History
From its foundation in 1853, EPFL has evolved into an internationally renowned institution that attracts some of the best intellects in the world. With state-of-the-art facilities, bright and motivated students, and outstanding faculty, EPFL’s reputation as a top-rate teaching and research institution continues to grow.
Education
We offer students and faculty an innovation-oriented environment equipped with state-of-the-art facilities in a cosmopolitan setting. And because we believe in learning by doing, our degree programs place a heavy emphasis on lab sessions and hands-on workshops with direct research applications. EPFL, The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne, gives access to most fields of Basic Sciences, Engineering and Architecture. At Master’s level, 25 programs are offered. The are designed to be flexible and give students the opportunity to customize their curricula according to their aspirations.
Research
EPFL is home to over 350 laboratories and research groups, each working at the forefront of science and technology. We have a goal to better understand our world and we aim to improve it. Across its several campuses, EPFL has a diverse, committed and stimulating research community that is active over a wide spectrum of quantitative and design-focused disciplines. To foster trans-disciplinary research we launch strategic initiatives such as the Blue Brain Project, the Swiss Plasma Centre or the Venice Time Machine.
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne Key Statistics & Highlights
- #22 Ranking
- 30 Masters
- 55 Scholarships
- 916 Academic Staff
- 11,266 Students
- 6,985 Students (int'l)
- 3,267 Students (female)
- Public Institution Type
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne Overview
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne Scholarships
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne Scholarships
Below you will find scholarships related to Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. Distinction can be made between scholarships provided by the University and those provided by independent providers.
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Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne Student Reviews & Awards
Based on 18 reviews
- 5 Star 7 Reviews
- 4 Star 9 Reviews
- 3 Star 2 Reviews
- 2 Star 0 Reviews
- 1 Star 0 Reviews
How Students Rated This University
- Student Teacher Interaction 4.0
- Student Diversity 4.2
- Quality of Student Life 4.3
- Career Development 4.8
Great Support for my Project
I am currently completing my Bachelor's Project at ETH and I am very happy with the collaboration and support I get from the faculty. My supervisor invests enough time into supporting me in my first research project. The communication is professional and fast. I made similar experiences with another faculty where I will write my masters thesis. I also worked with yet another professorship on organizing a hackathon. In all cases ETH professors take time and offer sufficient support to students. It is great studying at a university where you are valued and get the support needed to learn and not just feel overwhelmed during projects.
Theoretical vs practical
My experience with the university so far was good. The curriculum is very demanding but people know that beforehand. Students have the ability to participate in a few programs to gather practical experience but they are few. So you get out of the programs without much practical knowledge.
Good
It is okay but a little much work. The work can be a little much unfortunately. But I think the building is very pretty . Especially the Hauptgeb�ude. Nevertheless I also like the ML HNO HCI NO LFW CLA and LEE
Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2025
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2025. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 7 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
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Student Teacher InteractionHow helpful were your teachers?
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Student DiversityHow diverse was the atmosphere at your university?
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Quality of Student LifeHow was your everyday life?
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Career DevelopmentDid the university provide support for your career development?
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne Rankings
Study Portals Meta Ranking
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
QS World University Rankings
By TopUniversities
Climbed 4 places compared to 2025
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend QS World University Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | 26 | 22 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
World University Rankings
By Times Higher Education
Dropped 3 places compared to 2025
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend World University Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 32 | 35 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Academic Ranking of World Universities
By Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Climbed 11 places compared to 2024
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend Academic Ranking of World Universities
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 54 | 55 | 44 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Best Global Universities Rankings
By U.S. News & World Report
Climbed 2 places compared to 2025
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
3 year trend Best Global Universities Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 69 | 88 | 86 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Student services
The "student services" counter is the central point of contact for processing your requests
You are a student or PhD student at EPFL, newly arrived, freshly graduated and you have a problem, a question, a doubt? The student services desk provides the following services:
- Reception and support of student and doctoral student requests by email, phone or in person.
- Immediate response or redirection to the appropriate department, depending on the type of request.
- Depending on the problem, make an appointment for you, with one of the student services staff.
Housing services
Our team informs you on different housing options in the Lausanne area. Some housings are strictly reserved to EPFL community: you must know your status before beggining your housing hunt. You’ll find it on your admission letter, invitation letter or on your work contract. Please note that the majority of apartments / studios in the UNIL-EPFL database are managed by real estate agencies and not by the contact person who published the advertisement. This is the current tenant who has to hand over his lease and who is in charge of making the visits of the apartment and provide the agency with a few files of solvent applicants. So you will always be confronted with the constraints imposed by real estate agencies.
Library services
Located at the Rolex Learning Center, the EPFL Library offers advanced tailored services to EPFL members (students, researchers, professors). As a public library, collections are available for everyone interested.
Campus life
The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne is a lively place to live, living up to the rhythm of its events and the activities of its associations. Its buildings with striking architecture house libraries, shops, restaurants and exhibitions.
Throughout their stay, students and staff can also count on numerous resources to support them logistically and administratively.
125 nationalities on campus and more than 50% of professors from abroad make the School one of the most cosmopolitan university sites in the world.
Sports facilities
The keystone of the Sport and Health Center (CSS) of the University Sports Center Dorigny (CSUD) is transversality. Its architecture and organization are part of a permanent search for balance, a harmony that is based both on human qualities and an efficient multidisciplinary approach. This dual vocation allows it to address both athletes looking for a performance that the entire university community, as well as a wide audience anxious to develop a healthy and regular physical practice.
Student clubs
Thanks to more than seventy student associations active on EPFL campus, our community enjoys a dynamic place of studies, where diversity invites itself through various events.Aware of the workload resulting from managing a student association, Educational Affairs provides our students with the tools and resources they need to thrive associative life and make it become compatible with their studies.
Accreditation
The Quality Office manages the Quality Assurance System of EPFL in the fields of Education, Research and School Governance and improves it through internal and external reviews on a regular basis. Its goal is to provide a continuous enhancement of quality aiming at a culture of excellence within the whole institution for the accomplishment of its missions.