Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

• Cutting-edge academic and research facilities
• Offers diverse disciplines   
• Offers students a range of extracurricular activities
• Opens up many job opportunities
• Top-ranked research facilities  

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, or École Polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in French, is a public research higher educational institution that is located in Lausanne in Switzerland. 

A university that the government of Switzerland runs, it was founded in 1853. In 1869, it was made the public Académie de Lausanne's technical department. In 1969, the academy then became the University of Lausanne. It expanded further when it introduced the life sciences department. It also took over in 2008 the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research. 

The campus of EPFL is along the shores of Lake Geneva and comprises 65 buildings spread over 136 acres. In 1974, EPFL was made independent of the University of Lausanne to make it a federal institute. A new campus was constructed at Dorigny in Écublens and the first EPFL buildings there were inaugurated in 1978.

The EPFL campus is along the shores of Lake Geneva and comprises 65 buildings spread over 136 acres. 

University Overview:

EPFL is one of the few universities to house a nuclear reactor, a Gene/Q Supercomputer, P3 bio-hazard facilities, and a fusion reactor for teaching and research purposes. It belongs to the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain, which selects students based on their performance in first-year exams, where about 50% of the students fail. 

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Master's Programs

It has eight schools and departments to serve over 11,260 students, of whom 6,980 are foreign nationals. The teaching faculty contains 350 professors.

It has four associated campuses in Fribourg, Neuchâtel, Geneva, and Valais Wallis. It has five schools, two colleges, and a language center, and it is related to seven institutions: Swiss Cancer Centre, Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), Centre for Advanced Modelling Science (CADMOS), École cantonale d'art de Lausanne (ECAL), Campus Biotech, Wyss Center for Bio- and Neuro-engineering, and Swiss National Supercomputing Centre. 

Undergraduate programs are offered in 13 disciplines. EPFL encourages interdisciplinary studies and allows students to undertake projects and experiments with state-of-the-art equipment. 

It offers 29 programs at the postgraduate level with the intent to provide students an opportunity to modify their programs as per their aspirations. 

The Doctoral School of EPFL offers 22 programs, with each of them encompassing a renowned discipline or interdisciplinary research subject.

Unique Features:

The Archimedean Oath, an ethical code for engineers and technicians, was initiated by EPFL's students in 1990. Since then, it has spread to several European engineering schools.

It holds several music festivals annually. The largest one of them is the Balélec Festival, which the university organizes in May every year. This festival holds 30 concerts where 15,000 visitors attend.

Student Life:

The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne is a dynamic place where many events and the activities of student associations take place. Its buildings house libraries at architecture houses, exhibitions, restaurants, and shops. In addition, it has various sports facilities to keep students mentally and physically engaged.   

The university accommodates various sports and leisure amenities in order to engage students when they are not studying. EPFL also publishes Flash, a monthly newspaper, and broadcasts daily on the student radio station.

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Admission Requirements​

The selection procedure for international graduates wanting to join the EPFL is not straightforward, as most undergraduate courses have French as the medium of instruction.

For master's courses, all those holding a bachelor's course are eligible in a discipline that is available in the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. An average grade of 4.50 in the bachelor's program is required to be eligible.

You can apply either by December 15 or April 15, and the courses start in mid-September. 

Testimonials and Success Stories:

For chemistry, in their 2022 analysis, Research.com ranked Professor Michael Grätzel from School of Basic Sciences of EPFL at first in Switzerland and the world.

Statistics and Achievements:

There are around 11,260 students with around 350 professors.

More than 94% of its postgraduate students find placements within six months of graduation.

Important Dates:

Master's courses start in mid-September and interested students have to apply either by December 15 or April 15. 

Contact Information:

For any information or questions on EPFL, call +41 (0)21 693 11 11

From 8 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday (except holidays)

Studies Administration Office D-INFK 

Email: studiensekretariat@inf.ethz.ch

Scholarships Available:

To reward exceptional students commencing their master's programs and others, EPFL offers scholarships to appreciate their academic excellence. These scholarships amount to $11,275 per year. Other scholarships include ETH Robotics Student Fellowships and ETH Student Summer Research Fellowships.

Name	URL
Master excellence fellowships	https://www.epfl.ch/education/master/master-excellence-fellowships/
ETH Robotics Student Fellowships	https://ethz.ch/en/studies/non-degree-courses/summer-offers/summer-projects/eth-robotics-student-fellowship.html
ETH Student Summer Research Fellowships	https://inf.ethz.ch/studies/summer-research-fellowship.html

Additional Resources:

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne offers research opportunities in Data Management & Machine Learning, Information & System Security, Computer Systems, Intelligent Interactive Systems and Physical Computing, Programming Languages & Software Engineering, Theory & Algorithms, and Visual Computing, including various programs in computer science. 

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