Studying at Universität Zürich with the IB

• A non-Swiss upper secondary school-leaving certificate must have at least 90% general education subjects at upper secondary level.
• In the last three school years of upper secondary school, at least six separately identified subjects must have been taken continuously: first language, a foreign language, mathematics, one natural science (biology, chemistry or physics), one humanities/social science subject (history, geography or economics/law), and an additional subject (informatics, philosophy, or a further subject from the foreign language, natural science or humanities/social science categories).
• For the IB Diploma: six subjects, one from each swissuniversities category, at least three at Higher Level including maths or a natural science.

Apply via the UZH application portal. As a rule, only one application per person per semester is assessed. Holders of a non-Swiss upper secondary certificate from a country that has not signed the Lisbon Recognition Convention must, as a rule, also pass the ECUS complementary examination.

• The main language of instruction for Bachelor's programs is generally German, although individual modules may be offered in English or other languages.
• Foreign-language applicants must prove German skills of at least level C1 of the CEFR for Bachelor's programs.
• Applicants holding a Swiss or federally/Swiss-recognized maturity certificate are exempt from proving language proficiency.
• Applicants who completed the last three years of upper secondary school in the language of instruction, in a region where that is the official language, are exempt from proving language proficiency.
• Recognized German certificates at C1 or higher include Goethe-Zertifikat C1, Goethe-Zertifikat C2, DSH2/DSH3, DSD II, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule, TestDaF (average TDN 4, at least TDN 3 in all parts), and ÖSD C1/C2 certificates.
• Applicants who need a visa must submit the language certificate by the visa-applicant application deadline at the latest, otherwise the application will not be processed further.
• Other applicants may submit the language certificate after admission, up to one week before the start of the course at the latest; matriculation requires the certificate.

• Degree programs at the Faculty of Medicine and the Vetsuisse Faculty have restricted admission; places are allocated through an aptitude test organized by swissuniversities.
• Medicine is open only to Swiss citizens and holders of a Swiss residence permit.

• Fall semester applications: 1 January to 30 April; applicants who need a visa: 1 January to 28 February; medicine: 1 January to 31 March, with registration at swissuniversities by 15 February.
• The ECUS complementary examination is held only once a year, in August, so applications requiring it are possible only for the Fall Semester.
• Registration for the ECUS examination (and a waiver of its German partial examination with a recognized German certificate) must be made by 15 June, via the University of Zurich.

• Published IB benchmark: 32 points, not counting the 3 core points (TOK and EE).
• Depending on the type of certificate, a minimum overall grade set by UZH may have to be achieved.
• Admission checks take up to three months after a complete application dossier is submitted.
• Business and Economics and Informatics majors cannot be started in the Spring Semester; all Bachelor's programs can be started in the Fall Semester.
• Country-specific requirements published by swissuniversities are updated annually and apply only to the year of study indicated.
• Admission to a Bachelor's program is generally not possible if equivalent studies were previously completed.
• UZH does not conduct individual assessments of school-leaving certificates by phone or e-mail without a full application.
• Medicine and veterinary medicine: places allocated through the EMS aptitude test.