ETH Zurich Admission 2027: Deadlines, Fees, Requirements

Admission at a glance

ETH Zurich is one of two federal institutes of technology in Switzerland and admits students at bachelor's, master's and doctoral level. Bachelor's teaching is almost entirely in German, so a non-Swiss applicant needs German language proficiency and, unless their school-leaving certificate is on the recognised list swissuniversities publishes, must sit one of two entrance examinations: a reduced examination covering four subjects or a comprehensive examination covering eight, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, German and a second foreign language, which ETH states has a pass rate of roughly 20 to 30 percent for the comprehensive route. Applications for the autumn semester run online through eApply from 1 December to 31 March.

Master applicants apply directly to a specific programme rather than to the university generally, and the process differs depending on whether the applicant's prior bachelor's degree was earned in Switzerland or abroad. For an international bachelor's degree the main application window runs through November, closing 30 November at 11:59am Central European Time for autumn semester entry, ahead of the smaller window reserved for holders of a Swiss bachelor's degree that closes at the end of April. Most master's programmes are taught in English, some in German, and a few require both languages, so an applicant must check the specific programme's language of instruction before applying. A valid English or German language certificate is required for nearly every programme, checked by the department against the profile of requirements for that specific degree; ETH does not publish one university-wide minimum score. Late or incomplete applications are not processed, and the non-refundable CHF 150 per-programme application fee is charged regardless of the outcome.

Requirements

Bachelor

• A secondary school certificate substantially equivalent to the Swiss Matura; country-specific conditions are published by swissuniversities.
• Depending on the certificate: admission without an entrance exam, with a reduced exam (4 subjects) or with a comprehensive exam (8 subjects: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, German and a second foreign language).
• German language proficiency sufficient to follow teaching, since nearly all bachelor's programmes are taught in German; a command of English is also expected.
• Application through eApply between 1 December and 31 March for autumn semester entry.

Master

• A bachelor's degree considered equivalent to an ETH Bachelor's in a relevant subject, meeting the specific programme's minimum grade average and any programme-specific prerequisite coursework.
• A valid language certificate for the programme's teaching language (English, German, or both for some programmes); ETH accepts IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency, each no more than two years old (five years for C2 Proficiency and a C1 Advanced grade A), but does not publish a required minimum score.
• Applicants with an internatio...

Full requirements and documents