Bachelor admission for candidates without Swiss matriculation certificate

Goethe-Institut certificate C1, with minimum rating 'gut'
TestDaF minimum level 4 in all exam sections
Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch ÖSD - C1 'Oberstufe'
DSH-3 (only registered ® 'Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang ausländischer Studienbewerber')
KMK II ('Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz' – second level)
UNIcert minimum level 3

Who may apply?

Application is open to everybody. ETH Zurich may, however, require you to pass an entrance examination before admitting you. This entrance examination has to be taken by all applicants whose qualifications do not fulfill the criteria for regular admission, i.e., candidates without a recognised Swiss matriculation certificate or Diploma from a university of applied sciences, or whose matriculation certificate is not considered equivalent to a Swiss certificate.

The aim of the entrance examination is to ensure the necessary knowledge and skills needed to successfully complete the demanding ETH Zurich degree programmes.

Admission requirements

The Admissions Regulations of ETH Zurich ('Zulassungsverordnung der ETH Zürich', in German) form the basis for admission. On the website of the Rectors' Conference of Swiss Universities you may find a collection of admission requirements according to countries and types of diplomas (in German and French).

There are three different kinds of admission to the first semester of a Bachelor programme:

1. Admission without entrance examination
2. Admission conditional upon passing 'reduced entrance examination (PDF, 101 kB)' (5 subjects) and/or the German language exam (PDF, 56 kB)
   
3. Admission conditional upon passing 'comprehensive entrance examination (PDF, 109 kB)' (9 subjects)

Language of instruction

The language of instruction in all Bachelor programmes is German (for language requirements, see info box on right and 'entrance exam'). Single courses may be taught in English or French, especially in the higher semesters. The Master programmes are mostly taught in English, thus advanced English skills are required or must be acquired after the begin of studies. The language of instruction for each individual course may be found in the course catalogue.

Candidates whose declared mother tongue is German are not necessarily exempt from taking the German-language exam.

Please note that we cannot enter into any discussion or correspondence regarding specific admission requirements until we have received your complete application.

Application

Instructions on how to apply may be found here.