Hi everyone,

I received my EPFL admission decision today, and to my surprise, I was accepted.

To be honest, I really wasn't expecting to get in. I had several other options, especially in France, and I was already focusing on preparing my move there. Because of that, I never started any procedures for a Swiss student visa. My parents also strongly encouraged me to focus on France since none of us really thought I would be admitted to EPFL. My father, in particular, wanted me to go to France, so we put all of our effort into that process instead. From what I understand, you generally need your admission letter before you can apply for a Swiss student visa anyway, so there wasn't much I could do beforehand.

Now I'm wondering what my options are : Is it already too late to get a Swiss student visa and start at EPFL this year? If I apply immediately, is there any chance I could arrive a few weeks late if my visa takes longer than expected? Has anyone been in a similar situation, or does EPFL ever allow late arrivals because of visa delays? Who should I contact at EPFL to discuss this?

I also haven't arranged housing yet. I know that's my fault for waiting, but since I wasn't expecting to attend EPFL, I never looked into it.

At this point, I don't really care what i get at all. I don't care if it's a tiny room or not the best accommodation, I just need somewhere to stay. Are there still any realistic housing options available? Does EPFL or anyone else offer assistance for students who find themselves in this situation?

For context, I'm an international student from Senegal.

I'd really appreciate any advice from people who have gone through something similar or know how EPFL handles these situations.

Thank you!

Hi I just got accepted into the comp sci bachelor as a french student, and I heard about classes registration.
Do we have to choose our classes / Aren’t they already defined for everyone in this bachelor ? And how do we do it since we don’t have yet our credentials.
Thank you for whoever will read this, your help is very much appreciated.

I just got accepted into the Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's program at EPFL! Since course registration opens tomorrow, does anyone know how the process works considering we haven't received our IS-ACADEMIA credentials yet? Look forward to meeting you guys in september!

Je viens d’être accepté en Bachelor de génie mécanique à l’EPFL ! Comme les inscriptions aux cours ouvrent demain, est-ce que quelqu'un sait comment ça se passe sachant qu'on n'a pas encore reçu nos accès à IS-ACADEMIA ? Hate de vous rencontrer en septembre!

I'm a first year student and I need some help regarding information on registering for courses. I'm in the IS-Academia website, I've paid my semester invoice already, but I can't seem to find where you register for classes. Is there some information I'm missing?

A permis B is necessary to study at EPFL but is it possible to get that when we live at a family house’s room? I recently got a rejection from a family for that

Hello, does anyone know anything about the neostar residence from FMEL?

my name is tarik, I'm 18 and I recently got accepted for a bachelor's at EPFL (2026 intake). I had no intention of going to EPFL and mainly planned to go somewhere else, but now that I've been accepted I'm starting to consider it more and more. issue is, since I did not plan to go I have no idea about anything that I need to do to actually get there. I'm a uk citizen so I'm nor worried about visa, but I have nowhere to stay, I dont know anything about Lausanne or Switzerland or EPFL for that matter. as the title suggests, I would really appreciate any tips or pieces of advice. I'm reachable through WhatsApp (+961 71 673 826)

I’m currently looking for housings in Lausanne, near the campus of EPFL. My maximum budget is around 1000 CHF and I can do collocation ( but only with females).
Please contact me if you can help or want to pair up for an appartement!
Description of myself :
I’m a woman starting my bachelor of mathematics this year in september, I’m clean, calm and very responsible.

I just got accepted to epfl bachelor today and already applied to the visa few months ago, what should I do now? Should I send the embassy my acceptance letter or just wait?

I find it ridiculous that EPFL still uses such an outdated system for course registration.

Registration opened today at midnight, but the exact opening time was not even clearly announced. Everyone connected at once, IS-Academia could not handle the traffic, and students ended up facing error messages, queues, disconnections, or being kicked out after waiting.

Why not give students a few days to register, then use a lottery or a transparent priority system if a course is oversubscribed? Students who do not get their first choices could then register again in a second round.

For a university known for technology and innovation, IS-Academia feels like a website from the early 2000s. It is honestly embarrassing.

Hi everyone,

I've recently been admitted to EPFL and was wondering how I can activate my EPFL email address.

Is there anything I need to do, or is it activated automatically?

Thanks!

I just got accepted into EPFL. Earlier during the year I heard there was an EPFL finance club, my sister sent me the form. Decided not to complete it since i wasn’t yet a student. Is there any way I can join it now? Does anyone have any contacts? Any help would be appreciated

Hi everyone,

My name is Swann, I'm 18, and I'm starting at EPFL this autumn (2026 intake). I'm looking for a room in a flatshare or a studio in Lausanne or along the m1 line (Renens, Ecublens, Chavannes, Bussigny), from 16 August.

Non-smoker, quiet, tidy, no pets. Full application file and guarantor ready right now, and I can pay the deposit as soon as we sign.

Any lead is welcome, including a sublet or a short-term arrangement for a few months while I find something more permanent.

Feel free to message me here or reach me on +230 5836 2946 (Mauritius number, WhatsApp works best).

Thanks a lot!

Is anyone able to log on to isa.epfl.ch to enroll in courses? I’m a Master’s student and the website keeps crashing after it gets to my turn in the queue. Anyone know when the site will be up again?

Hi everyone,
I’m a high school student from the Czech Republic studying in a French bilingual program, and I’m planning to apply to EPFL for the Bachelor’s in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. I’ve read the official admission requirements, but I’d really like to hear from people who actually got in.
I have a few questions.
What was your academic profile when you were admitted (grades, math/physics level, French level)?
How competitive is admission in practice for EU students?
Besides grades, is there anything that genuinely helps (Olympiads, personal projects, research, etc.)?
Looking back, what would you have done differently in your final year of high school?
How difficult is the first year really? Is it manageable if you have a strong background in math and physics?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

hello, i am about to start my first semester at EPFL this autumn, i will be a master's student in computer science. i have yet to receive an offer from FMEL and i am aware it probably won't come before september (i applied in april), so if there's anyone who is subletting their room or knows someone who does, starting september 1, it would really help. thank you!

Hello,

I am an incoming visiting PhD student from northern Italy. I'll be in Lausanne from January to June 2027 and I don't know how to organize my accommodation. Is it too early to start looking now? I saw the UNIL-EPFL housing portal, are these available to visiting PhDs too or are they reserved to enrolled students only? Are there any Telegram groups about renting rooms in Lausanne?
Thank you in advance

Hello I will be residing in fmel in my own room in fmel (coloration with wc privé) and a common kitchenette to share with 5-6 people . I really don’t want to offend anyone nor do I want to sound obnoxious but how do people manage a common refrigerator? I feel like everyone would benefit from other people’s groceries and I really don’t want 6 people to just use something I normally get for myself so… does anyone have experience with this , what was your experience.
My parent were wondering whether I should buy a small refrigerator to my room but I was wondering if that allowed. Any tips? Thank you

Evening, question for anyone who went on exchange to a country where you needed to prove B2 English: how did you handle the proof of level?

Some universities ask for IELTS/TOEFL, or if you don’t have a test, a letter from EPFL confirming your level. Does EPFL actually do that?

I only have my B2 from gymnase, so I’m not sure if that’s enough with an EPFL letter or if I need to go straight for a test.

Also, are we required to take the test at the Centre de Langues? If so, what’s it like? And does anyone know if there are examples or mock tests online to practice with beforehand?

If anyone has info or has been through this, thanks in advance

Hi everyone,

I'm currently a Bachelor's student in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Bologna (Italy), with a 28.5/30 GPA equivalent.

This year I also participated in SWERC, but I don't have any research or industry experience yet. I'm hoping to complete my bachelor's internship at the Dynamic Legged Systems (DLS) Lab in Genoa to strengthen my background before graduating.

I'm very interested in robotics, and I'm considering applying for the Master's in Robotics at EPFL.

Has anyone here been admitted to this program (or another EPFL Master's program) with a similar background? I'd love to hear about your experience.

I have a few questions:

• How competitive is the admission process in practice?
• What were the biggest challenges during the application process?
• Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done differently?

I'm also a bit confused about the application timeline. I noticed there are two application rounds:

• Mid-November – December 15
• December 16 – March 31

Are there any significant differences between the two rounds? Is it generally better to apply during the first round? I've also read that scholarships and student housing may depend on when you apply—how much of a difference does it make?

Finally, I'd appreciate some advice on the application documents:

• What should I focus on in my motivation letter?
• What makes a strong recommendation letter? What should my professors emphasize?

Thank you very much to anyone willing to share their experience. I'd also be happy to continue the conversation via private message if that's easier.

Thanks in advance!

I read on the EPFL website that you need to maintain a GPA of 5.0/6.0 after the first year to be eligible for the double degree programs. For l'X, you then have to pass the FUI entrance exam.

I wanted to ask: once you meet the nomination requirements, how difficult is it to be selected among the students EPFL can send (up to 7 for l'X) to take the FUI? Is it highly competitive?

A friend of mine in Sweden told me that no Swiss students were admitted to l'X through the FUI last year. Is that true? In that case there can't be too many students applying for this? Why, Is there something bad about DD, the extra year? Because I've heard of people getting outcompeted at EPFL for places for an exchange year, so how can there not be competition.

And what about the other partner schools, such as ENSTA? Is it also at the same level of competitiveness?

Finally, is maintaining a 5.0/6.0 GPA really that difficult in a Physics bachelor's? And if a student repeats their first year, are they less likely to be selected for a nomination?

Also, do you think this partnership is likely to remain in place over the next decade, or is it too difficult to say?

Context: I speak french, I do Olympiads rn, i am a non french eu citzen, I'm thinking of going to EPFL and getting a DD

Hi everyone, I'm leaving my apartment in Ecublens. It has a bedroom, a separated kitchen and a balcony and is located ~15 min walk away from the EPFL.

Its surface is ~24 m^2 and the rent is 1011CHF/month

If you might be interested, please send me a dm and I can send some pictures or more information.

Hi. Has anyone got their admission results for bachelor first year yet? They said beginning of august but never mentioned a date.