How to apply?

Applications can be submitted from mid-November to the 30th of April to start your studies at EPFL the following September.

Documents required on April 30th (step 1)

Registration form to be completed, paid for, and submitted on April 30 at the latest

All documents must be scanned to PDF (JPEG for the photo) and uploaded to the online form.

  1. identity photo (portrait with the face and neck, filling the whole image) with a 3/4 vertical format (minimum 750×1000 pixels, maximum 2 MB). Your face must be centered and clearly visible, with no hat, against a neutral background. The picture must be clear, with no alteration or mark (stamps, signatures, etc.). Photos that do not fulfil the criteria will be rejected.
  2. identity document (passport or identity card, both sides)
  3. intermediary grade sheets from the last two years of upper secondary education (except for applicants with a Swiss education)
  4. when applicable, transcripts from prior higher-education institutions
  5. when applicable, Swiss residence permit and certificate for the applicant (and his or her parents if he or she resides in Switzerland with them)
  6. language competence certificate in French (except for applicants with a Swiss or francophone education)

Please note that we process applications from mid-January approximately and that processing can take several weeks, especially if your application is validated and paid for in April.

Documents required on July 10th (step 2)

Uploading form to be completed and submitted on July 10 at the latest (September 30 exceptionally for school certificates and diplomas delivered after July 10)

All documents must be scanned to PDF and uploaded to the online form.

  1. upper secondary school certificate (or higher-education diploma when applicable) if already available
  2. transcripts of the upper secondary school certificate (or of the higher-education diploma when applicable)
  3. last grade sheet from the upper secondary education
  4. when applicable, end-of-matriculation certificate from prior higher-education institutions

All documents should be in English, French, German, or Italian. Please join a legalized translation of all documents in another language. Your application will be rejected without these translations.

Please note that processing can take several weeks, especially if your application is completed in July.

How to pay the application fee

Payment is only possible by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, UnionPay, Diners/Discover), PayPal, or Twint.

Applicants must pay the application fee when his/her application is first submitted (no later than April 30th). These fees are CHF 50.- for a holder of a Swiss certificate or diploma and CHF 150.- for holders of a foreign certificate or diploma.

Rules

The application form must be validated and paid for on April 30th at the latest. Application after that deadline is only possible in very specific cases.

The admission decision is only valid for the next beginning of an academic year. Applicants who choose not to matriculate and wish to be accepted the following year must apply again.

The document attesting the successful completion of the title granting admission to EPFL (most commonly the final transcripts) must be submitted no later than September 30th. Admission is otherwise canceled.

Double matriculation at EPFL and at another University is not allowed. Applicants accepted at EPFL after having begun studies at another University must provide, no later than September 30th, proof that they are no longer matriculated at that school. Admission is otherwise canceled.

Changing program

After registration, it is still possible to switch to another Bachelor’s program, until the beginning of the academic year. This does not apply to candidats accepted in the second or third year of a Bachelor’s program.