Exchange Programmes

For an exchange during the Bachelor's studies in Computer Science, the necessary qualifications are passed First Year Examinations (minimum grade of 4.5) as well as successful participation in 7 out of the 8 Basic Courses by the beginning of the exchange. An exchange is thus possible from the third year of the Bachelor’s studies.

In the Computer Science and Data Science Master's programmes, an exchange is only possible for students that have obtained their Bachelor's degree from ETH (not necessarily in computer science). The Bachelor must have been completed with a minimum grade of 4.5.

Qualifications in later phases of the studies are possible in the Bachelor's as well as in the Master's programmes.

A student exchange usually lasts one semester.

Please also note:

• Prerequisites and preparations set by the Student Exchange Office
• Conditions and deadlines set by D-INFK
• DownloadMobility Regulations D-INFK (German) (PDF, 135 KB)vertical_align_bottom
  
  

The most important exchange programmes for courses are

• the departmental worldwide programmes (at partner universities outside of Europe that have an exchange agreement with the Department of Computer Science and only accept D-INFK students under this agreement). Here, some of the top universities in the US are being listed.
• the ETH-wide worldwide programmes (at partner universities outside of Europe that have an exchange agreement with ETH and accept students of various departments, among them the Department of Computer Science, under this agreement). Here, many Asian but also some North American universities are being listed.
• SEMP SMS (at partner universities in Europe). This programme was formerly known under the label of ERASMUS.
• Swiss Mobility (at partner universities in Switzerland).

Further opportunities for experience abroad include:    

• Research projects (also without Bachelor’s degree from ETH)
  
• Summer schools (also without Bachelor’s degree from ETH)
  
• Self-organised stays abroad
  

During an exchange semester, at least 20 ECTS must be earned, after Downloadconversion of local credits into ECTS (PDF, 87 KB)vertical_align_bottom. The majority (at best all) of the academic achievements attained during the exchange should be recognised for your studies at ETH. At most 40 ECTS can be transferred to the Bachelor’s studies at ETH, at most 20 ECTS to the Master’s programme in Computer Science (Regulations 2020), and at most 30 ECTS to the Master’s programme in Data Science (Regulations 2017 and 2023). The Master’s programme in Cyber Security includes a mandatory semester at EPFL; courses from any additional mobility stay would not count towards the Master’s degree.

At least half of the credit points must be earned through computer science courses. You can find a list of course categories towards which accreditation is possible in the conditions set by D-INFK.

For the Bachelor's studies, up to 16 ECTS can be earned in Core Courses during the exchange, provided that a course at the partner university  has been approved as DownloadCore Course replacement (PDF, 184 KB)vertical_align_bottom.

Proposals for the approval of further courses are being examined by the exchange coordinator. Please send your proposals to: , with course number, course title, local credit points, link to the course description and course category intended for recognition

In which semesters is an exchange possible?

During the Bachelor’s, a mobility stay is possible from the 3rd year and in the Data Science Master from the 2nd semester (in the Computer Science Master also recommended from the 2nd semester). Individual partner universities have restrictions and, for example, do not accept any incoming students during their last Bachelor semester. Please study the information on the partner universities.

What is the best time for an exchange?

The third year of the Bachelor's programme. Thanks to the possibility to transfer credits to Core Courses at ETH (up to 16 ECTS), you can study a full semester abroad and also get all credits transferred so that your study duration does not increase due to the exchange. An exchange during the Master's programme will in most cases lead to a longer study duration which is however balanced by the gain in experience due to the exchange.

Do I need top grades for an exchange?

As a rule of thumb, there is more demand than supply in the departmental programmes (in particular in the US), so students with better grades have better chances of being offered a place. Only at MIT and Princeton, top grades are strictly necessary. In SEMP SMS, the available places usually exceed demand, so also students with lower grades have very good chances of being offered a place (the places in the UK also tend to be overbooked). Generally, all interested students satisfying the formal qualifications will be able to do an exchange if they are flexible in the choice of destination. Some of the ETH-wide programmes are also in strong demand (but demand varies from year to year). In the past, computer science students with good grades had good chances.

When and for which programmes do I need a language certificate?

For many programmes, a letter from the ETH Student Exchange Office is enough to prove that you have sufficient English skills. Other programmes still require official certificates. You need to read the information for the programmes or partner universities.

What scholarships are available for stays abroad?

See scholarships for exchange programmes and further scholarship options (also for self-organised stays abroad) for an overview.

The semester at my host university starts while I still have exams at ETH Zurich. What can I do?

Depending on the academic calendar of the host university, there may be time conflicts with your ETH examinations. You may have to take written session examinations in the following session after returning from your exchange. Details on shifting examinations can be found at the Examinations Office under information for ETH students (Outgoings).

I do not have a Bachelor’s degree from ETH. Can I still study abroad in the Master’s programme?

You cannot take part in an exchange programme involving courses for ETH Zurich. Individual, self-organised stays abroad are possible, but no credits from the stays abroad can be recognised towards the Master’s degree. However, you can organise an external Master's thesis at another university, provided that your main supervisor at D-INFK agrees. You can also apply for a scholarship for such a research project.

Please also refer to the Student Exchange Office's extensive FAQ for outgoings, from which some of these questions and answers have been taken.