Necessary steps
Some steps students must complete before their arrival, others in the first few weeks in Switzerland. Use the instructions and tips to navigate the first weeks.
Before you arrive in Switzerland
- Students with EU/EFTA citizenship: You do not need a visa to enter Switzerland. You do not have to do anything before arrival.
- Students with non-EU/EFTA citizenship: If you need a visa, follow the instructions you receive from the Student Exchange Office regarding the visa process. The process of obtaining a student visa might take up to three months, so a timely application for your visa is essential.
Those costs depend strongly on personal lifestyle, so the following information is only a rough guideline.
The Immigration Authorities of canton Zurich identify a sum of CHF 1,750 per month as necessary which does not include individual expenses for clothes, leisure, telephone, contingencies. (Students of the D-BSSE can find the amount of the Basel authorities in the fact sheet below.) Accommodation is usually the biggest cost item due to the high demand and very limited supply.
Exchange students do not pay ETH's tuition fees.
Pool of rooms reserved for exchange students
The Housing Office of University Zurich (UZH) and ETH has a limited number of rooms for exchange students, which WOKO mainly provides. Some exchange students receive information and the application link by email or in their acceptance letter as soon as they have been accepted at ETH and should apply immediately. (Universities in Zurich do not directly manage accommodation for students.)
The rooms in student accommodations are usually fully furnished single rooms in shared flats, including bed linen and internet access (wifi or LAN). The flatmates usually share the bathroom, the furnished kitchen and the living room. Shared flats are usually mixed-gender.
No room from the pool reserved for exchange students
Some students are not eligible for the pool of rooms or may not be able to get a room from the pool due to the limited number of rooms available. They should use the information below. We recommend to search intensively and check the search portals every day because offers are often published at very short notice.
- Open housing market: Conditions vary greatly (with or without furniture, cooking facilities, cleaning, internet, etc.). Consider your needs and budget and address any unclear points before deciding on accommodation. Be aware of the high rental prices in Zurich (due to high demand).
- Search for accommodation when in Zurich: Because most people will want to meet potential tenants or flatmates before signing a contract, it can be easier to find accommodation in person. Stay in a hostel or hotel first and start your search immediately. In addition to searching online, you can also use the many notice boards in the main buildings of ETH and UZH as well as in large shops such as Coop and Migros.
- Look outside of the city of Zurich: With the reliable public transport system, you can easily and quickly get to ETH from most surrounding communities – plus, the rent is often lower outside the city. This is particularly true for the north and west of Zurich, e.g. Dietikon, Dübendorf, Opfikon, Wallisellen, Winterthur, which are still part of the canton of Zurich. Residence in the canton of Zurich is recommended. (Note: The information you will receive regarding your residence permit, visa, and health insurance is only valid for the canton of Zurich; the Student Exchange Office only advise on the procedures in the canton of Zurich. Minor differences may exist between cantons.)
- Mobility students in D-BSSE in Basel (canton of Basel-Stadt): DownloadThey should consult the separate fact sheet (PDF, 173 KB).
Heyning-Roelli-Foundation
This foundation provides financial support for travel and accommodation costs to talented students needing financial aid who participate in exchange programmes with Swiss universities. Applications are carefully evaluated and support will be granted to the most suitable candidates.
Application deadline
- 20 April, 24.00 CET of each year for Autumn Semesters
- 20 October, 24.00 CET of each year for Spring Semesters
Zeno Karl Schindler Foundation
This foundation offers financial support, among other things, for students in the field of engineering and environmental sciences.
Scholarships for Switzerland
The Euraxess website offers a good summary of different scholarship opportunities for incoming doctoral students and researchers, who want to study or do research in Switzerland.
Supervisors' scholarship for mobility students (incoming) for research projects, Bachelor's or Master's theses
Departments have their own financial resources which they dispose independently. You may contact your supervising professor to enquire about the possibility of a scholarship from their funds.
Other
Ask your home university, foundations in your home country and your government, if scholarship are available for studying abroad. This list above does not exhaust possibilities and merely lists scholarships known to us.
In your first weeks at ETH
Picking up your student card is one of the first things you will do at ETH.
Students on campuses Zurich
See opening hours and location of the Student Exchange Office's desk(Additional opening hours will be added shortly before the semester start.)
Students on campus Basel
Download Open this fact sheet for more information (PDF, 173 KB)- You need a residence permit if you stay in Switzerland for more than 90 days (regardless of your citizenship).
- You must register at your place of residence within 14 days. The permit will be issued at your place of residence.
- Your residence permit will be issued for the duration of your mobility stay as confirmed by ETH. This duration runs from the day you enter Switzerland. You should, therefore, not enter Switzerland before the start of your studies as confirmed by us on the mobility confirmation ("official confirmation of acceptance"). This applies in particular to all students without EU/EFTA citizenship, with or without a visa requirement, even if the visa authorisation or the visa issued would theoretically allow earlier entry.
- The canton of Zurich requires all foreign nationals to have financial means of at least CHF 1750 per month for the entire duration of their stay in Switzerland.
If you do not already have a residence permit
Learn how to apply for oneIf you already have a residence permit
You have two possibilities.
- You extend your residence permit in the canton of your home university for the duration of your mobility stay and keep your address. In this case, you apply for a so called “Wochenaufenthalt” once you arrive in Zurich. This option implies that you travel back home during weekends.
- If you have to give up your address in the canton of your home university, it is indispensable to apply at least three months in advance for a “Kantonswechsel” (change of canton) to be allowed to move to Zurich. If this applies to you, send the following documents to the Migration Office of the canton of Zurich (address: Migrationsamt des Kantons Zürich, Berninastrasse 45, 8090 Zürich).
- Cover letter (subject: “Gesuch um Kantonswechsel”). Explain in detail why you have to move to Zürich and include your plans after your mobility stay.
- Copy of your current residence permit
- Copy of your confirmation of acceptance as a mobility student at ETH
- Proof of sufficient financial means (at least CHF 1750 per month)
According to Swiss law, all persons who live in Switzerland for more than 90 days must be insured with a Swiss health insurance company. You will need to take care of this after your arrival in Switzerland.
- Students with residence in an EU/EFTA country may be exempt from this requirement under certain conditions if they apply for an exemption.
- Students with residence in a non-EU/EFTA country must be insured in accordance with the instructions of Swiss law.
- Non-Swiss students from partner universities in Switzerland must ensure that they are covered when changing cantons or as weekly residents ("Wochenaufenthalt").
- Personal liability insurance is optional.
- ETH is covered against material damage but is subject to a high deductible. If damage to installations or equipment is caused by the gross negligence of a student (e.g. during lab work, research or thesis projects) ETH can require the responsible person to cover the damage, wholly or partially.
- ETH urgently advises its students to take out personal liability insurance to cover this risk. This insures them against personal and material damage caused to third parties. It also protects them against potentially expensive risk outside ETH (e.g. tenant damage, damage to third parties in accidents, etc.). It is not mandatory but highly advisable. Insurance premiums are lower than the costs of potential damage.
- Personal liability insurance is frequently offered in combination with household insurance. Household insurance covers fire and water damage within the household and – depending on the insurance contract – also theft and other things. This type of insurance is highly recommendable for students who own valuable objects (e.g. laptops, instruments, bicycles, etc.).
- Some landlords insist on seeing evidence of your personal liability insurance to conclude a rental contract.
By students for students
You can benefit from a variety of initiatives and also get involved: book market, dancing, gaming, music, photography, sustainability, and much more.
Erasmus Student Network (ESN)
All mobility students can participate in the ESN – a network that organises cultural and social events, supports mobility students and offers other services such as the tandem language exchange or the buddy system in Zurich. Through the buddy system, you can get to know a contact person who will help you in word and deed and make your start easier.
Tip: Student Project House (SPH)
The SPH is an open platform for exchanging ideas between students of all disciplines. Here, students also receive support in implementing their ideas. You, too, can benefit from the Ideaspace and Makerspace at the SPH. Also, you can meet many talented and motivated students there. (Credit points cannot be earned at the SPH.)
Studying abroad may mean a dive into the unknown: new people, new language, new academic system, cultural differences. This can be fun and is a valuable part of your study abroad experience, yet dealing with so much change can also be challenging. The guide helps you prevent, recognize and cope with "culture shock".