This page is about the end of your studies (loss of the status of EPFL student), which generally corresponds to the definitive interruption of your studies at EPFL. For a temporary interruption of your studies, please consult the pages Interruption of studies. If you are partially unable to work (up to 50%), or if you are a high-level musician or elite athlete, please consult the page Course Exemptions.
The end of your studies may happen in different ways and for different reasons, detailed below.
Automatic end of studies
Your studies end automatically when you do not pay the semester taxes and course fees and/or when you do not complete the academic reregistration form within the official deadlines. In such cases, you may restore your matriculation by paying a Fr. 50.- tax at the Student Services Desk (you must also bring a proof of payment for the semester taxes and course fees if they were paid after the official deadline).
Your studies also end automatically in case of definitive failure or upon successful completion of the Master’s program (unless you have already been accepted into another study program at EPFL). In such cases, it is not possible to reregister at EPFL, unless you are accepted into a new study program through the standard application procedure. Students who have definitively failed and have not successfully completed another University-level study program since then are generally no longer admissible to EPFL.
Successful completion of the Bachelor’s program
Students who choose not to register for the Master’s program at EPFL in the semester following the successful completion of the Bachelor’s program are thereby putting an end to their studies at EPFL. For more information about specific exceptions to this rule, please consult the page Interruption of studies between the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs.
If you have left EPFL after the successful completion of the Bachelor’s program and wish to come back for a Master’s program, the procedure depends on your situation and on the program you wish to attend.
If you have not attended another study program in the meantime and you wish to attend a Master’s program that follows your Bachelor’s degree (Master’s program in the same field of studies), you only need to let us know by email at [email protected] (no later than June 30 to register for the Autumn semester, or December 31 for the Spring semester). Reregistration for the Spring semester is subject to the approval of the program.
If you have attended other study programs in the meantime and/or you wish to attend a Master’s program that does not follow your Bachelor’s degree (Master’s program in a different field of studies or specialised Master’s program), you must complete and submit, within the official deadlines, a full application to be evaluated by the Admissions Committee.
Dropping out of the Bachelor’s or Master’s program
Should you decide to drop out, the request may be submitted:
- through the academic reregistration form on IS-Academia (when it is open in the winter and summer)
- at the Registrar’s Office, Monday–Friday, 10–12 AM
- via email at [email protected] (make sure to specify your reasons for dropping out)
If you drop out during the CMS, please take into account that you must drop out before the deadline (the Friday of the fifth week of classes) to ensure that the ongoing year is not counted as a failure. Should you want to return to the CMS after dropping out without the year counting as a failure, you will need to apply again, within the usual deadlines.
If you drop out during the first attempt at the foundation year (first year of the Bachelor’s program), please take into account that you must drop out before the 31st of October to ensure that the ongoing year is not counted as a failure. Should you want to return to EPFL after dropping out without the year counting as a failure, you will need to apply again, within the usual deadlines.
If you drop out during the mise à niveau, please take into account that you must drop out before the 31st of March to ensure that the ongoing semester is not counted as a failure. Note however that you will not be allowed to resume your Bachelor’s studies at EPFL at a later time, since it is no longer possible to successfully complete the mise à niveau and the second attempt at the foundation year within the maximum duration of the foundation-year cycle (four semesters).
If you drop out at any point during your studies but then change your mind and wish to be reregistered during the same semester, you will need to pay a reregistration tax of Fr. 50.- at the Student Services Desk.
If you drop out during the Bachelor’s or Master’s cycle but then change your mind and wish to come back to EPFL the semester following your dropping out, please note that:
- you will need to pay a reregistration tax of Fr. 50.- at the Student Services Desk
- the missed semester will be taken into account when calculating the maximum duration of your studies and the deadline to repeat failed classes
To resume your studies after dropping out, please let us know by email at [email protected]. Reregistration is not possible after a definitive failure or if it is impossible for you to complete your study program within the regulatory maximum duration of studies at EPFL.
If you choose to drop out before the beginning of your studies, your matriculation will simply be canceled. Should you change your mind and wish to study at EPFL after all, you will need to complete and submit a new application, within the official deadlines and with a new payment of the registration fees. Should admissions criteria have changed since your first application, you will be evaluated on the basis of the new conditions.
Additional information
Should you need a certificate of end of studies (e.g., for the unemployment office or to register with another higher-education school), you will be able to download one, as soon as matriculation has been canceled, through your IS-Academia account, from the “Certificates” screen.
If matriculation is canceled before the end of the second week of classes, the tuition fee for the upcoming semester may be reimbursed upon request. No refund will be granted when matriculation is canceled after the second week of classes. The other semester fees are not refundable. For more information about semester fees, please consult the page Tuition fee and other fees.
To obtain such a refund, please send your request to [email protected] (make sure to attach a copy of your bank card). The Registrar’s Office will then process your request, and the Financial Office will issue the refund.