ETH Zurich

What kind of university ETH Zurich is

ETH Zurich is one of the two federal institutes of technology in Switzerland (the other is EPFL in Lausanne). It was founded in 1855 as the federal Polytechnikum and is a federal institution rather than a cantonal one. Teaching covers engineering, architecture, natural sciences, mathematics and computer science, plus a few other fields.

The university has two main sites in Zurich: the Zentrum area in the city centre and the Hönggerberg campus on the edge of the city. First-year examinations carry real weight, so plan to study steadily from the first week.

Language: plan on German

ETH says that the main teaching language of its bachelor programs is German and that it does not offer language courses to get applicants there. Most applicants with a foreign certificate must submit a recognized German C1 certificate (no older than two years) by the 31 March application deadline; ETH rejects applications with an invalid, insufficient or missing language certificate on formal grounds. Native speakers and holders of certain German-language school certificates are exempt, as listed on the language requirements page.

English is common at master level, but do not expect an English-taught bachelor track. If your German is not already strong, a year of serious study before applying is realistic.

Entry requirements for North American high school graduates

The country list published by swissuniversities for the 2026/27 academic year sets out ETH rules for the US High School Diploma. A diploma accompanied by at least three Advanced Placement exams with a minimum score of 3, covering mathematics, one of biology, physics or chemistry, and one language, plus four further listed subjects taken in the last three years of high school, leads to a reduced entrance examination. Without that profile, the applicant is sent to the comprehensive entrance examination.

For Canada, the ETH admission requirements for 2026/27 list the provincial high school diplomas (and the Quebec pre-university DEC) and set a reduced entrance examination only when the diploma comes with a certificate of university admission in the desired subject from a recognized Canadian university; otherwise the comprehensive entrance examination applies. Because the rules are revised every year, check the ETH admission requirements document and the swissuniversities list for the year you will apply.

How to apply and when

1. Confirm your route on the swissuniversities country list and the ETH admission requirements PDF for the current year.
2. Book a German C1 exam early enough that the result is ready before 31 March.
3. Apply in eApply between 1 December and 31 March (23:59 Central European Time) for one bachelor program only.
4. Upload a passport photo, ID, CV, your school-leaving certificate and reports from your last three school years, and pay the non-refundable application fee.
5. Wait for the decision, which can take up to eight weeks. If you are assigned an entrance exam, register for it in the September to October window.

Bachelor studies start only in the autumn semester. If the exam route applies, the timeline from first application to first lecture is usually longer than a year, so start planning in grade 11.

Tuition and living costs

ETH tuition is low by North American standards but no longer the same for everyone. Its fees page states CHF 730 per semester for Swiss students and residents, and CHF 2,190 per semester (three times the base fee) for foreign students with a foreign school-leaving certificate, starting in the autumn semester 2025. Zurich is expensive, and housing is the largest cost.

Canadian and US citizens need a Swiss student visa and residence permit. Follow the instructions of the Swiss embassy or consulate in your country and the ETH visa page, and do not treat this summary as immigration advice.

Preparing with StudyBrix

ETH expects strong mathematics from the first week, so review calculus and linear algebra before you arrive. The calculus readiness deck and the university calculus course cover the basics, and our Switzerland guide explains how the national system works. If you are starting German from scratch, the German A1 essentials deck is a first step, not a substitute for a C1 course.