Student exchange

The following prerequisites must be met for student exchanges:

• Bachelor’s degree previously obtained from ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne or the University of Zurich. No other students are entitled to participate in the ETH Zurich semester exchange programme. However, it is still possible to write a Master's
  thesis at another university, provided that the Director of Studies gives his/her consent.
• All additional admission requirements for the Master's programme must be fully completed before departure. This means that the grades of all required courses must be visible in your transcript of records in myStudies.
• Grade average of at least 4.5 in the Bachelor's diploma. Students who have not achieved this grade may still qualify for the exchange under certain conditions. You can find detailed information here.

To write a Master's thesis at another university, the requirements for starting the Master's thesis must be fulfilled before departure.

Take part in the events offered by the student exchange office as well as in the information event for Geospatial/RE&IS/Geomatics students. In addition, thoroughly study the following resources:

• Student exchange office website
• Agreement Search on Mobility-online (programme“Geospatial Engineering”)
• Host university websites (links available via the Agreement Search or directly through the university websites)
• International Knowledge Base: Read reports from ETH students who have already studied at the respective host institutions. You will find these exchange reports at the very bottom of each host university’s page under “Student Exchange Reports.”

Depending on your interests and academic focus, not every host university will be equally suitable for you. Therefore, make sure to inform yourself in detail about the scope of the exchange agreement and the rules for course attendance for exchange students. The information about the individual agreements and additional links can be found for the European partner universities in the agreement search on Mobility-Online under "i" and for the non-European universities under "i" as well as on the website of the student exchange office. Take sufficient time for this step and read all the information carefully.

Then decide whether the offer is suitable for you. Also take into account the possibility that you may not be able to attend a planned course and might have to switch to another one. It is your responsibility to ensure that there are enough suitable courses at the right level available for you to enroll in.

In addition, check early on whether a language certificate is required and begin assembling all your documents well in advance.

The application deadline for an exchange place in the following academic year is 1 December at 13:00 (!).

To go on exchange in the second semester of the Master’s programme, you must apply already in the fifth semester of your Bachelor’s studies. If you take a gap year, make sure to apply at the corresponding time during your gap year. You must remain continuously enrolled at ETH from the moment you apply until you start your exchange (either through regular semester enrollment or an official leave of absence semester).

If you are transferring into the MSc RE&IS with a different ETH Bachelor’s degree than Geospatial Engineering, you must first submit an application for admission to the MSc RE&IS before applying for the exchange. For this, you are required to use the November application window.

Any additional requirements for admission to the Master's programme must be fully completed before departure. Therefore, check early on whether you can complete the required courses during your Bachelor's studies. Alternatively, it is also possible to complete them during the first Master's semester. Discuss this with the mobility advisor RE&IS before submitting your application.

An exchange semester in the 4th semester of the Master's programme is possible in exceptional cases. This applies mainly to students transferring from UZH or EPFL to ETH Zurich, who can only apply after beginning their Master's studies. What is crucial is that the exchange can be integrated into your study plan in such a way that the majority of the credits earned abroad can actually be counted toward your degree.

The event takes place on: Wednesday, 5 November 2025, 16.45, HIL E4

Attendance is mandatory for all students applying for an exchange semester in one of the following study programmes:

• Bachelor Geospatial Engineering
• Master Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems (RE&IS)
• Master Geomatics

Interested students are requested to arrange a consultation appointment with the RE&IS Mobility Advisor via email. Please ensure that you are well-prepared for this meeting (see 'Preparation') and that you bring specific questions. Consultations typically last 30 minutes and will be held between 6 and 28 November 2025.

The study plan for the exchange semester must be designed to fully or largely replace the course units missed at ETH Zurich. Study at the host university must therefore cover approximately 2/3 of the lectures on spatial development and infrastructure systems at ETH in the same period
(at least 20 ECTS credits per semester). The total duration of the study should not be extended by the exchange semester.

Compulsory courses cannot be replaced by mobility courses and must be attended at ETH Zurich. Detailed information on the recognition of mobility credits for other categories is provided in the RE&IS guideline for recognition of mobility credits.

Create a study plan for each host university that is an option for you, taking into account the information under "Preparation."

This study plan is your basis for deciding whether a university is suitable for you.

When submitting your application on Mobility-online, a (provisional) course list will be required for each host university on your priority list. The approval of this list does not constitute an agreement for the recognition of mobility credit points.

In the Master’s programme RE&IS, a maximum of 60 mobility credit points can be counted toward the Master’s degree, provided that the preceding Bachelor’s degree was completed entirely at ETH Zurich. For transfers from EPFL and UZH, a maximum of 40 mobility credit points can be recognised.

The transfer of credit points from a mobility programme to the ETH degree programme is arranged using the form “Anrechnung von Mobilitätskreditpunkten" (see German webpage).

Please submit the following documents without being prompted to the RE&IS mobility advisor before your stay at the host university begins:

• Credit transfer form for mobility credit points, including the signatures of ETH teaching staff in cases of transfer based on equivalence
• Course content of the subjects at the host university, including links to each course description
• If applicable: Email confirmation from D-GESS for the transfer of a WiK subject
• If applicable: Confirmation form for the supervision of a written paper during the exchange programme

The signature of the Director of Studies will be obtained by the mobility advisor RE&IS.

If adjustments are necessary after the start of the exchange semester, you must immediately enter these after the change has been made into the corresponding form (“Anrechnungsformular für Mobilitätskreditpunkte: Änderungen nach Semesterbeginn”), obtain the required confirmations from the responsible lecturers if necessary, and then send the form to the mobility advisor RE&IS. The signature of the Director of Studies will again be obtained by the mobility advisor RE&IS.

Find out about the semester dates of the host university and coordinate your exam dates. In case of scheduling conflicts, you can find further information on the pages of the Examinations Office.

• The compilation of the curriculum and subject-specific organisation are the responsibility of the student. Students must organise their own schedules, learn the rules, seek advice if needed, and ensure they meet all academic requirements. 
• The administrative part of organisation (arrangement of registration, organisation of a room, residence permit, and care during your stay) will be assisted by the student exchange office. 
• The exchange advisor for Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems will help with procedure.