In addition to this page, please consult the ‘General’ and ‘Master’s’ sections of our FAQ for all information about our admission requirements and processes.
Application
You have already understood the admission criteria and would like to apply for a program? Then read about the detailed application procedure:
Overview of the application procedure
Eligibility criteria
The indications on this page do not constitute a legal basis. Legal texts are the only reference. The criteria are valid for the ongoing year.
Anyone holding a Bachelor’s degree from a university (or equivalent) in a field related to the EPFL curricula can apply for a Master’s program.
However, please be aware that admission is competitive. Only people with excellent academic records and references have good chances of being accepted. Specific conditions for a few special cases are detailed below.
Each application is evaluated according to several criteria, such as the quality of the application, the academic curriculum, the grades and results, the research references, and the area of specialization, as well as factors related to compliance with export-control and embargo legislation.
People who already hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in the field of the program for which they apply (or a similar field) are not eligible.
It is only possible to apply for one Master’s program per academic year. In case of a rejection, it is possible to apply again the following year, for the same program or for a different program. A positive reply is however unlikely should the person not present any new academic results.
We also advise you to take notice of the requirements that are specific to every Master’s program.
People completing a Bachelor’s degree at EPFL
People completing a Bachelor’s degree at EPFL are automatically registered in the Master’s program of their field of study and only need to approve their registration on IS-Academia. They need not follow the application procedure to continue their studies in the same field.
Should several Master’s programs be consecutive to their Bachelor’s degree, they can request registration in any of these programs in the FRAC form at the beginning of their first term at the Master’s level. No application is needed.
People completing a Bachelor’s degree at EPFL who wish to change their field of study or access a specialized Master’s program must follow the full online application procedure within the same deadlines as for external applications. They are however exempted from providing referees’ contact information.
The admission decision will be based amongst other things on the quality of the application, the relevance of the prior Bachelor’s program with regard to the chosen Master’s program, and the given motivations. It may be required to have taken classes on specific topics and to obtained qualified grades in these classes. Additional credits may also be required.
People who left EPFL after the successful completion of their Bachelor’s program and wish to come back for a Master’s program must check the webpage about reregistration.
People with a Bachelor’s degree from another Swiss HEU/UHS (ETH Zürich or cantonal University)
People completing a Bachelor’s program at another Swiss HEU/UHS with 180 ECTS credits in the same field of study as their chosen Master’s program must follow the full online application procedure, but they are exempted from providing referees’ contact information. Admission to a consecutive Master’s program is guaranteed, but additional credits may be required.
People completing a Bachelor’s program at another Swiss HEU/UHS who wish to change their field of study or access a specialized Master’s program must follow the full online application procedure.
The admission decision will be based amongst other things on the quality of the application, the relevance of the prior Bachelor’s program with regard to the chosen Master’s program, and the given motivations. It may be required to have taken classes on specific topics and to obtained qualified grades in these classes. Additional credits may also be required.
People with a Bachelor’s degree from a Swiss HES/FHS
People completing a Bachelor’s program at a Swiss HES/FHS are admitted to EPFL’s Master’s programs provided they have an HES/FHS Bachelor’s degree in one of the following fields of studies, with an average grade of 5,00 or above:
- Architecture
- Civil Engineering
- Environmental Sciences and Engineering
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Microengineering
- Computer Science/Communication Systems
They can access the Master’s programs that are consecutive to the corresponding EPFL Bachelor’s degree, i.e., respectively:
- Architecture
- Civil Engineering
- Environmental Sciences and Engineering
- Molecular and Biological Chemistry/Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering/Neuro-X
- Mechanical Engineering
- Microengineering/Robotics/Neuro-X
- Computer Science/Computer Science-Cybersecurity/Communication Systems/Data Science/Neuro-X
They will however need to succeed a preparatory year of 57 to 60 ECTS credits.
For detailed information about the preparatory courses, please contact the person specified on the page describing your Master’s program of interest.
People completing a Bachelor’s program at a Swiss HES/FHS apply in the field of studies corresponding to their Bachelor’s degree and follow the preparatory year in that field. If applicable, they then select the consecutive Master’s program they wish to take.
People studying at EPFL as exchange students
For people studying at EPFL as exchange students and applying for a Master’s program, if Master’s credits obtained during your exchange program were not used at your university of origin, you will be able to validate them for your Master’s program, subject to validation and a maximum of 30 credits.
These people are however subject to the same procedure, deadlines and requirements, and selection process as for any other external application.
Important deadlines
Applications can be filled online from mid-November to the 15th of December, or from the 16th of December to the 31st of March.
Decisions are sent late March for applications registered by the 15th of December and mid-June for the applications registered by the 31st of March. You can freely choose to apply by the December deadline or the March deadline. Regardless of which deadline you choose to meet, studies begin in early September, following acceptance.
People who need a visa are strongly advised to apply by the December deadline in order to have an answer earlier and have enough time for the visa procedure (which can take up to 3 months).
An intensive French language course is offered to all accepted people. It starts four weeks before the beginning of the semester.