EPFL
École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
Switzerland's French-speaking federal institute of technology, on the shore of Lake Geneva.
- Students
- 14,072
- 7,001 undergraduates
- International
- 55%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 13.3:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- CHF 4,380
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1853
About EPFL
EPFL is one of Switzerland's two federal institutes of technology, alongside ETH Zurich. Its roots go back to the École spéciale de Lausanne of 1853, and it became a federal institution in 1969. The main campus sits in Ecublens on the edge of Lausanne, next to the University of Lausanne and a few minutes from Lake Geneva, with further sites in Geneva, Sion, Fribourg and Neuchâtel. In autumn 2025 it had 14,072 students, including 7,001 bachelor's students, and 54.8 percent of students are foreign nationals.
Teaching and research are organised into five schools (Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Basic Sciences; Computer and Communication Sciences; Engineering; Life Sciences) and two colleges (Management of Technology; Humanities). EPFL offers 13 bachelor's and 29 master's programmes. Its faculty includes Fields Medallists Martin Hairer and Maryna Viazovska, and Jacques Dubochet, Nobel laureate in Chemistry in 2017, is an alumnus.
The bachelor's level is taught mostly in French, with more English from the second year. Most master's programmes are taught mainly in English. The campus has a strong startup culture: 39 startups were founded in 2025, and the on-campus EPFL Innovation Park hosts 168 companies. EPFL suits students who are strong in mathematics and physics, comfortable studying in French, and ready for a demanding first year.
Why students choose EPFL
Tuition is set federally at CHF 730 per semester, or CHF 2,190 for students who move to Switzerland to study, much lower than most comparable technical universities.
An entrepreneurial campus: 39 startups were founded in 2025, EPFL startups raised CHF 701 million that year, and 168 companies are based at the EPFL Innovation Park.
Math and science faculty include Fields Medallists Martin Hairer and Maryna Viazovska, and 16 EPFL researchers were on the 2025 Highly Cited Researchers list.
A lakeside campus shared with the University of Lausanne, with 120 sports on offer and a water sports centre on Lake Geneva open from April to October.
Admissions
Bachelor's entry in September 2027
Selectivity
There is no single admit rate. From 2025, for at least four years, first-year bachelor's places are capped at 3,000. Swiss Matura holders, students who passed the CMS preparatory year or the entrance exam, and students repeating the first year are guaranteed a place. Holders of EU/EFTA, UK or IB qualifications who meet the grade thresholds are ranked by their overall average and offered the remaining places in early August. Holders of other foreign diplomas can only get in through the entrance examination. The first year is itself a major filter.
Typical entry requirements
| Swiss Matura (maturité gymnasiale) | Admitted to any bachelor's programme with no other condition and outside the 3,000-place cap |
|---|---|
| EU/EFTA school-leaving certificate (e.g. Abitur, baccalauréat) | Maths and physics at the highest level, each at least 80 percent of the maximum grade, overall average at least 80 percent, and six of seven required subject areas on the final transcript; places allocated by ranking |
| International Baccalaureate | At least 38/42 (without bonus points), with Mathematics and Physics at HL scoring 6 or 7, plus Chemistry, Biology or Computer Science at HL; places allocated by ranking |
| A-levels / Scottish Advanced Highers | Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, Biology or Computer Science at A-level, each at grade A or higher, plus English, a second modern language and history or geography at GCSE level or above |
| Other foreign certificates (e.g. US High School Diploma) | EPFL entrance examination in French: scientific subjects in January, general-knowledge subjects in August to September |
| English language | Bachelor's courses are mostly in French, so EPFL requires French at B2 (CEFR) and strongly recommends C1. Applicants who did not study French in upper secondary school must provide a certificate with their application. There is usually at most one English-taught course per semester in the first year, and up to 50 percent of courses can be in English from the second year. |
Deadlines
- EPFL entrance examination registration Next deadline · In 56 days1 December 2026
Registration open 1 October to 1 December 2026. Scientific exams run 18 to 22 January 2027, general-knowledge exams in August to September 2027. The withdrawal deadline is 11 January 2027.
- Bachelor's application (step 1) Non-binding In ~7 months30 April 2027
Form must be submitted and paid by this date. Processing starts around mid-January. Candidates for the Bachelor excellence fellowship (Swiss Matura holders) apply by ticking the box on this form.
- Final documents (step 2) In ~9 months10 July 2027
Upload the school-leaving certificate and transcripts. The deadline is 30 September for certificates issued after 10 July. Capped-place offers are made in early August.
Dates come from EPFL's standing application rules (mid-November to 30 April, documents by 10 July) and from the published schedule for the 2027 entrance examination.
How to apply
Apply online between mid-November and 30 April. Step 1 (by 30 April): registration form, fee (CHF 150 for foreign certificates, CHF 50 for Swiss), ID photo, passport, grade sheets from the last two years and a French certificate if needed. Step 2 (by 10 July): final school-leaving certificate and transcripts. Documents must be in English, French, German or Italian, or come with legalised translations. Entrance exam candidates register separately.
What admissions looks for
- A general-education school-leaving certificate after at least 12 years of schooling, covering mathematics, physics, the national language, a second modern language, chemistry or biology, and history, geography or economics.
- Mathematics and physics taken and examined at the highest level available, with top grades (at least 80 percent, IB 6/7 or A-level grade A).
- A high overall average, because non-Swiss EU/EFTA, UK and IB applicants are ranked on it for the capped first-year places.
- French at B2 or above, since bachelor's teaching is mainly in French.
Tips for applying to EPFL
- 1 If you hold a non-EU/EFTA/UK diploma (for example US or Indian), your only route is the entrance exam, and registration closes on 1 December 2026.
- 2 Aim well above the minimum average: with the 3,000-place cap, qualifying is not enough and places go to the highest-ranked applicants.
- 3 Get a French certificate at B2, ideally C1, before 30 April, because it has to be uploaded with the application.
- 4 EPFL warns against sitting the entrance exam with only your school-leaving studies as preparation; use the published past exercises and exam programme, which are in French.
- 5 After admission, applicants subject to the cap cannot switch to another bachelor's programme, so choose your programme carefully.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in CHF
EPFL social scholarships and emergency support exist, but international students generally qualify only after passing the first year. Cantonal scholarships are for Swiss students or students whose parents live in Switzerland. The Bachelor excellence fellowship (CHF 10,000 over three years plus guaranteed housing, with the McCall MacBain Leadership Development Program) is open only to Swiss Matura holders and Swiss vocational maturity holders taking the CMS.
- CHF 780, or CHF 2,240 for students subject to the higher fee
- Semester invoice (tuition plus AGEPoly, sports and social fund fees)
- CHF 28,689 excluding tuition
- Estimated annual living costs, Swiss students
- 27
- New first-year bachelor's students on EPFL excellence fellowships (2025)
- CHF 150 for foreign certificates, CHF 50 for Swiss
- Application fee
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (autumn and spring)
Mathematics (BSc)
Taught in the School of Basic Sciences, whose professors include Fields Medallists Martin Hairer (2014) and Maryna Viazovska (2022).
Computer Science and Communication Systems (BSc)
Two separate bachelor's in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences (IC), where Turing Award laureate Joseph Sifakis led the Rigorous System Design Laboratory from 2011 to 2016.
Microengineering (BSc)
An EPFL specialty tied to its Neuchâtel Microcity campus, which works on microsystems, photovoltaics and watchmaking.
Life Sciences Engineering (BSc)
Connects to Campus Biotech in Geneva and the Neuro-X institute, which spans IC, STI and SV.
Architecture (BSc)
Taught in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), which houses architecture alongside civil and environmental engineering.
Research
- 18 research institutes, 44 technology platforms and 14 research centres. The Dubochet Center for Imaging is run with UNIL, UNIGE and UNIBE.
- EPFL ranks 5th in Europe and 19th in the world on the Leiden Ranking PPtop10% citation indicator, and 16 of its researchers were named Highly Cited Researchers.
- EPFL physicist Tobias J. Kippenberg won the 2025 Marcel Benoist Swiss Science Prize for quantum optomechanics and optical frequency combs.
- Co-developed Apertus, a fully open large language model released in 2025 with ETH Zurich and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre.
Schools & faculties
- School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC)
- School of Basic Sciences (SB)
- School of Computer and Communication Sciences (IC)
- School of Engineering (STI)
- School of Life Sciences (SV)
- College of Management of Technology (CDM)
- College of Humanities (CDH)
EPFL in figures 2025 reports average employment rates of 91 to 94 percent one year after a master's or PhD, in Switzerland and abroad (2024 data). In 2025, 1,370 students earned a master's and 450 earned a PhD.
Student life
EPFL has a single, compact lakeside campus in Ecublens, shared with the University of Lausanne, so student life happens mostly on site. EPFL recognises 114 student associations, and the student association AGEPoly is funded through an optional CHF 25 semester fee. Sport Santé UNIL+EPFL offers 120 sports, plus a lakeside water sports centre open from April to October that had 11,229 visits in 2025. The Rolex Learning Center, the campus library and study hub, is where many students spend their days. Most teaching is in French, but everyday campus life is very international.
- 114 student associations recognised by EPFL, alongside the AGEPoly student association.
- Sport Santé UNIL+EPFL: 120 sports on the annual programme and a water sports centre on Lake Geneva.
- The Rolex Learning Center, the campus library and study space.
- The EPFL Innovation Park on campus hosts 168 companies, from startups to large corporations.
Housing. The EPFL-UNIL housing office manages 6,037 beds, but housing is not guaranteed (except for Bachelor excellence fellows). EPFL budgets about CHF 900 a month for rent.
Location
Lausanne is a hilly, French-speaking city on the north shore of Lake Geneva, and the campus sits on its western edge beside the University of Lausanne. It is smaller and calmer than Zurich or Geneva but still expensive: EPFL budgets about CHF 2,100 a month for a foreign student before tuition, including CHF 900 for rent. Geneva is along the same lakeshore, and the Alps are within easy reach for weekends.
Nearest airport: Geneva Airport (GVA)
Notable alumni
- JD Jacques DubochetBiophysicist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2017
- DB Daniel BorelCo-founder of Logitech
- AG Aart de GeusFounder, chairman and CEO of Synopsys
- GM George de MestralElectrical engineer and inventor of Velcro
- AB André BorschbergBusinessman and pilot, co-founder of the Solar Impulse project
- MB Mattia BinottoFormer Scuderia Ferrari team principal, now leading the Audi F1 team
- EF Eric FavreInventor of Nespresso, the first single-serve coffee capsule
Frequently asked questions
Is EPFL hard to get into?
Swiss Matura holders are admitted automatically. Since 2025, EU/EFTA, UK and IB applicants compete for capped first-year places: at least 80 percent in maths, physics and overall (or IB 38 with 6s in HL Maths and Physics) is the minimum, and places go to the highest averages. Applicants with other foreign diplomas must pass the entrance exam.
Can I study a bachelor's at EPFL in English?
No. Bachelor's courses are mostly in French and EPFL requires at least B2 French (C1 recommended). Up to half the courses may be in English from the second year, and most master's programmes are taught in English.
How much does EPFL cost for international students?
Students who move to Switzerland to study pay CHF 2,190 per semester in tuition plus CHF 50 in other fees. EPFL estimates living costs for foreign students at about CHF 25,200 a year.
Can US or Indian students get into EPFL's bachelor's?
Only through the EPFL entrance examination, which is in French. Registration for the next exam runs from 1 October to 1 December 2026, and scientific papers are held 18 to 22 January 2027.
What is the EPFL bachelor's application deadline?
Applications open in mid-November, and the form must be submitted and paid by 30 April 2027. Final certificates are due by 10 July 2027 (by 30 September if issued later).
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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