The Language Centre is a service provided by the Ecole Polythechnique Fédérale. Therefore, the language-learning program it offers is reserved exclusively for the EPFL students and personnel, and for collaborators of the Confederation.
In addition to the online registration, members of personnel must obtain a validation from their superior and partially pay for their course – detailed information is available on the page Access to courses and details of fees. The Language Centre can neither consider their pre-registration nor place them in a group module unless this authorisation has been provided.
If, according to the categories, you are not eligible to participate in the program of the Language Centre, you can contact the “l’Université populaire” or the “Association vaudoise des écoles privées”. See question “Find a school in Lausanne”.
To register online, you have to identify yourself by entering your username and your password of your Gaspar account.
The timetables are fixed at the beginning of the semester according to the availabilities given during the registration.
Once the timetables have been established, each placed student receives information on his/her EPFL email address and can consult all information in their personal file.
The Language Centre sends all information (confirmation, room number/change, teacher’s absence, etc.) electronically.
You must use your account GASPAR. If you have any difficulties with your EPFL identification, go to the EPFL Password and Authentication Manager for complete details or call 1234 (intern number).
Our language-learning program is reserved exclusively for the EPFL community.
If you have pre-registered and depending on your availability, it is possible to join a group module that has already started, but only within the first two or three weeks of the semester. If your level and your availability match the group that you are interested in, you will be placed (if there is still room) – or your name will be added to the waiting list.
If, however, you could not be placed in a group, register again for the next semester, following the same procedure (it is not necessary to do the placement test again).
In order for a maximum number of persons to benefit from language courses, we are obliged to establish certain limits:
- You may register for 3 different languages. However, you will be placed in a maximum of 2 groups, according to the number of places available.
- You cannot register for more than one module per language; however, it may be possible to change modules if you are not placed in your chosen module.
It is only possible to choose one module per language for the semester modules. However, if you are not placed in your chosen module and received an email informing you of your non-placement, you can come immediately to the Language Centre to explore other possibilities (change module, time schedule, etc.).
The Language Centre reception is located in CE 2 445.
You can find out when reception is open on the homepage of the Language Centre. During the first weeks of the semester, reception has longer opening hours.
If you want to do modules at the Language Centre preparing you for an external exam (Goethe Institute, University of Cambridge, DELF/DALF, CELI), the complete program is divided into 2 semesters. For optimal preparation, it is therefore necessary to attend both modules (autumn and spring semesters).
It is possible to take external exams without doing any of the preparation modules. See below for the addresses of the examination centres:
Examinations for English (FCE, CAE, CPE, TOEFL, IELTS)
- University of Cambridge
- Cambridge Assessment English
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
- IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
- British Council in Switzerland
Examinations for German (ZD, Goethe-Zertifikat B2 or C1)
Examinations for French (DELF, DALF)
Examinations for Italian (CELI)
- For languages taught at Language Centre EPFL (German, English, French, Italian), it is not possible to register at the Language Centre UNIL. The independent language learning (Multimedia Centre in access, Tandem) will allow you to continue your training even if you are not placed in a group.
- For languages not taught at the Language Centre EPFL but taught at the Language Centre UNIL (Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Swiss German), it is possible to register at the Language Centre UNIL. However, the courses are subject to a fee.
For more information, please consult the Language Centre UNIL website.
The University of Lausanne offers intensive French courses at: Le FIL – intensive French courses.
The language-learning program at the Language Centre is reserved for the EPFL community. If this does not apply to you, you can contact the following institutions located in the Lausanne area:
We suggest the following website: https://studybooks.ch