EPFL - École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

EPFL, the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, is also called the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. The school began in 1853 and was officially established in 1969. It is a public research university in Lausanne, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. As a research institute, it specializes in the natural sciences and engineering. EPFL is one of the most prestigious universities in the Swiss Federal Area of Institutes of Technology. That body is an association of research institutes and universities.

EPFL runs several satellite campuses and facilities across Switzerland. The campus in Écublens, next to Lake Geneva, is powered entirely by electricity generated from hydropower. The main campus hosts music festivals and holds two museums, the Musée Bolo and the Archizoom. More recently the university has also turned to the life sciences. In 2008 it acquired the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research. EPFL coordinates ambitious international research projects, including the Blue Brain Project and the Human Brain Project. Both seek to digitally reconstruct mammalian and human brains.

EPFL is one of the few universities to run a nuclear reactor, a fusion reactor and a Blue/Q Supercomputer. It also keeps P3 biohazard facilities as part of its research and teaching activities. Education, research and innovation are its three missions, and more than 11,000 students of different nationalities study here.

Admission Requirements for International Students

Undergraduate

If you plan to apply to an undergraduate program at EPFL, you must meet the admission requirements set out below.

• International Baccalaureate (IB)
  • An International Baccalaureate (IB) from IBO is accepted for the first year of the Bachelor’s programs. Your title must fulfill all of the following conditions:
    • you studied and were examined in these subjects within the Diploma Programme (DP) at the higher level (HL): 1) mathematics, 2) physics, and 3) chemistry, biology, or computer science
    • you studied and were examined in these subjects within the Diploma Programme (DP) at the standard or higher level (SL or HL): 1) first modern language, 2) second modern language, and 3) history, geography, economics, or philosophy
    • your total number of points is at least 38 out of 42, excluding bonus points. Your grades in mathematics and physics are at least 6 out of 7
  • Both ‘Mathematics: Analysis and approaches’ and ‘Mathematics: Applications and interpretation’ are accepted.
  • EPFL considers level B2 in French (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) necessary to follow its Bachelor’s programs. Level C1 is highly recommended. If you are a foreign applicant who has not studied French as part of your upper secondary education, you will need to attest your level upon application.
• European Baccalaureate
  • An upper secondary school certificate is accepted for the first year of the Bachelor’s programs. It must come from a country that is a member of EU or EFTA, other than Switzerland. Your title must fulfill all of the following conditions:
    • the certificate is a pre-University title granted on the basis of a general education
    • the certificate is granted after at least twelve years of primary and secondary education, excluding kindergarten, including at least three years of upper secondary education
    • you studied these subjects during your upper secondary education: 1) mathematics, 2) physics, 3) official language of the country granting the certificate, 4) second modern language, 5) chemistry or biology, 6) history, geography, or economics, and 7) applied mathematics, computer science, philosophy, or third modern language
    • at least six of these seven subjects appear on the final grade transcripts used to determine the award of the certificate, including mathematics and physics
    • mathematics and physics were studied and examined at the highest possible level (see below). The certificate is in a scientific stream, should streams be offered by the country granting the certificate
    • the final grades in mathematics and physics are at least 80% of the maximum grade
    • the general average is at least 80% of the maximum grade
• For students from Great Britain;
  • British Advanced Levels and/or Scottish Advanced Highers are accepted for the first year of the Bachelor’s programs. Your title must fulfill all of the following conditions:
    • you studied and were examined in these subjects as Advanced Levels and/or Advanced Highers: 1) mathematics, 2) physics, and 3) chemistry, biology, or computer science
    • you studied these subjects at the level of the GCSE and/or Standard Grades or at a higher level (Advanced Subsidiary Levels, Advanced Levels, Highers, and/or Advanced Highers): 1) English, 2) second modern language, and 3) history or geography
    • your grades in mathematics and physics, as well as in chemistry, biology, or computer science, are at least A and/or 1
• For students from the USA;
  • Upper secondary school-leaving certificate + Entrance Examination EPFL

Graduate

If you plan to apply to a graduate program at EPFL, you must meet the admission requirements set out below.

• Bachelor's Degree Diploma
• High Grade Point Average
• Official transcripts of the courses you took during your university education
• Work experience may be required for certain programs
• Certificate in English Proficiency
  • Certificate in English proficiency received through internationally recognized proficiency tests such as IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT.
• Certificate in French Proficiency
  • Certificate in French proficiency received through internationally recognized proficiency tests such as DELF, DALF.
• A GRE/GMAT exam score may be required, in line with the specific admission requirements of certain programs.

EPFL has contributed countless useful discoveries to human history through the scientists it has trained and the research it has conducted. As a result of these contributions, the school has won many awards and been nominated for countless prizes. These include the world-renowned Nobel, Pritzker and Turing prizes. The University is also the recipient of the Swiss Green & Sustainable Chemistry Award, the Global Lectureship Award and the Tetrahedron Young Inventigator Award.