Summer Research Internships at EPFL and ETH Zurich: How to Apply
EPFL and ETH Zurich run paid summer research programs for international bachelor's and master's students. See who can apply, the stipends, and the 2027 deadlines.
Who these programs are for
EPFL and ETH Zurich both run paid summer research programs for students from outside Switzerland. These programs are not PhD positions. They are short research internships, mostly for bachelor's and master's students who want research experience before they apply for a PhD. Read the eligibility rules carefully, because some programs exclude PhD students, and some exclude students already enrolled at the host university.
EPFL: Summer@EPFL and other programs for international students
EPFL runs several summer programs, and not all of them accept international applicants. EPFL's own "Summer in the Lab" program is only for EPFL's own enrolled bachelor's students in their 2nd or 3rd year. It does not accept exchange students or applicants from other universities.
International students should instead look at Summer@EPFL, run by the School of Computer and Communication Sciences. This program is open to bachelor's students (from the 2nd year of the bachelor's degree) and master's students in computer science, computer engineering, telecommunications or electrical engineering. PhD students are not eligible.
Accepted students get a living allowance of CHF 1,800 per month, paid pro rata to the length of the internship, plus a refund of travel costs (a 2nd-class train ticket or a low-cost or economy flight). The internship runs for two to three months, usually between May and September, with the exact dates agreed with the hosting lab. The application deadline falls on the Sunday closest to 1 December each year; for the 2027 cycle, the deadline is 29 November 2026. EPFL plans to notify applicants of its decision before 25 January 2027.
EPFL also runs other summer programs for international students, each with its own eligibility rules: the Excellence Research Internship Program (for students from partner universities in North America and Singapore), the E3 Program (for international students in engineering), a Summer Research Program in Life Sciences, and the NCCR Affinity Scholarship Program (separation science). Check each program's own page for its current dates, funding and eligibility, since the rules differ from Summer@EPFL.
ETH Zurich: the Student Summer Research Fellowship (SSRF)
The ETH Student Summer Research Fellowship (SSRF), run by the Department of Computer Science, is open to bachelor's and master's students worldwide, in computer science or a closely related field such as electrical engineering, mathematics or physics. Students already enrolled at ETH Zurich cannot apply. Research areas include machine learning, information security, computer systems, robotics, programming languages and software engineering, bio/medical informatics, human-computer interaction, theory, and visual computing.
To be eligible, you must have completed two years of study by the start of the programme (master's students normally satisfy this automatically), and your expected graduation date must fall in the year after the fellowship or later. The fellowship runs for a fixed two months, from 2 July to 27 August 2027 for the 2027 cycle, and you must be present for the whole period.
Fellows receive a stipend of CHF 4,000 to cover housing and living costs. ETH also covers travel and visa costs, which you claim back against receipts at the start of the programme. The application window for the 2027 cycle runs from 1 November to 16 December 2026, 13:00 Central European Time. ETH plans to notify applicants of its decision by the end of February 2027.
Timeline and stipend at a glance
| Program | Open to | Stipend | 2027 dates | Application window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPFL Summer@EPFL | Bachelor's (2nd year+) and master's students in CS, CE, telecom or EE; not PhD students | CHF 1,800/month + travel refund | About 2-3 months, usually May-September | Closes 29 Nov 2026 |
| ETH Zurich SSRF | Bachelor's and master's students worldwide in CS or a related field; not ETH's own students | CHF 4,000 total + travel and visa costs | 2 Jul - 27 Aug 2027 (fixed) | 1 Nov - 16 Dec 2026, 13:00 CET |
Tip: Both programs ask for an official transcript and a short motivation letter. ETH Zurich specifically rejects self-made transcripts and screenshots; it wants a transcript issued or translated by your university.
How to apply, step by step
- Check that you meet the eligibility rules for the specific program, including your degree level and field of study.
- Prepare your documents: a CV (ETH asks for the Europass format), an official transcript in an accepted language, and a short motivation letter or statement.
- For Summer@EPFL, also prepare your choice of research area; for ETH SSRF, prepare one or two preferred research areas and read the participating labs' research topics first.
- Register and apply through the program's own application system. ETH Zurich uses the SiROP platform; EPFL has its own online application form.
- Submit before the deadline. Both programs warn against applying at the last minute.
- Wait for the decision. EPFL plans to notify Summer@EPFL applicants by 25 January; ETH plans to notify SSRF applicants by the end of February.
Common mistakes
- Applying to a program that excludes your degree level. Summer@EPFL does not accept PhD students, and ETH SSRF does not accept ETH Zurich's own students.
- Submitting a self-made or screenshot transcript. ETH Zurich only accepts an official transcript or one translated by the issuing university or a professional translator.
- Contacting professors directly before applying. ETH Zurich asks applicants not to contact faculty members directly.
- Missing the application window. Both programs run once a year, with a fixed window in November and December.
Where to find more funded research opportunities
If you want more paid research experience before a PhD, see our guide on research internships for master's students and paid research internships at institutes in Asia. Once you are ready to look for a PhD position, browse open PhD positions in Switzerland or search funded PhD positions across Europe.
Sign up with PhD Atlas. We match open PhD and research positions to your CV, so you do not have to check every university's page yourself.