Online application

Preparing your application

The application process being completely electronic, you will first have to digitize all the requested documents (see list below).

Once you have filled in the application form and downloaded all your documents, validate and pay for your application. Please note that your application will not be considered if your complete application is not submitted by the deadline.

Validating your electronic application will generate a confirmation e-mail and an application number for your file.

Attention: The reference letters must be uploaded in the system by the referees themselves. The deadline for receiving the letters is one week after the application deadline. The exact day is indicated in the confirmation e-mail you receive once your application is validated.

The online application form will close on December 15 and respectively April 15.

Applicants for the programme in Architecture only: a work portfolio is also required and must be uploaded to a dedicated web server. You will receive the access details for the server by email after you have complicated and paid for the online application.

Required documents

All documents should be in English, French, German, or Italian. Please join a legalized translation of all documents in another language.

• Your resumé (curriculum vitae).
• Copy of your University degree(s), if already available.
• Complete transcripts from each university you have attended.
• A statement of purpose. See below for a detailed explanation.
• The contact details of three academic referees, who will each be asked to produce a recommendation letter for you (except for holders of an EPFL Bachelor’s degree, and those who hold a Bachelor’s degree from ETH Zürich or a Swiss university or FHS/HES and are applying for a Master’s program in the same field of study). See below for a more detailed explanation.
• Your identity card or passport.

Extra documents, such as TOEFL or GRE scores, research publications, or other portfolios of your previous work, are welcome but not compulsory. We will only consider documents uploaded in your online application form (no documents sent by postal mail).

Additional requirement to apply for Architecture: a work portfolio is also required and must be uploaded to a dedicated web server. You will receive the access details for the server by email after you have complicated and paid for the online application. Candidates for Architecture must also have twelve months of professional experience. Please upload the work certificates in the online application form if already available.

All accepted candidates will be required to have certified academic documents sent before their matriculation at EPFL.

Recommendation letters

Holders of an EPFL Bachelor’s degree applying in another field of study do not need to supply any recommendation letters.

Candidates from ETH Zurich or from a Swiss university or FHS/HES applying for a Master’s program in the same field of study as their Bachelor’s degree do not need to supply the recommendation letters. This only applies when the whole 180 credits of the Bachelor’s program were acquired in the same field of study (e.g., no 30- or 60-credit minor in another field). Candidates from UNIL who are applying for the Master’s program in Sustainable Management and Technology are also exempted from providing such letters.

All other candidates are required to provide the contact details of three referees. The recommendation letters must be issued by professors who are aware of your work and achievements. These recommendations are confidential and will only be accepted if they are submitted by the referees themselves, through the electronic application process. The application will not be processed if EPFL does not receive at least two reference letters.

During the application process, you will be requested to give your referees’ contact details. Validating your electronic application will generate a personal e-mail to your referees, requesting them to fill in the recommendation form.

Make sure to leave enough time to your referees to fill in the recommendation letter, by validating your electronic application form early enough. You will be notified by email when each referee has provided his or her recommendation.

Be aware that the reference letters must be uploaded to the system. The deadline for receiving the letters is one week after the application deadline. The exact day is indicated in the confirmation e-mail you receive once your application is validated. The online application form will close on December 15 and respectively April 15.

Statement of purpose

The statement of purpose should not exceed 1000 words. You are required to describe your academic background and your career strategy. Please be precise about the objectives you wish to reach through your studies at EPFL.

Application fee

For EPFL to handle your application file, the required processing fee is:

• CHF 150.- if you hold a foreign Bachelor’s degree
• CHF 50.- if you hold a Bachelor’s degree delivered by a Swiss University or HES/FHS
• CHF 0.- if you hold a Bachelor’s degree delivered by EPFL or ETH Zürich (or if you hold a Bachelor’s degree delivered by UNIL and are applying for the Master’s program in Sustainable Management and Technology)

Payment is only possible by credit card (Visa or MasterCard), Swiss Postcard debit card, or PayPal.

The fee is not refunded in case of non-validation or withdrawal of the application.