Entrance exam

Mailing Address:
ETH Zurich
Admissions Office
HG F 21.2-5
Raemistrasse 101
8092 Zurich
Switzerland

Careful preparation is required to pass the entrance exam. ETH Zurich does not offer preparatory courses or German language courses for beginners. A list of the few private schools offering preparatory courses and a list of language schools in Zurich will be included with the admission decision.

The subject matter covered by the exams corresponds to the educational targets set by the Swiss "Maturitäts-Anerkennungsverordnung" of 15 February 1995, taking into consideration the special requirements of ETH Zurich.

Entrance exam subjects

Subject area lists (Themenblätter) (pdf):
Biology
History
Geography
German
English
French
Italian
Spanish
Literature lists

Language requirements

The language of examination is German. Hence a good command of any specialised terminology in German is a prerequisite.

Candidates who based on the admission decision are required to sit the German-language examination are exempt from taking the exam if they can provide proof of both oral and written competency in German before the beginning of studies. The following certificates will be accepted:

Admission
Regulations ETHZ (available in German only)
Entrance
Exam Regulations ETHZ (available in German only)
Rectors'
Conference of the Swiss Universities CRUS (available in German and
French only)

1. German, Austrian and Luxembourgian secondary school-leaving certificates (Reifezeugnisse)
2. other foreign secondary school-leaving certificates acquired at a school where German is the principal language of instruction (e.g., certificates of the 'Deutsche Gemeinschaft', Belgium)
3. a minimum of eight years’ instruction in German in a school where German is the medium of instruction
4. Bachelor or other academic qualification from a German-language university, provided the language of instruction was German for a minimum of three years
5. one of the following German-language certificates:

1. Goethe-Zertifikat C1, with minimum rating 'gut' (www.goethe.de)
2. Goethe-Zertifikat C2, ZOP, KDS und GDS (www.goethe.de)
3. TestDaF minimum level 4 in all exam sections (www.testdaf.de)
4. Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch ÖSD - C1 Oberstufe (www.osd.at)
5. DSH-3 (only registered ® Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang
   ausländischer Studienbewerber)
6. KMK II (Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz – second level)
7. UNIcert minimum level 3

A level B2 in German, with rating 'very good', is required at the time of exam registration. Candidates who do not have sufficient German skills may be refused permission to sit the exam (Art. 9, APZ ETHZ).

Candidates whose declared mother tongue is German but who do not fulfil any of the above requirements must take the German-language exam.

Entrance exam fees

Examination fees are due when registering for the entrance exam. For a list of fees see here.

Visa requirement

As there are only a few weeks between the entrance exam and the start of the semester, you may not be able to obtain a visa in time. In that case, you will have to postpone entry until the autumn semester of the following year.

 

Candidates may not sit the entrance examination without an admission decision from the Admissions Office!