EPFL (official name, initialism for French: École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, meaning 'Federal School of Technology in Lausanne') is a public research university in Lausanne, Switzerland. Founded in 1969, the university primarily teaches and conducts research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Like its sister institution ETH Zurich, EPFL is part of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain, a consortium of universities and research institutes under the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research.
As of 2025, EPFL enrolled 14,072 students from over 130 countries. Students, faculty, and researchers affiliated with EPFL include a Nobel Prize laureate, two Fields Medalists, two Pritzker Architecture Prize winners, and one Turing Award winner. EPFL has an urban campus that extends alongside Lake Geneva, and includes the EPFL Innovation Park as well as university research centers and affiliated laboratories.
History
The roots of modern-day EPFL can be traced back to the foundation of a private school under the name École spéciale de Lausanne in 1853 at the initiative of Louis Rivier, a graduate of the École Centrale Paris, and John Gay, the then professor and rector of the Académie de Lausanne. At its inception it had only 11 students, and the offices were located at Rue du Valentin in Lausanne. In 1869, it became the technical department of the Académie de Lausanne. When the Académie was reorganized and acquired the status of a university in 1890, the technical faculty changed its name to École d'ingénieurs de l'Université de Lausanne. In 1946, it was renamed the École polytechnique de l'Université de Lausanne (EPUL). In 1969, the EPUL was separated from the rest of the University of Lausanne and became a federal institute under its current name. EPFL, like ETH Zurich, is thus directly controlled by the Swiss Federal Council. In contrast, all other universities in Switzerland are controlled by their respective cantonal governments.
Following the nomination of Patrick Aebischer as president in 2000, EPFL started to develop into the field of life sciences. It absorbed the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC) in 2008. In 1946, there were 360 students at EPFL. In 1969, the university had grown to 1,400 students and 55 faculty members. In the past two decades, EPFL has grown rapidly in reputation and size. As of 2023, EPFL has more than 13,000 full-time students. The environment at modern-day EPFL is highly international, with the school attracting students and researchers from all over the world. More than 125 countries are represented on the campus, and the university has two official languages, French and English.
Academics
Admission
Holders of a Swiss "maturité gymnasiale" are directly accepted with no other condition in the first year of their Bachelor's program of choice. Holders of a Swiss Professional "Maturité" or a Swiss specialised "Maturité" are accepted in the Cours de mathématiques spéciales within the places available. As such, EPFL is not selective in its undergraduate admission procedure for Swiss residents. However, international students are required to have a final grade average of 80% or above of the maximum grade of the upper secondary school national system.
The real selection process happens during the first year of undergraduate studies. This period is called the propaedeutic cycle, and the students must pass a block examination of all the courses taken during the first year at the end of the cycle. If the weighted average is insufficient, a student is required to retake the entire first year of coursework if they wish to continue their studies at EPFL. Roughly 60% of students fail the first year at EPFL all majors combined, and many choose to drop out rather than to repeat the propaedeutic cycle. The failure rate differs between majors; it is higher for Life Sciences Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, and Electrical Engineering, where only 30–40% of students pass the first year.
For foreign students, the selection procedure towards the undergraduate program is rather strict, and since most undergraduate courses are taught in French, foreign students must provide documentation of having acquired a level B2 proficiency in French as measured on the CEFR scale, though C1 proficiency is recommended. The usual time till graduation is six semesters (3 years) for the Bachelor of Science degree and four additional semesters (2 years) for the Master of Science degree, with the final semester dedicated to writing a thesis. Though only 58% of the students who manage to graduate are able to graduate within this time period. The possibility to study abroad for one or two semesters is offered during the 3rd year of studies, as EPFL maintains several long-standing student exchange programs, such as the junior year engineering and science program with Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, as well as a graduate Aeronautics and Aerospace program with the ISAE in France.
Entrepreneurship is actively encouraged at EPFL, as evident by the EPFL Innovation Park being an integral part of the campus. Since 1997, 12 start-ups have been created per year on average by EPFL students and faculty. In the year 2013, a total of 105 million CHF was raised by EPFL start-ups.
Rankings
In 2023, the QS World University Rankings ranks EPFL 16th worldwide across all fields, and among the 10 best universities in several engineering disciplines. Times Higher Education ranks EPFL as the world's 19th best school in the world for Engineering and Technology. EPFL typically scores high on faculty-to-student ratio, international outlook, and scientific impact. The CWTS Leiden Ranking, which "aims to provide highly accurate measurements of the scientific impact of universities," ranks EPFL world 13th, and 1st in Europe in the 2013 rankings for all the sciences.
The Times 100 Under 50 Rankings is a ranking of the top 100 universities in the world under 50 years old. Since EPFL in its current form was formed in 1969, it is included in this ranking, and was ranked 1st in the world for three years in a row in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and 2nd in the world in 2018 and 2019. Times Higher Education also ranked EPFL as the most international university in the world two years in a row, 2014 and 2015.
Campus
The École d'ingénieurs de l'Université de Lausanne, from which EPFL in its modern-day form originates, was located in the center of Lausanne. In 1974, five years after EPFL was separated from the University of Lausanne and became a federal institute under its current name, the construction of a new campus at Dorigny in Écublens began. The inauguration of the first EPFL buildings of the new campus took place in 1978. The EPFL campus has been evolving ever since. The first stage of development, with a total budget of 462 million Swiss francs, was completed in 1984; the second stage followed in subsequent years, expanding facilities and integrating the EPFL Innovation Park, which houses numerous start-ups and corporate research partnerships. The campus is designed to foster collaboration, with modern architecture and proximity to Lake Geneva enhancing its appeal to international researchers and students.
Research and Innovation
EPFL is a major hub for cutting-edge research, particularly in fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning. Its laboratories and research centers contribute to advances in areas like neural networks, large language models, and generative AI, often collaborating with industry leaders. The university's strong emphasis on interdisciplinary work has led to spin-offs and patents that impact technology worldwide. EPFL also participates in national and international research networks, including partnerships with institutions like MIT CSAIL and Stanford AI Lab, further solidifying its position as a leader in scientific innovation.
Notable Affiliates
EPFL's academic community includes distinguished scholars and researchers who have received prestigious awards. Among them are a Nobel Prize laureate, two Fields Medalists, two Pritzker Architecture Prize winners, and one Turing Award winner. These individuals have contributed to diverse fields, from mathematics and physics to computer science and architecture. The university's commitment to excellence attracts top talent globally, fostering an environment where groundbreaking ideas flourish. Notable figures in AI and computing, such as François Fleuret, have been associated with EPFL, advancing research in areas like transformers and residual networks.
International Outlook
EPFL's international character is a defining feature, with students and faculty from over 130 countries. The university offers programs in both French and English, making it accessible to a global audience. Its exchange programs and partnerships with leading universities worldwide, including Oxford University and Berkeley AI Research, provide students with opportunities to study abroad and collaborate across borders. This global perspective is reflected in EPFL's high rankings for international outlook, and it continues to attract talent from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds, contributing to its dynamic and innovative campus environment.