University of Lausanne
Université de Lausanne
A French-speaking lakeside campus shared with EPFL, known for forensic science, business (HEC Lausanne) and biology.
- International
- 20%
- of students
- Tuition
- CHF 1,160
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1537
- QS World Ranking
- #233
- 2027 edition
About UNIL
The University of Lausanne began in 1537 as an academy training Protestant pastors, the only French-language Protestant school of theology at the time, and became a university in 1890. From 1970 it moved from the old town around the cathedral to its present campus at Dorigny on the shore of Lake Geneva, next to EPFL. Today it has more than 17,000 students and almost 3,000 researchers; almost 20% of students and more than 30% of teaching staff come from abroad.
UNIL has seven faculties: Theology and Sciences of Religions; Law, Criminal Justice and Public Administration; Arts and Humanities; Social and Political Sciences; Business and Economics (HEC Lausanne); Geosciences and Environment; and Biology and Medicine. The last two were founded in 2003 as part of a project for closer cooperation with EPFL and the universities of Geneva and Neuchâtel. Well-known programmes include forensic science at the School of Criminal Justice, medicine, biology and sport sciences.
Bachelor's programmes are taught in French, and all students pay the same modest fees of CHF 580 per semester. Admission for foreign school-leavers depends on whether your diploma is equivalent to a Swiss gymnasium Maturität; some applicants must pass a French exam or the ECUS entrance exam first. It suits students who want a green, self-contained campus by the lake and are ready to study in French.
Le savoir vivant
“Living knowledge” — university motto
Why students choose UNIL
Low, equal fees for everyone: CHF 500 course registration plus CHF 80 semester fees, CHF 580 per semester for Swiss and international students alike.
A lakeside campus at Dorigny shared with EPFL, including the UNIL+EPFL Sports and Wellness Centre with more than 130 activities and its own sailing centre.
Specialised bachelor's programmes such as forensic science at the School of Criminal Justice and business and economics at HEC Lausanne.
Open admission for most programmes: holders of a Swiss Maturität or an equivalent foreign diploma are admitted to the first year without a selection process.
Admissions
Autumn semester 2027 entry (deadlines follow UNIL's standing Directive 3.2; the admissions pages still show 2026/27)
Selectivity
UNIL publishes no acceptance rate. Most bachelor's programmes admit anyone who holds a Swiss Maturität or an equivalent foreign diploma meeting the country requirements, so selection happens mainly through first-year exams. Medicine is the exception: applicants must register with swissuniversities, foreign applicants must meet cantonal criteria, and progression to the second year is decided by a competitive exam.
Typical entry requirements
| Swiss gymnasium Maturität | Direct access to the first year of all bachelor's programmes and exemption from the French exam (as do the Swiss Maturity Commission certificate and a professional maturity plus passerelle Dubs) |
|---|---|
| Foreign secondary school diploma | Must be the highest school-leaving certificate in its country after at least 12 years, with a broad general curriculum: six subjects (first language, second language, mathematics, experimental science, humanities, one elective) studied in each of the last three years. Country-specific average requirements and, in some cases, proof of university admission at home apply |
| International Baccalaureate and European Baccalaureate | Accepted subject to UNIL's specific IB and EB requirements |
| Recognised but non-equivalent foreign diploma | Pass the ECUS before enrolling (written exams in early August in Crissier, Vaud) |
| English language | Bachelor's programmes are taught in French. Applicants without a Swiss Maturität whose mother tongue is not French must pass UNIL's French exam (B1 level; exam on 20 August 2026 for the autumn semester) unless they hold DELF B1 or higher, DALF, TCF B1, TELC B1 or another listed certificate from the last three years. ECUS candidates are tested in French at C1 level instead. |
Deadlines
- Medicine: registration with swissuniversities Non-binding Next deadline · In ~4 months15 February 2027
Compulsory pre-registration for the Bachelor in Medicine, due before 15 February each year for the following academic year under UNIL Directive 3.2; the UNIL application is still due by 30 April.
- Foreign diploma: applicants who need a visa or must take the ECUS Non-binding In ~5 months28 February 2027
Standing annual deadline under UNIL Directive 3.2 (28 February 2026 for 2026/27 entry). UNIL advises visa applicants to apply at least two months before the general deadlines.
- All bachelor's programmes (general deadline) Non-binding In ~7 months30 April 2027
Standing annual deadline under UNIL Directive 3.2 (30 April 2026 for 2026/27 entry), for both Swiss and foreign diplomas. Bachelor's programmes start only in the autumn semester.
UNIL's Directive 3.2 on fees and deadlines (last updated 2 December 2025) fixes recurring annual deadlines: 15 February for swissuniversities registration for medicine, 28 February for applicants who need a visa or must take the ECUS, and 30 April for everyone else, with an extended deadline for students transferring from EPFL, UNIGE or UNINE. The admissions pages currently list only the 2026/27 dates, so the 2027 dates above apply the directive; confirm on UNIL's admissions pages once 2027/28 is posted. Late applications for Swiss diploma holders cost a CHF 200 surcharge.
How to apply
Apply online directly to UNIL and upload your ID, CV, school-leaving diploma (or it later, before classes start) and transcripts for the last three years. Holders of a foreign diploma pay a non-refundable CHF 200 processing fee. Applicants from countries that have not ratified the Lisbon Convention must also post certified copies. Medicine applicants must additionally register with swissuniversities.
What admissions looks for
- A secondary diploma equivalent to the Swiss gymnasium Maturität, with a broad general curriculum over the last three years.
- The minimum average or diploma series UNIL lists for your country.
- French at B1 level (or C1 for ECUS candidates).
- For medicine, sport sciences, arts and pharmacy, the extra conditions of each programme, such as a physical education exam or Latin.
Tips for applying to UNIL
- 1 Check UNIL's country list first: a diploma that gives university access at home is not automatically enough for UNIL.
- 2 If you need a visa, apply by the end of February and contact the Swiss consulate as soon as you are admitted; if the visa arrives after classes start, you cannot be admitted that year.
- 3 Plan your finances: the visa requires proof of at least CHF 2,100 a month, and you may not work during your first semester.
- 4 For the Bachelor of Arts, expect to take a Latin or Ancient Greek course if your school diploma did not include one.
- 5 Start your housing search early: UNIL has no halls of residence on campus, and FMEL student housing is limited.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in CHF
UNIL runs a social fund for students in financial difficulty, offering monthly grants, one-off assistance and partial tuition fee waivers (a waived student pays CHF 100 instead of CHF 500 per semester). It also points students to cantonal grants, solidarity funds and loans, plus discounts on campus meals, IT and books.
- CHF 580 (CHF 500 course registration including exams, CHF 80 semester fees)
- Fees per semester
- CHF 200, non-refundable
- Application fee (foreign diplomas)
- CHF 100 course registration plus CHF 80 per semester
- Reduced fee with UNIL fee waiver
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (autumn semester starting in September, spring semester in February)
Forensic Science (Bachelor)
Taught at the School of Criminal Justice (ESC) within the Faculty of Law, Criminal Justice and Public Administration; ECUS candidates must choose physics, chemistry or biology.
Business and Economics (HEC Lausanne)
UNIL's business faculty, whose graduates include watch industry executive Jean-Claude Biver and former FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
Medicine (Bachelor)
Requires swissuniversities registration by 15 February and has a competitive exam at the end of the first year.
Human Movement and Sport Sciences (Bachelor)
Offered by the Institute of Sport Sciences; applicants must pass a physical education exam before starting.
Geosciences and Environment
A faculty created in 2003; it publishes its own student journal, L'Irrégulier.
Biology (Bachelor)
Part of the Faculty of Biology and Medicine; UNIL's former professor Jacques Dubochet shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Research
- Almost 3,000 researchers across seven faculties.
- Jacques Dubochet, professor at UNIL from 1987 to 2007, shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; the Dubochet Center for Imaging was launched by EPFL, UNIL and the University of Geneva in 2021.
- The Lausanne School of economics was founded by UNIL professors Léon Walras and Vilfredo Pareto.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Theology and Sciences of Religions
- Faculty of Law, Criminal Justice and Public Administration
- Faculty of Arts and Humanities
- Faculty of Social and Political Sciences
- Faculty of Business and Economics (HEC Lausanne)
- Faculty of Geosciences and Environment
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine
Student life
UNIL's Dorigny campus is a green site by Lake Geneva with more than 20,000 people, next door to EPFL. Sheep graze the campus meadows and have become one of its symbols. The UNIL+EPFL Sports and Wellness Centre offers more than 130 activities, including a sailing centre on the lake, and there are student media such as the newspaper L'Auditoire and the 24-hour campus radio Fréquence Banane. UNIL has no halls of residence on campus, so students rent privately or through the FMEL foundation.
- More than 130 sports and wellness activities shared with EPFL, plus Lausanne University Clubs in football, rugby, basketball and sailing.
- L'Auditoire student newspaper (founded 1982) and Fréquence Banane campus radio.
- Grazing sheep, the campus's unofficial mascots.
- The CIVIS European university alliance, open to UNIL students.
Housing. There are no halls of residence on campus; the FMEL foundation houses more than 2,500 students in the Lausanne area, and UNIL runs a shared UNIL-EPFL accommodation database.
Location
Lausanne is a French-speaking city on the north shore of Lake Geneva in the canton of Vaud. UNIL moved from the old town around the cathedral to the lakeside Dorigny campus from 1970. Housing is tight: UNIL warns that the Lausanne rental market has been very closed for years and that foreigners often need a Swiss guarantor, so widening your search area helps.
Nearest airport: Geneva Airport (GVA)
Notable alumni
- BA Bhumibol AdulyadejKing of Thailand 1946-2016; began studying sciences at the University of Lausanne
- PC Pascal CouchepinMember of the Swiss Federal Council 1998-2009; law degree from Lausanne
- IC Ignazio CassisSwiss Federal Councillor; studied medicine at Zurich and Lausanne and earned his MD at Lausanne
- CF Charles Ferdinand RamuzFrench-speaking Swiss novelist; educated at the University of Lausanne
- JB Jean-Claude BiverWatch industry executive (Hublot, TAG Heuer); business degree from HEC Lausanne
- SB Sepp BlatterPresident of FIFA 1998-2015; business and economics degree from Lausanne (1959)
Frequently asked questions
How much are tuition fees at the University of Lausanne?
CHF 580 per semester (CHF 500 course registration plus CHF 80 semester fees), the same for Swiss and international students. Applicants with a foreign diploma also pay a one-off CHF 200 application fee.
Can I study a bachelor's at UNIL in English?
No, bachelor's programmes are taught in French. Applicants without a Swiss Maturität whose mother tongue is not French must pass a French exam at B1 level or show an exempting certificate such as DELF B1.
Is my foreign diploma accepted at UNIL?
Only if it is equivalent to a Swiss gymnasium Maturität: the highest school-leaving certificate after at least 12 years, with six core subjects in each of the last three years, and meeting UNIL's country-specific requirements. Recognised but non-equivalent diplomas require the ECUS exam.
What is the UNIL application deadline?
Under UNIL's standing deadline rules, 30 April, or 28 February for applicants who need a visa or must take the ECUS; medicine also requires swissuniversities registration by 15 February. For autumn 2027 entry that means 30 April 2027 (28 February 2027 for visa and ECUS applicants).
Does UNIL have student housing?
UNIL has no halls of residence on campus. The FMEL foundation houses more than 2,500 students around Lausanne, and UNIL runs a shared accommodation database with EPFL.
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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