University of Zurich (UZH) for international applicants: Bachelor entry in autumn 2027

The University of Zurich (UZH) teaches its Bachelor programmes mainly in German, with individual modules in English or other languages, and foreign-language applicants must prove German at level C1. Whether your school certificate is enough is decided country by country: the university says that the swissuniversities website lists, for individual countries, the certificates and the specific prerequisites under which they permit admission to a Bachelor's program.

According to the page, the Fall Semester application window runs 1 January until 30 April, or 1 January until 28 February if you need a visa; the page names no year for these windows. The application fee for foreign qualifications is CHF 150, and tuition is CHF 720 a semester plus a CHF 500 surcharge for foreign students at Bachelor level.

UZH Faculty of Law building

UZH says that as a rule only one application per person per semester is assessed, and that checking a complete dossier takes generally up to three months. Medicine is a separate path: places are allocated by an aptitude test organized by swissuniversities.

Fall Semester is the safe start

All Bachelor's degree and study programs can be started in the Fall Semester. For Spring Semester, Business and Economics and Informatics cannot be started at all. That makes autumn the realistic entry point for most readers.

UZH names its Bachelor catalogue Bachelor's Study Programs (in German), and as a rule the main language of instruction for the Bachelor's programs is German.

The catalogue gives a language line for each programme, and for several programmes it reads "deutsch, englisch". That line shows which languages are used in teaching; the university points to its course catalogue for the exact split: details are in the course catalog under program information. The last two rows list English only.

Read the catalogue line next to the admission rule, not instead of it: a programme that lists English still falls under the university's general statement that the main language of instruction for all Bachelor's study programs is German.

Programmes that cannot start in spring

Business and Economics and Informatics cannot be started in the Spring Semester. For some others, a spring start is possible only to a limited extent, for example in Psychology and Political Science. If you apply for spring in a programme without a spring start, the application is not processed and the application fee is not refunded.

A Swiss maturity certificate entitles the holder to be admitted to all faculties. For a non-Swiss certificate, the university sets conditions on educational objective, content and duration.

On objective, the school must be designed so that it is geared to university studies without subject-specific or vocational training. UZH does not recognize certificates obtained after general education that also provided subject-specific or vocational training, even if they are the general higher education entrance qualification at home.

The country list decides the details

The country-by-country list sets the specific prerequisites per certificate. The university also states that the published requirements are updated annually and apply exclusively to the year of study shown, and that other requirements may apply for older certificates or if schooling was completed in different countries or education systems.

UZH cannot assess certificates in advance by telephone or e-mail without a submitted application with all documents, so check your own certificate against the list before you pay.

If you already hold a university degree

Separately from the school route, admission to all faculties may also be granted to holders of a diploma of at least Bachelor's level from a state-accredited non-Swiss university that UZH recognizes as equivalent.

For content, at least 90% of the upper secondary education must be general education subjects, and at least six separately identified subjects from the UZH list must have been taken continuously in the last three school years.

The six categories are: first language, second language, mathematics, natural sciences (biology, chemistry or physics), humanities and social sciences (history, geography or economics/law), and a sixth subject: informatics, philosophy or a further subject from categories 2, 4 or 5.

On duration, the certificate must correspond to a Swiss maturity certificate (gymnasialer Maturitätsausweis). Depending on the type of certificate, a minimum overall grade set by UZH may also have to be achieved.

The grade averages that appear in the country list are in the next two chapters (swissuniversities list, 2026/27, the latest published).

For these countries the swissuniversities list gives UZH entries that range from the certificate alone (Italy, Belgium) to a grade average of 2.0 or a university-admission certificate (Germany) and 12/20 or a university-admission certificate (France).

The table shows the UZH line of the list (2026/27, the latest published), next to the certificate the list names for each country. "University-admission certificate" stands for the list's wording: a certificate of university admission in the desired academic subject.

Two notes. For France, the subject Enseignement Scientifique cannot be recognised as a scientific subject (category 4). For Portugal the UZH entry is a university degree of at least 3 years, so the school certificate alone is not the UZH entry there.

Several certificates on this part of the list carry an extra step: the entries for Brazil, Algeria, Egypt and Vietnam name ECUS, and Indonesia and Saudi Arabia list a university degree of at least 3 years.

Japan's entry has no ECUS step: a grade average of 3/5 and a university-admission certificate from a recognised Japanese university. For Vietnam, Egypt, Algeria and Brazil the list names the grade average, the university-admission certificate and ECUS together, so the three belong to one entry. The ECUS rules are in the next chapter.

Whether a certificate counts also depends on the general rules in the chapters on assessing a non-Swiss certificate and on subjects, duration and grade, and the list applies exclusively to the year of study shown, so check it for the year you apply.

For the IB Diploma, UZH is listed with a minimum of 32 out of 42 points (not counting bonus points).

The IB entry also asks for 6 subjects, one out of each of the 6 categories, and at least 3 of them at Higher Level, one of which must be mathematics or another natural sciences subject.

The recognised mathematics courses are Mathematics: applications and interpretation and analysis and approaches, each at standard or higher level, and computer science and philosophy can only be chosen as a sixth subject. This list is valid for the academic year 2026/27, the latest published.

A-levels

For England, Wales and Northern Ireland the UZH entry asks for 6 independent general education subjects, at least 3 of them at A-level or equivalent, one being mathematics or another natural sciences subject; grade B in 2 of the advanced subjects and grade C in 1; and grade 5 or B in 3 additional subjects at AS or GCSE level.

For Scotland, the entry reads 6 independent general education subjects, each at least grade 3 resp. C, with at least 3 subjects at Advanced Higher Level.

US High School Diploma and AP

The UZH entry for the United States is a High School Diploma plus Advanced Placement tests in 6 independent general education subjects, each with a minimum grade of 3. The list also says that some AP subjects are not recognised, such as Art and Design Program, Art History, Environmental Science, Music Theory, Psychology and Statistics.

Holders of a certificate from a country that has not signed the Lisbon Recognition Convention must, as a rule, also pass the complementary examination of the Swiss higher education institutions (ECUS).

The examination is held only once a year in August, so corresponding applications are only possible for the Fall Semester. Registration can only be made via UZH as part of an existing application.

ECUS also covers language: foreign-language applicants who must sit it usually acquire the required language certificate as part of the ECUS examination. A German partial examination can be waived only if a recognised German certificate is available when you register for ECUS (15 June).

Which countries need ECUS is read from the list: the entries for Brazil, Algeria, Egypt and Vietnam name it (previous chapter).

Where a certificate gives access to university studies at home but not automatically to every subject, it must be proven that a Bachelor's program in the relevant branch of study could be taken up at a state-accredited university of that country.

The proof must apply to on-site study and, as a rule, be issued for the semester for which you apply to UZH.

If the certificate only partly matches

A certificate from a Lisbon Recognition Convention country that only partially corresponds to a Swiss certificate may still allow admission if you also present proof of at least two successfully completed years of full-time study.

Those years must have been earned at a state-accredited university, in a branch of study also offered at a Swiss university.

UZH asks for proof at C1 or a higher level (CEFR) in the main language of instruction, and for the Bachelor that means German skills of at least level C1.

You are a foreign-language applicant if your first or primary language differs from the main language of instruction. The first or primary language is the language you use with the highest level of competency, corresponding to C2 or higher.

Who does not need to prove German

• A federal or Swiss recognized maturity certificate
• A Bachelor's degree from UZH
• A Bachelor's degree taught in the language of instruction, completed entirely in a region where that is the official language
• The last three years of upper secondary school in the language of instruction, in a region where it is the official language

UZH recognizes German certificates that correspond to level C1 or higher.

• Goethe-Zertifikat C1
• Goethe-Zertifikat C2: Grosses Deutsches Sprachdiplom
• DSH2 and DSH3
• Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz, Stufe II (DSD II)
• telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule
• TestDaF with an average of TDN 4 and at least TDN 3 in all parts
• ÖSD Zertifikat C1, C1 Jugendliche, C2 and C2 Wirtschaftssprache

The TestDaF rule has two parts: the average must be TDN 4 and no part may fall below TDN 3.

UZH lists English certificates for study programmes with English as the main language of instruction; for the Bachelor, the catalogue shows English-language entries such as English Literature and Linguistics (Sprache: englisch).

These certificates correspond to level C1 or higher.

Format rules: IELTS Academic Online is not accepted, the TOEFL iBT Home Edition is not accepted, and TOEFL results must be not older than 2 years. TOEFL scores must reach UZH directly from ETS (institution code 0348).

The new TOEFL scale explains the two rows: starting 21 January 2026 TOEFL iBT uses a scale of 1-6, previously 0-120.

UZH recommends submitting the language certificate with your application, but the latest date depends on whether you need a visa.

If you need a visa, the certificate is due by the visa-applicant deadline at the latest, otherwise the application is not processed further and the fee is not refunded. Everyone else can submit it after admission, up to one week before the start of the course at the latest.

Matriculation can only take place once the certificate is available. Admitted students can only start once the language requirements are met and no obstacle to admission applies.

The Fall Semester window for Bachelor applicants who do not need a visa is 1 January until 30 April; applicants who need a visa have 1 January until 28 February.

The page states that the deadlines cannot be extended, and that applications not submitted by the deadline are not processed and the fee is not refunded. It names no year for the windows.

Applicants who need a visa need the admission decision three months before the planned entry. That is only possible if the visa deadline is met and all documents relevant for admission are available.

Not for applicants abroad: the extended deadline

The page also lists an extended deadline of 1 May until 31 July at an additional fee of CHF 300, only for applicants with a Swiss university entrance qualification. This is for Swiss qualifications only, so it does not apply to a foreign certificate.

Spring Semester

For a spring start the page lists 1 July until 30 November, or 1 July until 31 July with a visa requirement; check first that your programme offers a spring start (see the chapter on programmes and their language).

Send the application by 12 midnight of the last day of the application period.

Applications can only be submitted online via the UZH application portal; the process has seven steps.

Prepare information on your educational background, your place of residence when the certificate was issued, and your documents. Documents not in German, English, French or Italian need officially certified translations.

In the portal, information is never saved automatically: click Save. When you submit, you can no longer make any changes.

You pay the fee online by Visa, Mastercard, PostFinance Card or TWINT; your application is only processed once payment has gone through. The fee is not refunded or credited.

If something is missing, UZH sends a request through the portal: you upload the documents later via the portal, or send originals if asked. You can withdraw at any time until admission, without a fee refund. The decision arrives as a letter of admission or rejection.

The application fee for a Bachelor with foreign qualifications is CHF 150; tuition is CHF 720 a semester, plus CHF 500 for foreign students at Bachelor level.

The general application fee for Bachelor, Master, Teaching Diploma and Doctoral studies is CHF 100; applicants with foreign qualifications pay the higher rate above. The late-application surcharge of CHF 300 applies to Swiss qualifications only.

Two of the mandatory contributions are CHF 35 for the Academic Sports Association Zurich and CHF 15 for libraries and collections. If you leave: withdrawal and reimbursement of semester fees are possible until 15 October for the Fall Semester, with a processing fee of CHF 50.

The number of study places in medicine is limited: the Government Council of the Canton of Zurich sets the number of places every year, and places are allocated by an aptitude test organized by swissuniversities.

Students with foreign nationality are accepted only if they have a residence permit approved by UZH. Medical studies can only be started in the Fall Semester. Medicine is also German-taught: the language of instruction is German.

The German-language UZH page adds that the aptitude test is open to Swiss or Liechtenstein citizens, or people with a corresponding residence status, and they must also meet the UZH Bachelor admission requirements. A prospective student cannot be admitted if there is no free place.

After the allocation, you must accept the place no later than 10 days after receiving the allocation documents. You can apply at the same time for an alternative Bachelor programme, and you then also pay the admission fee for it.

UZH lists obstacles: admission to a Bachelor's study program is generally not possible if you have previously completed studies with equivalent academic content.

Also excluded: anyone definitively expelled or barred from a study programme at UZH or another higher education institution, for that programme and all programmes the faculty deems similar, at all academic levels.

If you have already started a Bachelor's elsewhere, you can apply to the faculty for transfer of credits once you have received the admission decision.

For readers with a Swiss route in mind, one detail: having passed the University of Zurich's entrance examination is a certificate that opens all faculties except Medicine and the Vetsuisse Faculty.

On admission, the invoice for the first semester's fees is made available for download in the application portal.

Matriculation becomes legally valid after payment of the semester fees is received. If you miss the payment date, you are withdrawn from the university and must repeat the application process.

Messages and documents from UZH are posted in the application portal, with an e-mail notification. Read the admission letter for conditions: take note of any appendix regarding conditions and additional requirements.

If you withdraw after matriculation, you must return the UZH Card and the four proof-of-matriculation vouchers by 15 October for the fall semester.

Official pages of University of Zurich, UCAS, gov.uk and the ranking publishers. Applicant reports, where shown, are self-reported and labelled.

https://www.uzh.ch/en/studies/application/deadlines.html · https://www.uzh.ch/en/studies/application/bachelor.html · https://www.swissuniversities.ch/en/themen/zulassung/zulassung-universitaere-hochschulen/international-baccalaureate · https://www.uzh.ch/en/studies/application/languagerequirements.html · https://www.uzh.ch/en/studies/application/fees.html · https://www.uzh.ch/en/studies/programs/bachelor.html · https://www.swissuniversities.ch/en/topics/studying/admission-to-universities/countries · https://www.swissuniversities.ch/en/topics/zulassung/zulassung-zu-den-universitaeren-hochschulen/countries/great-britain-l/universitaet-zuerich · https://www.uzh.ch/en/studies/application/apply.html · https://www.uzh.ch/en/studies/application/medicine.html · https://www.uzh.ch/en/studies/application/medicine/bachelor.html

Photos: Main Building of the University of Zurich: photo CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons · UZH Faculty of Law building: photo TranquilTyr, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons