read for this report give no cut-off average for the last applicant admitted.

With a certificate from outside the EU, EFTA and UK, EPFL does not rank you for the first year. EPFL lists its entrance exam with no condition nor capacity limitation, yet the same EPFL page says registration for that exam has been restricted. If your country is missing from EPFL's CMS conditions document, you can only be accepted through the entrance exam.

How many students pass the first year

The EPFL pages read for this report give no first-year pass or completion rate, by section or by diploma origin, so this report no longer quotes a share of students who complete year one. The rule EPFL does state is the Review Course (MAN): a fall-semester GPA of less than 3.50 makes it mandatory for first-year students, and students must pass to be able to retake the first year.

Master admission rates

EPFL's Master admission page gives no Master admission rate, overall or for Computer Science or Data Science, so earlier percentages for EPFL Master admission have no EPFL source. For its 29 Master's programmes, EPFL says admission is competitive and that only people with excellent academic records and references have good chances of being accepted. You can apply for one Master's program per academic year.

For autumn 2027 entry, EPFL picks Bachelor students by their school-leaving certificate: holders of an EU, EFTA, UK or IB certificate who meet its grade conditions are ranked by the general average (or total number of points scored) for a place within a limit of 3000 first-year students, in force from the beginning of the school year in 2025 and for at least four years.

EPFL takes some applicants outside that ranking, and for everyone else the certificate decides whether EPFL ranks you, evaluates you or sends you to its entrance exam.

EPFL's grade conditions are a gate, not the level of admitted students: an EU or EFTA certificate needs 80% of the maximum grade in mathematics and physics and a general average of 80%, and an IB needs 38 out of 42 points (full list in the diploma chapter). Above that bar, the EPFL pages read for this report give no cut-off and no tie-break. EPFL also calls the criteria valid for the ongoing year, so recheck them for 2027 when the application form opens in November.

What counts, and what EPFL leaves out

EPFL also checks what stands behind the grades: on an EU, EFTA or non-EU certificate, mathematics and physics must be studied and examined at the highest possible level, and French at level B2 is required, with level C1 highly recommended (see the language chapter).

The EPFL Bachelor admission criteria page lists no essay, interview, reference or motivation letter, and does not mention the SAT, the ACT, extracurricular activities or the ranking of your school. EPFL does not write that it ignores them, but nothing on that page gives them a role in the ranking. EPFL's Master admission, by contrast, weighs the quality of the application, the academic curriculum, the grades and results, the research references.

One EPFL rule catches applicants from abroad: if your EU, EFTA, UK or IB certificate misses a condition, the criteria page offers the entrance exam as a fallback only to applicants who are Swiss or reside and study in Switzerland for a professional reason. The exam and CMS chapter covers who else can sit the exam.

Reapplying, deferring and transferring

A transfer into an EPFL Bachelor needs at least one year successfully completed in a university stream equivalent to EPFL's. EPFL then evaluates you for the second year in a close field, provided you also meet the first-year requirements, may place you in the first or second year, with or without restrictions; admission to the second or third year is granted for a specific field, and transfer to another field is in principle not allowed.

Earlier university study can also close the EPFL route. EPFL cannot accept you after you left a stream close to its fields after having definitely failed it or been excluded, with two years without success in the same stream treated as such a failure, or after you left more than one University stream without graduating; those applicants are also not allowed to register for the entrance exam.

The EPFL Bachelor criteria page gives applicants from abroad no rule on reapplying after a refusal, retaking the entrance exam or the CMS, or deferring an offer. EPFL sends admission questions to the 'General' and 'Bachelor's' sections of its FAQ, and you can also ask at the EPFL information days on 18-20.11.2026.

For autumn 2027 entry, plan on EPFL's current minimums for applicants from abroad: at least 38 out of 42 IB points with 6 out of 7 in mathematics and physics, A-levels at A or better in mathematics, physics and chemistry, biology or computer science, or 80% of the maximum grade in mathematics and physics with an 80% general average on an EU or EFTA certificate such as the Abitur or the French baccalauréat. Meeting them makes you eligible, not admitted: the first year is capped at 3000 students, and EU, EFTA, UK and IB applicants compete for the places available, ranked by general average or IB points.

Older guides, including an earlier version of this page, quoted EPFL's Swiss rule: 36 IB points with 5 out of 7 in mathematics and physics apply only if you are Swiss or live in Switzerland for a professional reason, and A-levels need A, not A*. EPFL publishes no Abitur band, baccalauréat mention or maturità score: those diplomas and the European Baccalaureate follow the EU percentage rule.

EPFL calls these criteria valid for the ongoing year. The cap runs from the beginning of the school year in 2025 and for at least four years, so it covers autumn 2027 entry; Swiss and Swiss-resident applicants are not subject to the capacity limitation.

Required subjects: mathematics, physics and one more science

EPFL requires mathematics and physics for every certificate in the table. IB candidates need mathematics, physics, and chemistry, biology or computer science at Higher Level ('Analysis and approaches' and 'Applications and interpretation' both count), plus two modern languages and history, geography, economics or philosophy at SL or HL. A-level candidates need the same three sciences as Advanced Levels, with Further Mathematics accepted, and English, a second modern language and history or geography at GCSE level or higher.

An EU or EFTA certificate needs seven listed subject areas studied in upper secondary school: mathematics, physics, the official language of the issuing country, a second modern language, chemistry or biology, history, geography or economics, and applied mathematics, computer science, philosophy or a third language. At least six of the seven, mathematics and physics included, must appear on the final transcript. Mathematics and physics must be at the highest possible level, in a scientific stream where streams exist, but 'expert' or 'advanced mathematics' options are not required, and physics-chemistry cannot count twice.

If your EU, EFTA, UK or IB certificate misses a subject or a grade, EPFL's page names no fallback for applicants from abroad: in those sections the CMS fallback is for Swiss applicants and the entrance exam for Swiss or Swiss-resident applicants, and registration for the entrance exam has been restricted. Every route also needs French at level B2; see the language chapter.

Diplomas that lead to the CMS or the entrance exam

A certificate from a country outside the EU, EFTA and UK, such as a US high school diploma, does not open EPFL's first year; EPFL's criteria page names neither the US diploma nor AP courses. After evaluation and within places, it can lead to the Cours de mathématiques spéciales (CMS), a foundation year, if it took at least twelve years of schooling, three of them upper secondary and meets the EU subject and grade conditions, unless your country is missing from EPFL's CMS conditions document (see below). Holders may also register for the entrance exam, with no conditions and no capacity limit.

Certificates from Brunei, Hong Kong, Mauritius and Singapore are judged for the CMS on A-level criteria, and international A-levels accredited by a third-party state follow the outside-EU rules. Unaccredited international A-levels and Pre-Us, and certificates from countries missing from EPFL's CMS conditions document, lead only to the entrance exam. EPFL describes no reduced exam; the next chapter covers the exam and the CMS.

If you have already started university

After successfully completing at least one year in a university stream equivalent to EPFL's, you can apply for the second year of an EPFL Bachelor in a close field, if you also meet the first-year requirements. EPFL may place you in the first or second year, with or without restrictions; admission to the second or third year is granted for a specific field, and transfer to another field is in principle not allowed.

Once you have begun any higher education or foundation course, you cannot in principle enter the CMS, though the entrance exam stays open. EPFL cannot accept you after definitive failure or exclusion in a close stream (two years without success count as definitive failure) or if you left more than one university stream without graduating, and those applicants cannot register for the entrance exam either.

Where to check your own diploma

EPFL's criteria page is the reference, though it does not constitute a legal basis. For an EU or EFTA certificate, your country's page in the swissuniversities 'Countries' section, 'EPFL' heading, adds details for information only. From outside the EU, EFTA and UK, check your country in EPFL's PDF 'Conditions to apply for admission to the Cours de mathématiques spéciales at EPFL'.

For questions, EPFL points to the 'General' and 'Bachelor's' sections of its FAQ; no EPFL page we checked gives an admissions email. You can also ask in person at the information days on 18-20.11.2026.

For autumn 2027 entry, plan without the SAT: EPFL's current Bachelor admission criteria, read on 9 October 2026, name no SAT, ACT or Advanced Placement (AP) score on any route. EPFL admits you on your school-leaving certificate, with its own entrance exam and its foundation year, the Cours de mathématiques spéciales (CMS), as the routes for certificates that do not lead straight to year one. Under the 3000-place first-year limit that runs from the beginning of the school year in 2025 and for at least four years, those who have successfully completed the CMS or entrance exam are guaranteed to be accepted.

EPFL builds every Bachelor route on a school-leaving certificate or a higher-education diploma: applicants who do not hold one of the listed certificates or diplomas cannot be accepted, and EPFL ranks EU, EFTA, UK and IB applicants by the general average (or total number of points scored).

EPFL says the criteria are valid for the ongoing year: read the page again when the application form opens in November and check that your route still holds for autumn 2027 entry.

SAT, ACT and AP scores at EPFL

EPFL's admission, Bachelor and Education pages do not mention the SAT, the ACT or AP exams. EPFL writes no ban either; it simply has no route that uses a test score.

A US high school diploma counts at EPFL as a certificate from outside the EU, EFTA and UK. EPFL's criteria page sets no AP requirement for it and does not define mathematics and physics "at the highest possible level" for the US. In some cases, the heading for your country of education in EPFL's PDF 'Conditions to apply for admission to the Cours de mathématiques spéciales at EPFL' provides specific details, and a country missing from that PDF means the entrance exam only. Check whether the United States appears in that PDF, which EPFL updates only once a year in December, before you book an AP exam or the SAT for EPFL's sake.

Who can take the EPFL entrance exam

From abroad, EPFL's Bachelor criteria page opens the entrance exam to three groups:

• Holders of a certificate from outside the EU, EFTA and UK, with no condition nor capacity limitation, as an alternative to the CMS.
• Holders of a certificate from a country missing from EPFL's CMS PDF, for whom the exam is the only way in.
• Holders of international A-levels without state accreditation, or of Pre-Us, who can only be accepted through the entrance exam.

EPFL also says registration for the entrance exam has been restricted, without saying for whom or how. The CMS bar on earlier higher-education or foundation study does not apply for the entrance exam, but anyone EPFL cannot accept at all because of prior university studies may not register for it.

EPFL's admission and Bachelor criteria pages do not give the entrance exam's subjects, language, dates, registration deadline for autumn 2027 entry, fee, pass rule, number of attempts or any reduced version. EPFL sends you to the 'General' and 'Bachelor's' sections of its FAQ for its admission processes; check there before you plan a year around the exam.

The CMS: EPFL's foundation year

The CMS, which EPFL also calls the Preparatory Year (CMS), is meant for students who don't meet the requirements to be admitted directly into the first year. The CMS gives a solid grounding in mathematics (analysis, linear algebra and analytic geometry), physics, computer science and chemistry; French is not on that list.

For a certificate from outside the EU, EFTA and UK, EPFL admits you to the CMS following the evaluation of your application and within the places available. The certificate needs at least twelve years of primary and secondary education, at least six of EPFL's seven required subjects on the transcript, mathematics and physics at the highest possible level, final grades in both of at least 80% of the maximum grade, and a general average of at least 80% of the maximum grade.

If you have already begun higher education or a foundation course, you cannot in principle be accepted in the CMS, so starting university at home first can cost you this route. EPFL's admission, Bachelor and Vice Presidency for Education pages do not state the CMS dates, length, teaching language, fee or application deadline. EPFL does require level B2 in French for the Bachelor's programs the CMS leads into.

Pass rates and preparation material

EPFL's admission, Bachelor, Education and Vice Presidency for Education pages publish no entrance exam pass rate, no CMS success rate, and no past papers or syllabus, so treat any rate quoted elsewhere as unconfirmed unless it cites EPFL and names its year. EPFL's Information days 18-20.11.2026 on campus are one place to ask.

EPFL considers French at level B2 required to follow its Bachelor programmes and highly recommends level C1, in admission criteria EPFL says are valid for the ongoing year (read in October 2026); check them again when the application form for autumn 2027 entry opens in November. For the Master, EPFL’s admission criteria set no French level and name no English test or minimum score.

French for the EPFL Bachelor

EPFL repeats the French rule under every foreign certificate heading of its Bachelor admission page, from EU and EFTA certificates and A-levels to the International Baccalaureate. Whatever certificate you hold, treat B2 as the minimum for the 13 Bachelor programmes and C1 as the target.

EPFL asks foreign applicants who have not studied French as part of their upper secondary education to attest their French level upon application. If French was not a subject at your upper secondary school, have proof of your level ready when you apply.

EPFL’s Bachelor admission page names no accepted French certificate (no DELF, DALF, TCF or TEF result) and no exemption for years spent at a French-medium school, which older guides describe. The page sends you to the ‘General’ and ‘Bachelor’s’ sections of the EPFL admission FAQ; confirm there which certificates EPFL accepts before you book an exam.

Teaching language of the EPFL Bachelor

Many guides say every EPFL Bachelor programme is taught in French, with some English lectures in later years. EPFL’s Bachelor pages do not state the teaching language year by year across the three years of the Bachelor. The EPFL admission page lists a separate section, Langues d’enseignement (teaching languages); read it before you plan how much French to prepare.

English for the EPFL Master

EPFL offers 29 Master programmes, and the EPFL Master admission criteria page sets neither a French level nor an English test: anyone holding a Bachelor’s degree from a university in a field related to the EPFL curricula can apply, and admission is competitive. English skills have their own section on the EPFL admission page, Compétences d’anglais, filed under teaching at EPFL.

Older guides quoted minimum TOEFL and IELTS scores for the EPFL Master, but EPFL’s Master admission criteria page states none. The page points you to the ‘General’ and ‘Master’s’ sections of the EPFL admission FAQ and to the requirements specific to every Master’s programme. Confirm these points there before you pay for a test:

• which English tests EPFL accepts, for example TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic or a Cambridge English exam
• the minimum overall score and any minimum per section
• whether every EPFL Master programme asks for proof of English, or only some
• whether a previous degree taught in English exempts you
• whether EPFL accepts at-home or online versions of a test

French courses at EPFL and French in Lausanne

EPFL’s Master admission page offers an intensive French language course to all accepted people, starting four weeks before the beginning of the semester. The page gives no cost or level for the course and does not say whether Bachelor entrants can take it.

EPFL lists a Language Center among the units of its Vice Presidency for Human Development, without describing its courses or who can take them. EPFL’s Bachelor and Master admission pages say nothing about how much French you need for daily life in Lausanne.

For autumn 2027 entry, EPFL opens its Bachelor application form in November 2026 and accepts qualifying holders of EU, EFTA, UK or IB certificates at the beginning of August 2027, within 3000 first-year places. EPFL's admission pages, read on 9 October 2026, print no Bachelor deadline, document list or application fee.

EPFL decides Bachelor admission on your school-leaving certificate and your French. EPFL ranks EU, EFTA, UK and IB applicants by the general average (or total number of points scored) of the certificate, under a cap that runs from the school year in 2025 for at least four years. The diploma chapter sets out the subject and grade conditions.

EPFL's dates depend on your certificate. A certificate from outside the EU, EFTA and UK leads to the Cours de mathématiques spéciales (CMS), the foundation year, where EPFL decides following the evaluation of the application and within the places available, or to the entrance exam.

Timeline for autumn 2027 entry

The rail runs from today to your first day on campus. EPFL's Bachelor admission page says the criteria are valid for the ongoing year and prints no year next to its months, so each month below is the next one due for autumn 2027 entry.

The application file and fee

EPFL's Bachelor admission page does not list the documents or name an application fee. EPFL sends you to a separate page, Overview of the application procedure, and to its FAQ, so take the document list and any fee from that page. The one document rule EPFL prints is the French attestation in the rail; the language chapter covers it in full.

EPFL's Master admission page names IS-Academia only for EPFL's own Bachelor students, who only need to approve their registration on IS-Academia to continue to a Master. EPFL's pages do not name the portal for applicants from other schools.

An EPFL Master application is filled online with referees' contact information, from which EPFL exempts its own graduates changing field and same-field graduates of ETH Zürich or a cantonal university. EPFL weighs the grades and results, the research references and the quality of the application, and you can apply for one Master's program per academic year.

CMS and entrance exam: separate procedures

EPFL prints a CMS timetable only for Swiss maturité gymnasiale holders who ask for the CMS voluntarily: an email at the end of May with a self-evaluation mathematics test and a request form, about three weeks to send the request, and an answer in July.

For a CMS place on a certificate from outside the EU, EFTA and UK, EPFL prints no separate date. EPFL's country document for that route is only updated once a year in December, after the form opens, so check your country again then.

EPFL's Bachelor page lets applicants from outside the EU, EFTA and UK register for the entrance exam but also says registration for the entrance exam has been restricted, and prints no exam date or deadline. The tests chapter covers the exam.

Master deadlines and decisions

EPFL's Master admission page gives two windows, and studies begin in early September either way. The page prints no year: if the windows stay as printed, the first deadline for a September 2027 start is 15 December 2026.

EPFL strongly advises Master applicants who need a visa to use the December deadline, as the visa procedure can take up to 3 months. The Master page offers all accepted people an intensive French language course starting four weeks before the semester. The June spring deadline in older guides is not on the page.

Visa and housing before arrival

The Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) treats stays of more than 90 days as long-term and lists the national type D visa for long-term stays (more than three months) in Switzerland subject to authorization. Check the SEM entry requirements by nationality as soon as you are admitted; the visa chapter covers permits.

EPFL's Housing Information service explains the various housing options in the Lausanne area and the steps you need to take for your status. EPFL prints no housing deadline.

EPFL admission is not the last filter: the Review Course (MAN) is mandatory for first-year students who end the fall semester with a GPA of less than 3.50. The first-year chapter explains the propaedeutic year.

As of October 2026, EPFL offers 13 Bachelor programmes, each 180 ECTS spread over three years, and 29 Master programmes. EPFL calls its Bachelor a mandatory path to a Master’s degree, and if you complete an EPFL Bachelor you are automatically registered in the Master’s program of your field of study.

The EPFL Bachelor is available in 13 different disciplines and, in EPFL’s words, constitutes the first stage of polytechnic studies across most fields of basic sciences, engineering and architecture. At EPFL you choose a field for the Bachelor and personalise your studies later, in the Master, through orientations, specializations and minors.

Five schools, one college and the sections

EPFL describes itself as five schools and one college, and the EPFL Schools & Colleges page lists them by name and code. The EPFL Master page counts differently: it spreads the 29 Master programmes over the five faculties and two colleges that make up the School. Both EPFL pages agree on five schools; the Schools & Colleges page names one college, the College of Management of Technology (CDM).

EPFL runs its teaching with its sections. The EPFL Vice Presidency for Education, which oversees all of EPFL’s study programmes, works closely with the sections, and the EPFL Section Directors’ Conference coordinates teaching efforts and standardizes them across the school. EPFL’s central pages give no count of sections.

EPFL Polydome 2

What every EPFL Bachelor has in common

Whatever field you choose, an EPFL Bachelor has the same frame of 180 ECTS over three years. EPFL considers level B2 in French necessary to follow its Bachelor programmes, and level C1 is highly recommended; the language chapter of this report covers how to prove your level.

The first year of every EPFL Bachelor runs under shared rules. EPFL’s Propaedeutic Center was created specifically to address issues related to the first year of Bachelor’s programs, and the EPFL Review Course (MAN) is mandatory if you end the fall semester with a GPA of less than 3.50. At the other end, EPFL offers excellence fellowships to the most outstanding first year Bachelor’s students. The first-year chapter of this report covers the exams and the MAN in detail.

Computer science, microengineering, architecture: the Masters that follow

EPFL’s Master admission page lists, field by field, the Master programmes consecutive to the corresponding EPFL Bachelor’s degree, including computer science and communication systems, microengineering and architecture. The list sits in EPFL’s rules for graduates of Swiss universities of applied sciences (HES/FHS), but it shows where each EPFL Bachelor field leads: the Masters an EPFL Bachelor graduate can enter without a new application.

The EPFL list does not cover all 13 Bachelor programmes, and it names no Master for physics, mathematics or the life sciences. EPFL’s central Bachelor and Master pages describe no programme one by one: the courses, first-year content and teaching details of a single programme sit on that programme’s own EPFL page, so read it before you apply. EPFL Master programmes are designed to be flexible, whichever one you enter.

Choosing your EPFL Bachelor programme

The EPFL Bachelor page offers these aids for choosing a field of study before you apply:

• Bachelor information days on 18-20.11.2026, which EPFL calls a key annual event on its campus.
• Orientation tools that guide your choice of a field of study.
• Meetings with EPFL representatives, where you get answers to your questions and receive advice at events and information sessions.
• Students’ stories: videos featuring EPFL students who present their study programs, their everyday lives and life on campus.

Humanities and social sciences (SHS) in every study plan

Every EPFL study plan includes the Social Science and Humanities Program (SHS). EPFL says the SHS programme integrates disciplines dealing with people and society into the EPFL student curriculum and is common to all of the school’s study plans, so you take SHS courses whatever your field, from introductory and advanced courses that train critical thinking and cross-disciplinary skills.

Labs, projects and selective programmes

EPFL says its degree programmes place a heavy emphasis on lab sessions and hands-on workshops with direct research applications. EPFL’s MAKE projects add cross-disciplinary teamwork, project-based learning, experiments and prototype building to classroom teaching, and the EPFL Enhanced Learning Programs are selective programmes for its most promising students.

Exchange terms abroad

EPFL students can do an exchange term abroad, and the EPFL Registrar’s Office (SAC) manages exchange programs along with study plans and matriculation. Switzerland doesn’t participate in the ERASMUS+ programme and runs its own Swiss-European Mobility programme (SEMP) for student exchanges. EPFL’s central education pages do not say in which year of the Bachelor you can go abroad, and they describe no double degree open to Bachelor students.

From the EPFL Bachelor to an EPFL Master

An EPFL Bachelor leads straight into an EPFL Master in the same field. EPFL Bachelor graduates are automatically registered in the Master’s program of their field of study and only need to approve their registration on IS-Academia. If several EPFL Masters are consecutive to your Bachelor, you can request registration in any of these programs in the FRAC form at the start of your first Master term, with no application.

Changing direction after an EPFL Bachelor takes a full application: to change field or enter a specialized Master, an EPFL graduate must follow the full online application procedure within the same deadlines as for external applications, and EPFL warns that only people with excellent academic records and references have good chances of being accepted. EPFL publishes no figure for how many of its Bachelor graduates continue to an EPFL Master; the Master chapter of this report covers entry from other universities.

At EPFL, first-year students who end the fall semester with a GPA below 3.50 must take the Review Course (MAN) in the spring semester, and only those who pass it can retake the first year, according to EPFL's Vice Presidency for Education page, read in October 2026. EPFL's official pages do not publish the first-year exam blocks, the number of attempts or a pass rate.

Your first year is the start of an EPFL Bachelor's degree of 180 ECTS spread over three years, in one of 13 programmes. EPFL runs a unit for that year alone: the Propaedeutic Center (CePro), which was created specifically to address issues related to the first year of Bachelor's programmes.

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The Review Course (MAN) after a weak fall semester

EPFL's Review Course (MAN) is mandatory for first-year students who end the fall semester with a GPA of less than 3.50, to reinforce their skills. EPFL gives the Review Course in the spring semester, and students must pass to be able to retake the first year. EPFL's page does not say how the Review Course is graded or what happens if you fail it.

Repeating the first year and the limit on places

From the school year 2025 and for at least four years, EPFL limits the first year of its Bachelor's programmes to 3000 students, so the limit still covers an autumn 2027 start. Students repeating the first year are guaranteed to be accepted even under that limit.

EPFL's education, Bachelor and admission pages do not list the first-year exam blocks, the pass mark, how many attempts you get or what happens after a second failure. A rule you may read elsewhere, one repeat of the whole year and then dismissal from EPFL, is not stated on those pages. EPFL's Education page points to its Study management section for the rules and guidelines you'll have to follow while at EPFL; read the first-year rules there before you accept a place.

How many students pass the first year

EPFL publishes no first-year pass rate, by section or by diploma origin, on the official pages read for this report, and EPFL's Data page gives no first-year figure either. The failure range in the earlier version of this article had no EPFL source and has been removed. Treat any EPFL first-year failure percentage as unverified unless it links to EPFL statistics.

Support in the first year

EPFL's Propaedeutic Center ensures that first-year curricula are updated regularly, effective and interactive. The EPFL pages read for this report name no first-year tutoring programme. The help EPFL lists:

• Student Service Desk: the first point of contact for any questions, concerns, or difficulties.
• Social Consultation: individualized support when you're facing difficulties.
• Study arrangements: academic and exam accommodations if you live with a chronic illness, disorder or disability.
• Social Scholarships: financial aid to combat financial hardship, plus one-time help in exceptional, unforeseen circumstances.
• Excellence fellowships: for the most outstanding first-year Bachelor's students.

What to do before you arrive

EPFL's Student Life Experience department says preparations for your arrival begin as soon as you're admitted, and the orientation day marks your very first day on campus.

EPFL publishes no reading list for admitted students, but two EPFL pages show where to spend the months before the fall semester. EPFL's Bachelor admission page says level B2 in French is required to follow its Bachelor's programmes and level C1 is highly recommended. EPFL's Preparatory Year (CMS) gives future Bachelor students a solid grounding in mathematics (analysis, linear algebra and analytic geometry), physics, computer science and chemistry.

If your French or any of those EPFL preparatory subjects was weak in your diploma, work on it before you arrive, because your fall-semester GPA decides whether the Review Course becomes mandatory.

EPFL offers 29 Master's programmes, and the Master's admission criteria it publishes for the ongoing year name no French level, while the EPFL Bachelor's requires French at level B2. For a school-leaver starting university in autumn 2027, an EPFL Master's is a later step, and the EPFL pages read for this report in October 2026 do not say which Master's programmes are taught in English.

EPFL's Master page says the Master's builds on the Bachelor's and lets you personalise your curriculum through orientations, specializations and minors. EPFL's Master's admission page names programmes such as Robotics, Neuro-X, Data Science, Computer Science-Cybersecurity and Communication Systems. EPFL celebrated 1,565 Master's graduates of 2026, and Master's candidates with outstanding results can apply for one of the excellence scholarships offered by EPFL.

The EPFL pages read for this report do not state which Master's programmes are taught in English, how many ECTS credits an EPFL Master's carries or the rules for the Master's thesis. EPFL files teaching languages and English skills under two separate admission entries, Langues d'enseignement and Compétences d'anglais; read both for your programme before you plan an EPFL Master's around English alone.

Who EPFL admits to a Master's, and how

EPFL's Master's admission page accepts applications from anyone holding a Bachelor's degree from a university, or equivalent, in a field related to EPFL's curricula, but admission is competitive: only people with excellent academic records and references have good chances of being accepted. EPFL weighs the quality of the application, the academic curriculum, the grades and results, the research references and the area of specialization, plus export-control and embargo checks, and each Master's programme has its own specific requirements. EPFL publishes no Master's admission rate or minimum grade on the pages read; grade and English-score floors on ranking sites are not EPFL figures.

EPFL does not say why some applicants take a Bachelor's elsewhere first. The difference EPFL's own pages document is French: the EPFL Bachelor's requires level B2, with C1 highly recommended, and foreign applicants who did not study French at upper secondary school must attest their level. The EPFL Master's admission criteria name no French level, and EPFL offers an intensive French language course to all accepted people.

• EPFL accepts an application to one Master's programme per academic year. After a rejection you can apply again the following year, but EPFL says a positive reply is unlikely without new academic results.
• Documents: the EPFL Master's admission page names referees' contact details; the pages read list no CV, letters or application fee.

Master's application deadlines and decisions

EPFL runs two online application windows for its Master's programmes, and you can choose freely between the December and the March deadline.

For a school-leaver starting a Bachelor's in autumn 2027, the EPFL Master's windows come only after a first degree, which at EPFL runs 180 ECTS over three years. EPFL publishes its Master's criteria only for the ongoing year, so check the dates again in the year you apply.

EPFL celebrated 1,565 Master's graduates of 2026, but no official EPFL or QS page checked for this report says where they work, what they earn or how fast they find a job. EPFL does publish its network and its startup money: EPFL Alumni has more than 39’000 members in nearly 80 countries, and in 2026 the Startup Launchpad awarded Ignition Grants of CHF 30,000 and Innogrants of CHF 100,000 per project.

Figures that circulate online for EPFL, such as a median starting salary, sector shares, startups per year or a top place in the QS Graduate Employability Rankings, match no official page checked, so this report leaves them out. EPFL's QS TopUniversities profile, which places EPFL =22 in the QS World University Rankings 2027, shows no graduate employment figure. If pay drives your choice, ask EPFL for its graduate survey and check its year and sample before you trust a salary.

Startup Launchpad grants and the EPFL Innovation Park

EPFL's Vice Presidency for Innovation and Impact (VPI) supports future entrepreneurs among students, doctoral candidates, postdocs, and professors, and its Startup Launchpad offers a comprehensive range of tools, funding opportunities, and hands-on support. EPFL's 2026 news names these Startup Launchpad grants:

The Startup Launchpad AI Track powered by UBS, which EPFL calls the first Swiss grant program dedicated to AI, chose six inaugural grantees in 2025 and four new EPFL projects in its 2026 call. Older guides cite an EPFL Pioneer Fellowship for graduate founders; no official page checked mentions it, and the CHF 100,000 award on EPFL's VPI page is the Innogrant.

EPFL's Vice Presidency for Innovation and Impact also plays a central role in developing the EPFL Innovation Park, a hub hosting companies in an environment that stimulates innovation and strategic collaboration. No official page checked counts the companies in the EPFL Innovation Park or the startups EPFL creates each year.

Internships and career support at EPFL

EPFL's Vice Presidency for Education (VPE) works to ease the transition from graduation to professional life, and Talents EPFL, the EPFL internship portal, asks companies to find the employees of tomorrow by welcoming an intern. No student Career Center page was among the pages checked, so look up EPFL's career services and your programme's internship rules on epfl.ch.

EPFL describes its Bachelor, 180 ECTS over three years, as a mandatory path to a Master's degree, and says its diplomas open many career opportunities both in Switzerland and abroad, so plan your career with the Master in mind.

The EPFL Alumni network

EPFL Alumni has more than 39’000 members in nearly 80 countries, kept in touch through an online directory and numerous events. EPFL's international affairs pages count more than 25 EPFL Alumni branches that act as a relay for the School around the world.

Working in Switzerland after you graduate

No official page checked says whether a graduate from outside the EU and EFTA may stay in Switzerland to look for a job after an EPFL degree, or for how long. The visa chapter covers the permits that could be confirmed; check the job-search rule with the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) or the Vaud cantonal authorities before you count on a first job in Switzerland.

For autumn 2027 entry, the EPFL pages read for this report state no tuition fee, no other fees and no living-cost budget, for a Swiss or a foreign entrance qualification. The closest official cost signal is housing: the canton of Vaud, which includes Lausanne, had a vacancy rate of 0,87%, or 3900 vacant dwellings, at 30 June 2026. Budget at least three years in Lausanne for an EPFL Bachelor and confirm every fee with EPFL.

EPFL tuition for autumn 2027

EPFL's Bachelor, Master and admission pages read for this report give no tuition fee for 2026-2027 or 2027-2028, and they neither state nor rule out a higher rate for an entrance qualification obtained outside Switzerland. If you apply from abroad, confirm the EPFL fee that applies to you instead of budgeting on the single rate for everyone that older guides quote.

The CMS, EPFL's preparatory course, is intended for students who don't meet the requirements to be admitted directly into the first year of an EPFL Bachelor's program. EPFL calls it a foundation year: if it is your route, budget that year in Lausanne too.

Other EPFL fees and AGEPoly

The EPFL admission pages read for this report name no application, semester, exam or CMS fee. AGEPoly, the Association Générale des Étudiant·e·s de l'EPFL, represents students before the EPFL Direction and the ETH Board; its homepage states no membership fee. Once admitted, ask EPFL for the full list of fees due at enrolment.

Living costs in Lausanne

The EPFL pages read for this report give no budget for rent, food, transport or study material, so price each line from current Lausanne listings. Rent is the hard line: a cantonal vacancy rate of 0,87% leaves few empty flats in Vaud. EPFL's Housing Information service can provide you with information about the various housing options in the Lausanne area, and EPFL's Admin Support Help Desk, a pilot project, can assist you with lease agreements. Residences and the private market are in the EPFL housing chapter.

When your Lausanne costs start

EPFL says preparations for your arrival begin as soon as you're admitted, so your EPFL decision date sets how long you have to find a room. The admission pages give these dates without a year.

Health insurance for EPFL students

No EPFL page read for this report says whether you must take Swiss health insurance as a student, whether EU or EFTA students are exempt, or what a premium costs. The canton of Vaud lists a service to request a reduction of the health insurance premium, without saying whether students qualify. Before you arrive, ask EPFL's Admin Support Help Desk, which covers social security law, how the rules apply to your nationality.

If money runs short at EPFL

EPFL offers financial aid to combat financial hardship through social scholarships, plus one-time financial assistance for exceptional and unforeseen circumstances; the EPFL page read for this report gives no amounts for either. Merit scholarships are in the EPFL scholarships chapter.

For autumn 2027 entry, EPFL names the aid it offers, but the EPFL pages we checked in October 2026 give no amount and no aid deadline: Social Scholarships and one-time financial assistance for students in financial hardship, excellence fellowships for the most outstanding first-year Bachelor's students, and excellence scholarships that Master's candidates can apply for. Plan your first year at EPFL without counting on an EPFL award.

EPFL's Social Scholarships are for students who are already studying. EPFL's Student Life Experience page says EPFL offers financial aid to combat financial hardship and enable students to continue their studies, and adds one-time financial assistance for exceptional and unforeseen circumstances that suddenly and temporarily jeopardize a student's studies. EPFL does not present either one as an award made at admission.

Social Scholarships and one-time help

EPFL's pages give no amount for a Social Scholarship, no rule on whether students from abroad qualify, and no application route or deadline. Read EPFL's Social Scholarships page for the rules, and treat EPFL's Social Scholarships as a safety net for a crisis during your studies, not as part of your starting budget.

EPFL's Student Service Desk is the first point of contact for any questions, concerns, or difficulties you meet while studying at EPFL. EPFL's Social Consultation provides individualized support when you face difficulties and helps you find the right resources. These two EPFL offices are where to start if money becomes a problem after you arrive.

Excellence fellowships for first-year Bachelor's students

EPFL's Bachelor page says that, to encourage students in their scientific ambitions, EPFL offers excellence fellowships to the most outstanding first year Bachelor's students. The excellence fellowship is the only merit award for Bachelor's students that EPFL's Bachelor page names.

EPFL's Bachelor page gives no amount, selection rule or deadline for the excellence fellowships, and does not say whether EPFL awards them at admission or on first-year results. Count an EPFL excellence fellowship as a possible bonus, not as money your autumn 2027 plan depends on.

Canton of Vaud grants and home-country funding

Neither EPFL's pages nor the Canton of Vaud homepage describe a cantonal study grant, its amount or its rules for students from abroad, so treat any Vaud grant figure quoted elsewhere as unconfirmed. The Canton of Vaud homepage does link to a request for a reduction of the health insurance premium, without saying whether students qualify; the cost chapter covers health insurance.

EPFL does not list any home-country scholarship. If your own country funds degrees abroad, ask your ministry of education or national scholarship agency whether its scheme covers a Bachelor's degree in Switzerland, and apply on that scheme's calendar, which may close before you hear from EPFL.

Master's level: the EPFL excellence fellowship

For Master's students only: under the heading Excellence fellowship, EPFL's Master page says that Master's degree candidates whose academic results are outstanding have the possibility to apply for one of the excellence scholarships offered by EPFL. EPFL's Master page gives no amount, selection rule, number of awards or fellowship deadline, so treat a yearly range in Swiss francs or a class-rank cutoff quoted elsewhere as unconfirmed.

EPFL lets you freely choose between the two Master rounds, but strongly advises people who need a visa to apply by the December deadline, because the visa procedure can take up to 3 months. Our advice adds a second reason: a December-round decision in late March leaves you more time to arrange funding than a decision in mid-June.

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships and doctoral funding

EPFL's admission and student pages do not describe the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships, so this report gives no eligibility rule, stipend or deadline for them. Ask the Swiss embassy in your country for the official rules before you plan around them.

Doctoral note: EPFL's Bachelor, Master and student-life pages give no amount or duration for doctoral funding at EPFL. If you plan a PhD, read the EPFL Doctoral School pages.

Startup grants are not study funding

EPFL's innovation page reports that Larmor and HelixScreen each received a CHF 100,000 Innogrant through the EPFL Startup Launchpad. These EPFL grants fund startup projects built on EPFL research, not tuition or rent; the careers chapter covers them.

For autumn 2027 entry, no EPFL page read for this report on 9 October 2026 promises first-year students a room, and empty homes are scarce in the canton of Vaud, where Lausanne lies: the canton counted 3900 vacant dwellings on 30 June 2026, a vacancy rate of 0,87%. Start with EPFL's Housing Information service, which covers housing options in the Lausanne area and the steps for your status.

EPFL does not say whether Housing Information allocates rooms or how to contact the service, so treat EPFL Housing Information as advice, not a room offer, and run your own search alongside the EPFL services below.

Student residences near EPFL

EPFL's pages read for this report name no student residence, application process, waiting list or room price for 2027-2028, and no official page confirms the residence prices and waiting times quoted in older guides. Ask EPFL Housing Information which residences take EPFL students, how to apply, how long the wait is and what a room costs.

Renting privately in Lausanne

EPFL publishes no rents, neighbourhoods or scam warnings on the pages read for this report. The canton of Vaud's vacancy rate of 0,87% on 30 June 2026 covers every dwelling in the canton, not Lausanne alone or student rooms, so read the Vaud figure as a sign that free flats are scarce, not as a rent guide.

To judge how far a Lausanne flat is from EPFL, the Mobility and Travel section of EPFL's campus page explains how to get to campus. Before you sign or pay a deposit, ask EPFL's "Admin Support" help desk, a pilot project, about lease agreements, and never pay for a flat that nobody you trust has seen.

When to start looking, and your first nights

EPFL gives no date for starting a housing search; EPFL says only that preparations for your arrival at EPFL begin as soon as you're admitted. Start looking the day your EPFL decision arrives, using the dates below; the Bachelor page gives no decision date for school certificates from outside the EU, EFTA or UK. Aim for a signed lease before the orientation day, your very first day on campus.

EPFL lists no temporary housing for new students. The Restaurants, shops and hotels section of EPFL's campus page mentions many places to eat, drink, shop and sleep without names or prices, so book a few nights in Lausanne before you travel to visit flats.

As of October 2026, EPFL works with more than 100 recognized student associations on its Lausanne campus, in a community drawn from more than 120 nationalities. AGEPoly is the student union, sports facilities are shared with the University of Lausanne, and EPFL’s support for new students starts as soon as you’re admitted.

AGEPoly and student associations at EPFL

AGEPoly, the Association Générale des Étudiant·e·s de l’EPFL, is the EPFL student union. AGEPoly represents students’ interests before the School’s Direction and the ETH Board (Conseil des EPF) and runs campus events from crêpe giveaways to a festival, by way of sports tournaments.

The student clubs are overseen by EPFL itself, not by AGEPoly. The EPFL Office of associative affairs works with the more than 100 recognized associations and takes walk-in questions, no appointment needed, every Tuesday from 12:30 to 13:30.

To meet students from your country, start with EPFL’s list of international associations. It names, among others, the Iranian Students Association at EPFL (IRSA), the Chinese Students & Scholars Association and the YUVA Indians Association. EPFL’s 2026 Les Culturelles arts festival will feature 9 events, with student associations taking part.

Sport at EPFL

Sport at EPFL is a joint offer with the University of Lausanne: EPFL’s campus page says UNIL and EPFL join forces to offer sports facilities. Inside EPFL, the Sport and Health Service belongs to the Vice Presidency for Human Development, and AGEPoly has its own Animation et Sports section.

In September 2026 EPFL announced that the International University Sports Federation (FISU) had given it the Healthy Campus label at the highest certification level, Platinum, with a score of 99 out of 100. EPFL’s campus and Vice Presidency pages list no disciplines and no fee, so check the UNIL and EPFL sports service before you budget for a sport.

The EPFL campus and the Rolex Learning Center

EPFL says its campus lives at the rhythm of its events and its student associations, and its buildings host its library, shops, restaurants and exhibitions. The EPFL library is located at the Rolex Learning Center, and the campus has many places to eat, drink, shop and sleep. EPFL runs five campuses in all; this chapter is about the Lausanne campus.

On getting around, EPFL says there are now more bicycles than cars at EPFL, and the EPFL Mobility and Travel page explains how to get to campus.

Support for new and international students

EPFL’s Student Life Experience department (VPH-SLE) supports students throughout their time at EPFL and runs Welcome for new students. The orientation EPFL describes is an orientation day on your first day on campus, not an orientation week.

Once you are in Lausanne, the EPFL Student Service Desk is the first point of contact for any question, concern or difficulty while you study. The table lists the other Student Life Experience services.

Living in Lausanne

EPFL says little about Lausanne itself. EPFL’s Master page places the school in full view of the Alps, on the north side of Lake Geneva, and EPFL’s Bachelor page names the campus’ quality in terms of infrastructures, comfort and climate, along with the economic stability of Switzerland, as reasons people choose EPFL. For a student’s view, the EPFL Bachelor page links to Students’ stories, videos in which EPFL students present their everyday lives and their experiences on campus.

For rooms, rents and residence permits, see the housing, cost and visa chapters of this report.

If your nationality needs a visa, studying at EPFL from autumn 2027 means applying for a Swiss national (type D) visa, because the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) treats stays of more than 90 days as long-term stays. EPFL's Master admission page says the visa procedure can take up to 3 months and advises Master's applicants who need a visa to apply by the 15th of December deadline.

SEM sets Swiss entry rules by purpose of stay, with studies named as one purpose, and by length of stay. An EPFL Bachelor's is spread over three years, so the long-stay rules apply to you. Whether you need a visa at all depends on your passport: SEM publishes entry requirements by nationality and a separate page on entry without a visa, and recommends that you check the entry requirements before travelling.

The national (type D) visa

SEM's National (type D) visa application form is the one for long-term stays in Switzerland subject to authorization. SEM's online visa portal, www.swiss-visa.ch, explains how and where to apply for a visa, and forms in local languages are on the websites of Swiss representations abroad.

The SEM pages read for this report give no document list, no proof-of-funds amount, no visa fee and no processing time for the type D visa itself. Get those from the Swiss representation for your country or through www.swiss-visa.ch before you gather your papers.

Visa timing for Master's applicants

EPFL's Master admission page says people who need a visa are strongly advised to apply by the December deadline, in order to have an answer earlier and have enough time for the visa procedure. The page names no intake year; read on 9 October 2026, the December round runs like this:

EPFL's March round for Master's applications runs from the 16th of December to the 31st of March, with decisions sent in mid-June, which leaves less time before studies begin in early September.

EPFL's Bachelor admission page gives no visa advice. It says holders of an EU, EFTA or UK school-leaving certificate or an International Baccalaureate are accepted at the beginning of August within the places available, so if you apply for a Bachelor's and need a visa, ask the Swiss representation for your country about timing before you apply.

Residence permit in the canton of Vaud

For questions about the extension of a residence permit, SEM points you to the cantonal immigration and employment market authorities; for the EPFL campus in Lausanne, that is the canton of Vaud. The SEM and canton of Vaud pages read for this report do not state the permit category for students, the deadline to register with your commune, the permit fee or how often you renew, so ask the canton once you have a Lausanne address.

Working during your studies

For questions about an application for a work permit, SEM also points you to the cantonal immigration and employment market authorities. No SEM or EPFL page read for this report states weekly work hours in term, a waiting period for students from outside the EU and EFTA, student pay or EPFL student assistant posts, so this report gives none.

EPFL's Admin Support help desk, a pilot project, assists students in the areas of social security law, labor law, lease agreements, and immigration law. Take a job offer to that help desk before you sign it.

After graduation, and EPFL's help on arrival

No SEM page read for this report covers a permit to look for work after a Swiss degree, so ask the canton or EPFL's Admin Support help desk about it before your final semester.

EPFL's Student Life Experience department says preparations for your arrival at EPFL begin as soon as you're admitted, so start the visa steps the day your offer arrives. That support includes the orientation day, which marks your very first day on campus. EPFL says its students, professors and staff come from more than 120 nationalities. Two EPFL services are the first places to ask:

• Student Service Desk: the first point of contact for any questions, concerns or difficulties while you study at EPFL.
• Housing Information: housing options in the Lausanne area and the steps you need to take, depending on your status.

EPFL suits you for autumn 2027 entry if you can reach French at level B2, hold a certificate that competes well for one of its 3000 first-year places, and can face a first year in which a fall-semester GPA below 3.50 makes a review course mandatory. Without French, EPFL's 29 Master programmes, whose admission criteria name no French level, are a later route after a Bachelor's elsewhere.

Your certificate decides how you compete for an EPFL place. A Swiss maturité gymnasiale is accepted with no other condition nor capacity limitation; an EU, EFTA, UK or IB certificate is ranked by the general average and accepted at the beginning of August within the places available.

Do not budget on the flat tuition fee in older guides, including the earlier version of this article: ask EPFL which fee applies to a certificate obtained abroad. EPFL offers excellence fellowships to the most outstanding first-year Bachelor students, and THE's 2027 data count 64% of EPFL students as international.

EPFL, ETH Zurich or TU Munich

EPFL is twinned with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich), and both belong to the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain. Settle the language question first: EPFL lies in the French-speaking part of Switzerland and asks for French at B2, so check ETH Zurich's Bachelor teaching language on ETH's own pages before you choose.

EPFL and ETH Zurich connect at Master level: EPFL's Master page names ETH Zürich among the Swiss universities whose same-field Bachelor graduates with 180 ECTS are guaranteed admission to a consecutive Master at EPFL, though additional credits may be required. QS lists joint EPFL and ETH Zurich Masters in Nuclear Engineering and Cyber Security.

In the 2027 editions, EPFL is #=22 in the QS World University Rankings and 36th in THE's. This report read no page of ETH Zurich, TU Munich, Imperial College London or KU Leuven, so it quotes none of their figures; compare them on their own pages, in the same 2027 tables, for teaching language, tuition for your certificate, rank and admission route.

Next steps for autumn 2027 entry

EPFL's Bachelor admission page says the criteria are valid for the ongoing year and prints months without a year, so each step below is the next one due for autumn 2027 entry.

EPFL's admission pages give no Bachelor deadline, application fee, or CMS and entrance exam dates, and the April deadline and fixed fee in older guides are not on them. Take both from EPFL's Overview of the application procedure and its FAQ.

Official pages of Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, UCAS, gov.uk and the ranking publishers. Applicant reports, where shown, are self-reported and labelled.

EPFL - QS TopUniversities profile · EPFL - THE World University Rankings · EPFL Master's studies · EPFL · Bachelor/CMS admission criteria & application ‒ Admission ‐ EPFL · Master admission criteria & application ‒ Admission ‐ EPFL · Site officiel du Canton de Vaud | État de Vaud · Bachelor ‐ EPFL · About ‐ EPFL · Vice Presidency for Education (VPE) ‒ Vice Presidencies ‐ EPFL · EPFL International ranking · EPFL Vice Presidency for Innovation and Impact · Institutional Data, DATA, EPFL · Admission ‐ EPFL · Vice Presidency for Human Development (VPH) ‒ Vice Presidencies ‐ EPFL · Student Life Experience (SLE) ‒ Vice Presidencies ‐ EPFL · Entry · Visa Application Form · EPFL · Schools & Colleges - EPFL · Education - EPFL · EPFL in European programmes ‒ Presidency - EPFL · Bachelor/CMS admission criteria & application - EPFL · About ‐ EPFL · Associations and alumni ‒ Presidency ‐ EPFL · AGEPoly website (agepoly.ch) · Campus - EPFL · Student associations - EPFL · Campus - EPFL · Mobility and Travel - EPFL

Photos: EPFL campus: photo Mediacom EPFL, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons · EPFL’s Rolex Learning Center: photo Bernard Vogel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons · EPFL aerial: photo Christoph Müller, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons · EPFL Polydome 2: photo EPFL-MEDIACOM, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons · EPFL- 0007: photo Rama, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, Wikimedia Commons