Information on studies and elite sport

Elite sport status

The prerequisite for applying for elite sport status and possible exemptions is the possession of a external page Swiss Olympic Card (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Elite or Talent National).

International students who do not have a Swiss Olympic Card cannot be granted elite sport status. 

Athletes without a Swiss Olympic Card who, for example, are employed professional athletes with a regular income, are not covered by the "studies and elite sport" regulation. It is the responsibility of all ETH students to assess whether an employment alongside their studies is possible in terms of time. In principle, gainful employment does not entitle students to request exemptions regarding their studies.

Organisation of the study programme

In general, students are responsible for organising their private commitments in such a way that they can successfully complete their study programme. In addition, ETH supports students with recognised elite sport status through exemptions in order to combine their study programme and sport activities appropriately.

Organising a study programme alongside training and competition schedules is time-consuming. Ideally, long-term plans should be prepared before you start your study programme in consultation with the study advisory service for your degree programme.

Individual adjustments

The exemptions relate to performance assessments and study deadlines. Content-related exemptions are excluded.

Performance assessments

Study programme adjustments for students with elite sport status are reviewed separately for each study or examination level or for compulsory internships and the Master's thesis. Students are required to submit a justified request by the deadline.

Possible measures include:

• Splitting an examination block into two examination sessions
• Taking an end-of-semester examination on the repetition date

It is not possible to move up the date of written session examinations, change the examination mode or take distance examinations due to elite sport. 

Extension of the deadline to complete your studies

The study time available to you consists of a minimum study time - also called "normal study time" - and additional (or "tolerance") semesters. The tolerance semesters are intended for offsetting contingencies, such as assessment repetitions, illness, accident, or parental leave. Should the duration of studies be insufficient for you to balance your sporting obligations you can apply for an extension.

The duration of studies may be extended beyond the available tolerance semesters as a result of performance assessment measures. If during the planning stage it becomes clear that the required credit points cannot be acquired within the maximum programme duration, an extension of the duration of studies must be applied for at the same time as submitting the performance assessment adjustment.