#8 in the world · QS 2027

ETH Zurich

Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich

Switzerland's federal institute of technology, where Einstein studied, teaching science and engineering in German.

Zurich, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland Public research university (federal institute of technology) Founded 1855 Official website

See my chances at ETH Admissions office

Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE

Students: 26,555; 11,520 undergraduates
International: 44%; of students
Student–faculty: 15.5:1; ratio
Tuition: CHF 4,380; 2026-27
Founded: 1855

About ETH

ETH Zurich is the Swiss Confederation's federal institute of technology, opened in 1855 as the Polytechnikum. It is funded by the federal government as part of the ETH Domain, alongside EPFL in Lausanne and four research institutes. Around 26,500 students and doctoral candidates are enrolled, roughly 11,500 of them in bachelor's programmes, and ETH counts 22 Nobel Prizes awarded to researchers with a connection to the school, Albert Einstein among them.

Teaching and research are organised into 16 departments, from Architecture and Computer Science to Earth and Planetary Sciences, Health Sciences and Technology, and Management, Technology and Economics. Most activity is split between the historic Zentrum campus above Zurich's old town and the Hönggerberg science campus on the city's edge, with the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering based in Basel.

Bachelor's degrees are taught mainly in German and are demanding by design: everyone must pass a first-year examination before continuing, and Swiss school-leavers make up the large majority of each intake. Master's and doctoral levels are far more international and largely taught in English. Students who thrive here are self-directed, strong in mathematics and comfortable with a rigorous, exam-driven system that expects independent study rather than close hand-holding.

Why students choose ETH

Tuition is set by the federal fee ordinance at CHF 730 per semester for Swiss-qualified students and CHF 2,190 for students coming from abroad, far below most peers of similar standing.

ETH is where Albert Einstein, John von Neumann and Wilhelm Röntgen studied, and its 16 departments span engineering, natural sciences, architecture, medicine and management.

The school launched 46 new ventures in 2025 (24 spin-offs and 22 start-ups), and its researchers co-developed Apertus, a fully open large language model released with EPFL and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre in 2025.

Clear admission rules: holders of a recognised Swiss Matura are admitted without selection, and many foreign diplomas qualify directly if they meet published grade and subject thresholds.

Admissions

Bachelor's entry in autumn semester 2027

Selectivity

There is no single admit rate. Holders of a Swiss or Liechtenstein Matura are admitted without selection, and foreign certificates that meet ETH's published country-specific requirements are admitted without an exam; other applicants must pass a reduced (4 subjects) or comprehensive (8 subjects) ETH entrance examination in German. Selection effectively happens in the first-year examination, which must be passed in full before continuing. Human Medicine is the exception: places are capped, applications go through swissuniversities by 15 February, and applicants must pass the aptitude test for medical studies. About 3,800 new bachelor's students enrolled in autumn 2026 (about 700 of them international), and around 80 percent start with a Swiss Matura.

Testing No SAT/ACT. Admission is based on the school-leaving qualification; applicants whose diploma does not meet the requirements sit the ETH entrance examination (reduced CHF 550, comprehensive CHF 800), held in German.

Grades Foreign diplomas typically need at least 70 percent in mathematics, a science and a language in the final exams, plus four further academic subjects in the last three years of school.

Typical entry requirements

Swiss Matura	Federal or federally recognised Swiss/Liechtenstein matriculation certificate: admission without exam
German Abitur	Mathematics, a science (physics, chemistry or biology) and a language among the final exam subjects, passed with an average of at least 70 percent; Pharmaceutical Sciences and Architecture also need a German university admission certificate. Otherwise reduced entrance exam
International Baccalaureate	38 of 42 points (without bonus points), with Mathematics (AA or AI), physics/chemistry/biology and a language A at Higher Level; otherwise reduced entrance exam
A-levels (England, Wales, NI)	Three A-levels in mathematics, a science and a language, grade A in each, plus four further subjects at AS/GCSE level
French baccalauréat général	Maths and a science spécialité, at least 14/20 in the required subjects and a moyenne finale of 16/20 or above
US High School Diploma	With at least three AP exams (score 3+) in mathematics, a science and a language: reduced entrance exam; otherwise comprehensive entrance exam
English language	Bachelor's programmes are taught mainly in German, so non-native speakers need a German certificate at C1 level (C1 no older than 2 years; Goethe or ÖSD C2 no older than 5 years), submitted by 31 March. Holders of a German Abitur or Austrian Matura are exempt. ETH states that a command of English is also indispensable.

Deadlines

ETH entrance examination registration Next deadline · In 9 days

15 October 2026

Registration via eApply between 15 September and 15 October for the exam held 18 to 28 January 2027, leading to entry in autumn 2027; applies to candidates whose application was submitted in the previous application period.
Non-Swiss certificates (admission without exam) Non-binding In ~6 months

31 March 2027

Application period runs 1 December to 31 March (23:59 CET); German C1 certificate must be submitted by the deadline.

Deadline for autumn 2027 is derived from ETH's standing 1 December to 31 March application window. Candidates who apply now and turn out to need the entrance exam will sit it in January 2028 and could start in autumn 2028. ETH has announced changes to bachelor's entry requirements from autumn semester 2028, with details due in spring 2027.

How to apply

Apply online through ETH's eApply portal: upload passport photo, passport/ID, CV, school-leaving certificate, school reports for the last three years, German certificate if required and a signed declaration; pay the application fee (CHF 150 for non-Swiss certificates, CHF 50 for Swiss). Review takes up to 8 weeks; if an entrance exam is required you register for it separately.

What admissions looks for

A school-leaving certificate equivalent to the Swiss Matura, with mathematics, a natural science and a language examined in the final exams.
Broad general education: four further academic subjects (such as physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, languages, geography, history, economics) in the last three years of school.
German at C1 level, since bachelor's teaching is mainly in German, plus solid English.
For entrance exam candidates, subject mastery in mathematics, physics and chemistry demonstrated in German.

Tips for applying to ETH

1 Check the country-specific requirements before applying: an IB with 38 points or A-levels at grade A in the right subjects avoids the entrance exam entirely.
2 Book your German C1 exam early; applications without a valid certificate are rejected on formal grounds after 31 March.
3 If you may need the entrance exam, apply in the earlier cycle: exam registration closes 15 October and the exam only leads to entry the following autumn.
4 Prepare seriously for the first-year examination, which decides who continues; need-based ETH scholarships only open to bachelor's students after they pass it.
5 Human Medicine uses a separate process: register with swissuniversities by 15 February and pass the aptitude test for medical studies, as applicants far outnumber places, so have a backup programme in mind.

Costs & financial aid

2026-27 · figures in CHF

Swiss/Liechtenstein citizens and students resident in Switzerland when they earned their entrance qualification (CHF 730 per semester) Tuition CHF 1,460

+ eth estimate of annual living costs in zurich (rent, meals, transport, health insurance, personal) CHF 22,100 ≈ CHF 23,560 per year

Students who moved to Switzerland to study (CHF 2,190 per semester, in force since autumn 2025) Tuition CHF 4,380

+ eth estimate of annual living costs in zurich (rent, meals, transport, health insurance, personal) CHF 22,100 ≈ CHF 26,480 per year

Tuition ETH estimate of annual living costs in Zurich (rent, meals, transport, health insurance, personal)

Official cost of attendance CHF 28,100

Financial aid

ETH expects students and families to fund studies first. Need-based ETH scholarships exist for bachelor's and master's students, but bachelor's students become eligible only after passing the first-year examination in full. Merit awards such as the Excellence Scholarship and Opportunity Programme (ESOP) are for master's students.

CHF 74 per semester
Compulsory semester fees (sports, scholarship fund, student union): CHF 4,528
Total study costs per year (international / Group 2): CHF 28,100 per year
Estimated total study and living costs, international students: 1 September to 31 October 2026
Need-based scholarship application window 2026-27

Academics

Academic calendar: Semesters (autumn and spring)

Mechanical Engineering (BSc)

ETH's largest bachelor's intake, with around 800 new students in autumn 2026.

Computer Science (BSc)

The department where Turing Award winner Niklaus Wirth created Pascal; about 350 new bachelor's students enrolled in autumn 2026.

Architecture (BSc)

Alma mater of Pritzker-winning architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron.

Human Medicine (BSc)

A technology-focused medical bachelor's with capped places; entry requires the Swiss aptitude test for medical studies.

Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (BSc)

Bachelor's entries rose by 27 percent in autumn 2026.

Research

Co-developed Apertus, a fully open large language model released in September 2025 with EPFL and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS).
46 new ventures founded in 2025, including 24 ETH spin-offs.
Recent work includes a microrobot able to carry drugs through blood vessels and living materials that capture CO2.
The Robotics and AI Institute opened a Zurich centre in 2025, its second site after Boston.

Schools & faculties

Architecture
Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
Mechanical and Process Engineering
Information Technology and Electrical Engineering
Computer Science
Materials
Biosystems Science and Engineering
Mathematics
Physics
Chemistry and Applied Biosciences
Biology
Health Sciences and Technology

In 2025 ETH awarded 2,460 bachelor's, 3,088 master's and 916 doctoral degrees (ETH Board Annual Report 2025). ETH does not publish a single graduate employment rate on the pages reviewed.

Student life

ETH has no residential campus system and does not guarantee housing: most students rent rooms across Zurich, often through the WOKO student housing cooperative, which offers about 2,000 rooms for ETH and University of Zurich students. Social life runs through VSETH, the umbrella student association, and its subject associations and commissions, which organise events such as the first-semester festival on the Hönggerberg campus that draws around 5,000 students. ASVZ, the shared university sports association, offers 128 sports, and the city's lake and rivers are part of everyday life in summer.

VSETH, the student union, runs subject associations, commissions, the Polykum magazine and venues like the Summerbar.
The Erstsemestrigenfest on Hönggerberg welcomes new students each autumn, with around 5,000 attendees.
ASVZ academic sports association: 128 sports, included through the compulsory CHF 35 semester fee.
Two main campuses: the historic Zentrum next to the University of Zurich and the Hönggerberg science city.

Housing. ETH does not guarantee housing; most students rent privately or through WOKO, and a room with shared kitchen and bathroom typically costs CHF 800 to 1,000 per month.

Location

Zurich is Switzerland's largest city and financial centre, compact and highly walkable, with trams, a lake for swimming in summer and the Alps within day-trip range. It is also one of the most expensive cities in Europe: ETH budgets about CHF 11,300 a year for rent alone, and finding a room takes time. German (Swiss German in daily life) is the local language, though English is widely spoken.

Nearest airport: Zurich Airport (ZRH)

Notable alumni

AE
Albert Einstein

Physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics 1921; studied and later taught at ETH
JV
John von Neumann

Mathematician and computing pioneer; chemical engineering diploma from ETH in 1925
WR
Wilhelm Röntgen

Discoverer of X-rays and first Nobel laureate in Physics (1901)
RR
Richard R. Ernst

Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1991 for NMR spectroscopy
NW
Niklaus Wirth

Computer scientist, creator of Pascal and Turing Award winner (1984)
JH
Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron

Pritzker Prize-winning architects of Tate Modern and the Beijing National Stadium
SC
Santiago Calatrava

Architect and structural engineer
OA
Othmar Ammann

Civil engineer who designed the George Washington and Verrazzano-Narrows bridges

Frequently asked questions

Is ETH Zurich hard to get into?

There is no selective admissions round for most applicants: a Swiss Matura or a foreign diploma meeting ETH's published requirements (for example IB 38/42 with the right Higher Level subjects) earns admission. The real filter is the first-year examination, which every bachelor's student must pass.

Can I study a bachelor's at ETH Zurich in English?

No, bachelor's teaching is mainly in German and non-native speakers must show German at C1 level. Most master's programmes are taught in English.

How much does ETH Zurich cost for international students?

Since autumn 2025, students who moved to Switzerland to study pay CHF 2,190 per semester in tuition plus CHF 74 in compulsory fees, about CHF 4,528 a year. ETH estimates total study and living costs at about CHF 28,100 a year.

Does ETH Zurich require the SAT?

No. US applicants need at least three AP exams with a score of 3 or higher in mathematics, a science and a language to qualify for the reduced entrance exam; otherwise the comprehensive entrance exam applies.

When is the ETH Zurich bachelor's application deadline?

For non-Swiss certificates the application window runs from 1 December to 31 March, so 31 March 2027 for autumn 2027 entry. Entrance exam candidates register between 15 September and 15 October for the January exam.

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.