Switzerland · Bachelor's
EPFL
Bachelor in Computer Science
EPFL
Course Overview
EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) is Switzerland's French-speaking sister to ETH Zurich and a global top-20 university for Computer Science. The Bachelor in Computer Science is three years, taught primarily in French for year 1 and shifting toward English from year 2. The Lake Geneva tech corridor — Logitech, Nestlé, Philip Morris International, Procter & Gamble Geneva, plus the Geneva fintech and biotech clusters — recruits EPFL graduates directly.
Sri Lankan applicants face the same hurdles as ETH: A/Ls alone are not directly accepted. The cleanest direct-entry routes are Cambridge A-Levels (A* Mathematics + A Physics), IB 38+ with HL Maths 6+, or sitting EPFL's CMS (Cours de Mathématiques Spéciales) foundation year. EPFL is unusually international in its student body — French B2 helps for year 1 but English-medium electives dominate from year 2 onwards. Tuition is CHF 1,460/year for all nationalities.
Entry Requirements
Academic
- check_circle Sri Lankan A/Ls alone are NOT directly accepted — Cambridge A-Levels (A* Maths + A Physics), IB 38+ with HL Maths 6+, or EPFL's CMS foundation year required.
- check_circle Strong O/L mathematics and demonstrated programming aptitude (school coding club, hackathons, open-source contributions).
- check_circle Motivational letter, CV, full school transcripts.
- check_circle French proficiency at B2 level is recommended for year 1; English dominates year 2+.
English Proficiency
- check_circle IELTS Academic: 6.5 Overall (year 2+ electives are in English).
- check_circle TOEFL iBT: 88 Overall.
- check_circle Cambridge C1 Advanced or higher.
- check_circle Waived if prior schooling (Cambridge/Edexcel/IB) was English-medium.
Estimated Cost of Study
| Expense Category | Amount (CHF) | Approx. LKR |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition Fee (per year) | CHF 1,460 | Rs. 540,000 |
| Accommodation in Lausanne (per year) | CHF 12,000 | Rs. 4,440,000 |
| Living Expenses & Food (per year) | CHF 9,000 | Rs. 3,330,000 |
| Health Insurance & Mandatory Fees | CHF 1,800 | Rs. 666,000 |
| Estimated Annual Investment | CHF 24,260 | Rs. 8,976,000 |
*LKR conversion based on current bank rates. Subject to change.
Career Outcomes & PR
EPFL CS Bachelor's graduates typically progress to EPFL's MSc Computer Science or MSc Data Science — full Swiss-track careers crystallise from there. Switzerland's 6-month post-graduation residence permit and STEM-exempt work-permit conversion under the ~8,500/year non-EU quota applies. BSc internships at Logitech, Nestlé, Philip Morris International, P&G Geneva, IBM Research Zurich, Google Zurich, the CERN tech division, and EPFL spin-offs (Anybotics, MindMaze, Pix4D) are standard. Sri Lankan returnees route into WSO2, IFS R&D, Virtusa, Sysco LABS, and MillenniumIT.
Related Programs
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ඔබට සුදුසු විශ්වවිද්යාලයක් තේරීම, අයදුම්පත් යොමු කිරීම, SOP සකස් කිරීම සහ වීසා ලබා ගැනීම ඇතුළු සෑම පියවරකදීම, ඔබ වෙනුවෙන් සියලුම වගකීම් විශ්වාසවන්තව අප භාර ගනිමු.