Information for institutes

What kind of services does the Student Exchange Office offer, and how can we support you and your students? Here you will find the most important information.

The Student Exchange Office looks after students who study and plan to graduate at other universities but also want to spend part of their studies at ETH Zurich, as well as ETH students who spend part of their studies at another university. This can mean visiting studies or an exchange programme at a partner university. Additionally, the Student Exchange Office is also responsible for students in special programmes like the Swiss Government Scholarship or the T.I.M.E. Double Degree.

The majority of students the Student Exchange Office looks after use their visiting studies or exchange programme to attend courses. However, many students also come to ETH Zurich, or go to a partner university, in order to do a research project or to write a (Bachelor, Master, Diploma) thesis. Below you will find useful information on this type of mobility.  

Is your institute looking after a student from another university? 

As a rule, this student can be registered through the Student Exchange Office. The conditions are that the student does not receive a salary and that their stay at ETH Zurich serves their studies (e.g. by doing a Bachelor, Master, and Diploma thesis or a research project). The following flowchart will help you decide on the correct status: Flowchart.

According to public authorities, internships require an internship contract and salary, as well as a work permit. Therefore, they are not arranged through the Student Exchange Office, but rather through Human Resources and IAESTE. Please contact the Student Exchange Office or Human Resources if you have any questions. 

A person registered at the Student Exchange Office will be matriculated as an exchange or visiting student. The following summary will inform you and the students about our services: Services of the Student Exchange Office.

Please remember to contact the Student Exchange Office early enough! In the case of EU/EFTA members, this means at least two months prior to the estimated start of their stay at ETH Zurich. In the case of citizens from third countries (who will need a visa), this means at least four months before they arrive. Students must not apply for a visa themselves without having contacted the Student Exchange Office first. Visa applications which were not filed properly may lead to considerable delays. 

Please note that exchange and visiting students will receive a residence permit for studies. If an employment is planned additionally to the studies (e.g. as a student assistant), the institute should apply for a work permit through Human Resources. Also note that, as a rule, particularly high exchange and mobility grants will be cut once the auxiliary income exceeds a certain amount. In such cases, the students are obligated to report their secondary employment to the Student Exchange Office. 

Is your institute looking after a student who will write a part of their thesis at another university? 

If the university in question is a partner university of ETH Zurich, the student may attend the partner university through an exchange programme. This means the Student Exchange Offices of ETH Zurich and the partner university will help them with the organisation, they will be exempt from paying the tuition fee at the partner university, and, in some cases, they will receive an exchange scholarship. Please refer interested students directly to us. 

Closing an exchange contract 

Is your institute in close contact with a university abroad which does not have an exchange agreement with ETH Zurich yet? Do you send ETH students to this university for a project, and do their students come to ETH Zurich as well? Then there is a chance we can draw up an exchange agreement with this university, so that the students may profit from the appropriate benefits. Please contact the head of the Student Exchange Office, Dr. Angelika Wittek, for further information.

Mobility for lecturers and ETH employees 

Through Erasmus, lecturers and employees have the possibility to receive financial support for a stay at a partner university abroad. For further information, please look here.