Preparation Course for the ETH Entrance Exam

ETH Zurich is one of the most renowned universities worldwide. It is regularly rated as the leading university in continental Europe in international rankings (THE, QS, ARWU) and has produced 21 Nobel Prize winners. In its 16 departments, ETH Zurich offers 23 Bachelor and 43 Master courses.

  • On-site course (basic course incl. access to the online learning platform)
  • Distance course (incl. access to the online learning platform)
  • Private lessons
  • Blended learning (combination of on-site course, correspondence course and/or private lessons)

Requirements

  • Good knowledge of German (at least level B2 at the beginning of the annual course), as both the lessons and the entrance exam are held in German
  • Good knowledge of English (at least level B2 at the beginning of the annual course for the comprehensive entrance examination)
  • Good basics in mathematics & physics

Informationen about the exam

ETH Zurich offers two types of entrance exams: the comprehensive and the reduced entrance exam.

Reduced entrance examination: If the candidate holds a degree that is very similar to, but not equivalent to a Swiss Matura, the reduced entrance examination is sufficient in most cases.

Comprehensive entrance examination: If your own educational background is only partially equivalent to the Swiss Matura (fewer subjects or lower level than in the Swiss Matura), or if you do not have a Matura or a similar qualification, the comprehensive entrance examination must be completed. More information on the admission requirements for the entrance exams and ETH can be found here.

For more information on the admission requirements of Swiss Universities for students with a foreign degree, please consult the list of countries of Swiss Universities.

Course structure for on-site course

The following table provides an overview of the number of lessons in the individual course modes (advanced, intensive or annual course) as preparation for the reduced and comprehensive entrance exam. The subjects can all be booked modularly.

Intensive Course

In this course the entire exam subjects will be repeated and mock exams (oral and written) will be carried out with original exam questions.

Reduced ETH entrance exam annual course

Subjects
Spring Semester
January – July
Fall Semester
August – January
Annual Course
January – January
Number of lessons per week Total per week Total Total
**Mathematics 11 264 10 170 434
**Physics 8 192 8 136 328
**Chemistry 4 96 4 64 160
**Biology 4 100 4 64 164
Gesamt
27 652 27 434 1’086
*German 7 140 7 105 245
*Science language German 1 16 1 8 24
Private lessons personalized personalized personalized

Comprehensive ETH entrance exam annual course

Subjects
Spring Semester
January – July
Fall Semester
August – January
Annual Course
January – January
Lessons per week Total Lessons per week Total Total
**Mathematics 11 264 10 170 434
**Physics 8 192 8 136 328
**Chemistry 4 96 4 64 160
**Biology 4 100 4 64 164
*English 3 72 3 45 114
*History 3 72 3 48 120
*Geography 2 48 2 30 78
*German Literature 2 40 2 20 60
total
37 884 36 577 1’461
*German 7 140 7 105 245
*Science language German 1 16 1 8 24
Private lessons personalized personalized personalized


* We reserve the right to reduce the number of lessons or charge the subject-specific private lesson rate for individual lessons should 5 or less students be enrolled in these subjects.
** We reserve the right to reduce the number of lessons should 8 or less students be enrolled in these subjects. The reduction of the lessons will not affect an ideal exam preparation (with 8 or fewer students, we need fewer lessons for an optimal exam preparation than with large classes).

For students who need to take an additional German test:

For admission to the ETH entrance examination, a German C1 “good” or a C2 certificate is required, and must be submitted by 31st March before the entrance examination. Additional information: https://ethz.ch/de/studium/bachelor/bewerbung/auslaendische- reifezeugnisse/sprachanforderungen.html

We are happy to advise you

You will receive detailed information about our current courses and immediate access to the demo version of our learning portal. If you would like a school visit or a telephone consultation, let us know in the comments box.