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ETH Entrance examination

Applicants who must sit an examination to be admitted to Bachelor’s studies at ETH Zurich must sit the ETH entrance examination. This information will be communicated to the respective applicants in the admissions decision.

Registering for the ETH entrance examination

It will only be possible to start ETH studies in Autumn 2024 if your upper secondary school-leaving certificate satisfies the conditions for examination-free admission. If you must sit an entrance examination you can – after passing the examination – only enter in Autumn Semester 2025.

We can only ascertain whether you need to sit an ETH entrance examination (reduced or comprehensive) after receiving your complete application dossier (in the proper form and by the required deadline).

See Application process

Please consult the current admission requirements and language requirements for ETH Bachelor’s degree programmes in advance.

You must apply by 31 March 2024 at the latest and will receive the form to register for the entrance examination in January 2025 with the admissions notice. After passing the entrance examination you may enter your chosen degree programme in September 2025.

Application process
Calendar/deadlines

The registration deadline for the entrance examination is 15 October 2024 (The registration form and associated documents must reach the Admissions Office by 15 October 2024 at the latest).

The deadline for deregistering from the entrance examination is also 15 October 2024 (the intention to deregister must reach the Admissions Office in writing by 15 October 2024 at the latest).

Sitting the ETH entrance examination without application and without an admissions decision is not permitted!

The following documents must be submitted with the entrance exam registration form. Include a certified translation (original and one copy) of each document that is in a language other than German, French, Italian or English:

(Translation according to DownloadETH’s binding standards for translations and transcripts (PDF, 56 KB))

  • Upper secondary school-leaving certificate (original and one copy)
  • University transcripts (original and one copy): only required if you have already undertaken studies or are currently attending a university or college
  • German ​language certificate (original and one copy): if requested in the admission decision letter (see language requirements)
  • Certificate of university admission (original and one copy): if requested in the admission decision letter (see external pagecountry- and certificate-specific admission requirements)
  • 1 colour photograph (passport photo format)
  • Payment confirmation (for the exam registration fee) (copy)
  • Subject area lists ('Themenblätter' in German > see below)

Original documents

Swiss universities require the original of the upper secondary school-leaving certificate in order to issue the Swiss matriculation number (a small yellow sticker with the individual student number will be attached to the back of the upper secondary school-leaving certificate).

All original documents will be returned to you during the course of the Autumn Semester; if you fail the entrance examination you may pick them up immediately after the examination or make a request for them to be sent to you.

Information on the ETH entrance examination

Examination topics in the individual subjects correspond to the educational goals of the Schweizerischen Maturitäts-Anerkennungsverordnung (ordinance on recog­nition of the Swiss Matura; in German/French) of 15 February 1995, taking into account the special requirements of ETH.

The entrance examination is subject to the Reglement über die Aufnahmeprüfung zur Zulassung an die ETH Zurich (regulations regarding the ETH Zurich entrance examination; in German).

We can only ascertain whether you need to sit an ETH entrance examination (reduced or comprehensive) after receiving your complete application dossier (in the proper form and by the deadline).

See Application process

Please consult the current admission requirements and language requirements for ETH Bachelor’s degree programmes in advance.

The examination is in German. Familiarity with the respective subject terminology in German is a prerequisite.

You must satisfy the German language requirements to sit the ETH entrance examination.

The following fees are charged for sitting the ETH entrance examination:

Reduced entrance examination: CHF 550.00

Comprehensive entrance examination: CHF 800.00

The examination fee can be paid by bank transfer or at the ETH Zurich cash desk:

At the Cash Desk:
F 67.1 in the ETH main building, Raemistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich
Opening hours:  Mon-Thu  11:00 - 13:00 hrs
Cash money and credit cards are accepted
DownloadPayment Order (PDF, 160 KB)

Money transfer to ETH Zurich's bank account:
ETH Zürich, Finanzabteilung, 8092 Zürich
Swiss - Post Finance, 3030 Bern, Schweiz
Account No.: 30-​001171-7
Clearing-​No: BLZ 9000
Swift No.: POFICHBE
IBAN: CH55 0900 0000 3000 1171 7
Please mention: Application fee, PSP 1-​002217-001 / 42010151

ETH account information is also provided on the last page of the examination registration form.

Please note that fees are charged in Swiss Francs and that any extra transaction costs are charged to the payer.

The ETH entrance examination takes place annually in the third and fourth weeks of the year in the ETH Zurich Main Building.

The next entrance examination will be held on 13–23 January 2025 (possibility to begin studies in Autumn Semester 2025).

Written examinations

The written exams take place from Monday to Wednesday in the 3rd calendar week.

Oral examinations

The oral examinations take place from Thursday, 3rd calendar week, until Thursday, 4th Calendar week, in the ETH Zurich Main Building. Your individual oral examination timetable will be emailed to you one week before examinations begin.

Examination results will be communicated soon after the end of the entrance examination session.

Formularies

The only formularies allowed in the written exams of Mathematics (Written Math Problems) and Physics are:

  • "Formeln, Tabellen, Begriffe. Mathematik – Physik – Chemie"; Herausgeber: DMK, DPK, DCK; Orell Füssli Verlag, Zürich, ISBN 978-​3-280-04029-4 (previous editions are allowed)
  • "Formulae, Tables and Concepts. A Concise Handbook of Mathematics – Physics – Chemistry", Herausgeber: DMK, DPK, DCK, Orell Füssli Verlag, Zürich, ISBN 978-​3-280-04084-3

Formularies may contain no handwritten entries. However, highlighting (with a highlighter pen) and indexing (e.g. with a sticky note in the margin) are allowed.

Calculators

The only calculators allowed in the written exams of Mathematics (Written Math Problems) and Physics are:

  • Texas Instruments TI-​30 eco RS
  • Casio FX-​82 (not produced any longer, remains however allowed)
  • Casio FX-​82 Solar II

DownloadTextbooks (PDF, 177 KB) to help you prepare for the entrance examination.

The entrance examination requires careful preparation on your part. ETH Zurich offers no preparation courses or German language courses before studies begin.

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