🏅 QS World Rank #8
ETH Zurich — Full Profile & Ranking 2026
Switzerland’s top science & technology university — QS World Rankings 2027 (joint #8)
ETH Zurich is a public research university in Zurich, Switzerland, founded in 1855 and focused on engineering, natural sciences, and technology. In the QS World University Rankings 2027 (announced June 2026), ETH Zurich ranked joint 8th in the world, tied with UCL. This guide covers ETH’s programs, bachelor’s and master’s admissions, the autumn 2025 tuition change for foreign students, scholarships, advice for applicants from Pakistan, and the questions prospective students ask most. Every figure is labeled with its year or ranking edition.
ETH Zurich Overview
ETH Zurich (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich) is a public research university in Zurich, Switzerland, founded in 1855. It focuses on engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, architecture, and related fields. Albert Einstein is one of its best-known former students.
ETH teaches its bachelor’s programs mainly in German, and most master’s programs in English. This means the route in is different for international students: many apply for a master’s degree after completing a bachelor’s degree in their home country. ETH also changed its tuition rules in autumn 2025, which is explained in the fees section below.
ETH Zurich Rankings — QS World University Rankings 2027
ETH Zurich is ranked joint 8th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) in June 2026, tied with UCL and down from 7th in the previous edition. In this edition MIT ranked 1st, Imperial College London and Stanford tied for 2nd, Oxford 4th, Harvard 5th, Cambridge 6th, and Caltech 7th.
QS ranks universities using academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, student-to-faculty ratio, and measures of international faculty and students. This is a QS-specific result and not one universal ranking. Other organizations, such as Times Higher Education and ARWU, use different methods and can order the same universities differently.
Sources: QS TopUniversities and the QS World University Rankings 2027 press release (18 June 2026).
Key Strengths & Programs
ETH Zurich offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs, and it is known for:
- Engineering & Architecture — including mechanical, electrical, civil, and environmental engineering
- Natural Sciences & Mathematics — including physics, chemistry, and mathematics
- Computer Science — a major strength, with many English-language master’s options
- Earth, environmental, and life sciences — including biology and health sciences
- A high level of public funding, which for most students has kept tuition far below that of comparable universities
For the full list of programs, see ETH Zurich’s official website.
Admission Requirements
ETH Zurich handles bachelor’s and master’s admission differently. For international applicants, the master’s route is usually the most direct.
Bachelor’s Admissions
Details follow ETH Zurich’s published fee tables and admissions guidance (checked October 2026). Dates and rules change, so confirm them before applying.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Language | Bachelor’s programs are taught mainly in German, so you generally need German at about C1 level |
| School qualification | Depending on your country and school certificate, you may be admitted directly, or you may need to take a reduced or a comprehensive entrance examination. ETH publishes a list of countries and certificates. |
| Entrance examination | Held once a year in January. The fee is CHF 550 for the reduced examination and CHF 800 for the comprehensive examination. |
| Studying in Switzerland | You must meet Swiss visa and residence requirements as well |
Master’s Admissions
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| How to apply | Apply directly to the specific master’s program through ETH’s application portal. For autumn 2027 entry, applications are reported to run from 1 to 30 November 2026. |
| Previous degree | A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, assessed against each program’s own requirements |
| Language | Most programs are taught in English. English is commonly required at about TOEFL iBT 100 or IELTS Academic 7.0, and some programs need German as well. |
| Other documents | Transcripts, a CV, a motivation letter, and references; some programs ask for additional tests or documents |
| Application fee | Reported at CHF 150 |
Official sources: ETH Zurich tuition and fees (PDF) and ETH Zurich website.
ETH Zurich Acceptance Rate
ETH Zurich does not publish a single headline acceptance rate. Bachelor’s admission depends on your qualification and, where needed, the entrance examination, so it is not a ranked selection in the way a U.S. or UK application is. Master’s admission is decided program by program, and competition varies widely between programs.
For this reason, the best guide is the specific program’s published admission requirements and recent selection information on ETH’s website, not a single percentage. Treat any “ETH acceptance rate” you see online as an estimate.
Practical Application Checklist
- Decide whether you are applying for a bachelor’s or a master’s program, because the route and language requirements differ
- For a bachelor’s program, check ETH’s country list to see whether you can be admitted directly or need an entrance examination, and plan for German at about C1 level
- For a master’s program, check the program’s own admission requirements and documents early
- Book an English test (such as TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic) if the program requires one
- Prepare transcripts, a CV, a motivation letter, and references
- Check scholarship deadlines, which can be earlier than program deadlines
- Budget for the higher tuition that applies to foreign students who move to Switzerland, plus living costs in Zurich
- Verify every date, fee, and requirement on ETH’s official website before submitting
Fees & Admission Snapshot
ETH Zurich’s tuition rules changed in autumn 2025, so figures from earlier years are out of date. ETH’s official fee table lists the regular tuition at CHF 730 per semester until spring 2025 and CHF 2,190 per semester from autumn 2025 for the group that now pays the higher rate.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition for foreign students who move to Switzerland to study (from autumn 2025) | CHF 2,190 per semester (CHF 4,380 per year), plus small compulsory semester fees |
| Tuition for Swiss citizens and students who earned their school certificate in Switzerland or Liechtenstein | CHF 730 per semester (CHF 1,460 per year) |
| Bachelor’s entrance examination fee | CHF 550 (reduced) or CHF 800 (comprehensive), one-off |
| Estimated cost of study and living, per year | About CHF 28,100 as reported by ETH; Zurich living costs are commonly CHF 2,000–2,500 per month |
The old figure of about CHF 1,460 per year still applies to students in the lower tuition group, but most international students from outside Switzerland now pay the higher rate. Check the official fee table for your exact group.
Source: ETH Zurich tuition, semester and other fees (official PDF). Living-cost figures are as reported. Fees can change.
Scholarships & Financial Aid
ETH Zurich does not offer merit scholarships to all international students, but it has dedicated programs for outstanding master’s students:
- ETH Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP): supports outstanding master’s students with a tuition waiver and a living grant. About 60 awards were reported for 2027/28, and the awards are highly competitive.
- Other funding: some Swiss and international organizations fund study in Switzerland. Check eligibility for your country each year, because lists change.
- Part-time work: rules for working while studying depend on Swiss immigration regulations
See also our guide to fully funded scholarships for 2027. Scholarships are not guaranteed, so check ETH’s current scholarship pages.
ETH Zurich for Pakistani Students
Pakistani applicants follow the same process as other international applicants. ETH does not run a Pakistan-specific admissions track. Practical points:
- Choose your level: for most Pakistani students the master’s route, after a bachelor’s degree completed in Pakistan, is the most direct. Bachelor’s study requires German and, depending on your certificate, an entrance examination.
- Degree requirements: check each master’s program’s own requirements for your bachelor’s degree, including relevant subjects and grades
- English: prepare TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic at the level your program requires. Our IELTS preparation guides can help.
- Funding: plan for tuition of CHF 4,380 per year at the higher rate and living costs, and apply early to scholarships such as ESOP
- Visa and travel planning: students from Pakistan generally need a Swiss student visa. Visa decisions are made by Swiss authorities, not by ETH, and no outcome is guaranteed.
- Agents: you apply directly to ETH, so a paid agent is not required
Campus & Student Life
- ETH Zurich is in the city of Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, with campuses in the city center and on the Hönggerberg hill
- Bachelor’s programs are in German, and most master’s programs are in English, so campus life is multilingual
- Zurich is an expensive city, and ETH publishes cost estimates for students
- Student associations and sports are part of university life; check ETH’s student life pages for current details
Research & Career Opportunities
- ETH Zurich is strong in engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, and computer science, with a large research output
- Zurich has a strong technology, finance, and engineering job market close to campus
- ETH does not guarantee employment, salary, or immigration outcomes. Any graduate outcome statistics describe past cohorts and are not promises.
Notable Alumni
- Albert Einstein — theoretical physicist; studied at the Zurich Polytechnic (today’s ETH Zurich) and later taught there
- Numerous Nobel laureates have studied, taught, or researched at ETH Zurich
- Leading figures in engineering, architecture, and science
Contact & Location
ETH Zurich
Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Official website: ethz.ch
Frequently Asked Questions
ETH Zurich holds joint 8th place globally in the QS World University Rankings 2027, announced in June 2026, tied with UCL and down from 7th in the previous edition.
It is still low-cost compared with many top universities, but the fee changed. Since autumn 2025, foreign students who move to Switzerland to study pay CHF 2,190 per semester (CHF 4,380 per year), while Swiss students and some others pay CHF 730 per semester.
Yes. Albert Einstein studied at the Zurich Polytechnic, today’s ETH Zurich, and later taught there, and it remains one of the university’s best-known connections.
ETH’s official fee table lists CHF 2,190 per semester from autumn 2025 for foreign students who come to Switzerland to study, which is CHF 4,380 per year plus small compulsory semester fees. The lower rate of CHF 730 per semester applies to other groups.
Yes. International students can apply for bachelor’s and master’s programs. Bachelor’s programs are taught mainly in German and may require an entrance examination, and most master’s programs are taught in English.
Yes. Pakistani applicants follow the standard international process. For most, a master’s program after a bachelor’s degree is the most direct route, with English at about TOEFL iBT 100 or IELTS 7.0 for most programs.
Yes. The ETH Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme supports outstanding master’s students with a tuition waiver and a living grant. Awards are highly competitive and not guaranteed.
Bachelor’s applicants need German at about C1 level and may need an entrance examination depending on their certificate. Master’s applicants need a relevant bachelor’s degree and English at the level their program requires.
ETH Zurich does not publish a single acceptance rate. Bachelor’s admission depends on your qualification and any entrance examination, and master’s admission is decided program by program.
Check ETH Zurich’s official website, ethz.ch, and the page for your specific program. Deadlines, fees, language requirements, and admission rules are set by ETH and can change.
Compare ETH Zurich With Other Top Universities
Disclaimer: This page is based on the QS World University Rankings 2027, ETH Zurich’s official fee table and admissions guidance, and other publicly available sources, last checked in October 2026. Fees, rankings, deadlines, and admission rules change, and no admission, funding, visa, or employment outcome is guaranteed. Always verify current details directly with ETH Zurich before applying.