ETH Zurich

ETH Zurich (from its German name Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, ETHZ) is the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, Switzerland. It is commonly called the ETH or the Poly after its original name Polytechnikum.

Student life

As of 2001, there were 11,927 students, 330 professors and 840

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lecturers at the ETH Zürich. The number of students keeps growing: as of 2004, there were 12,626 enrolled students at the ETH.

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The origins of the ETH as a school still show in today's curriculum; there are more constraints than in other universities. Curiously, there are no exams during the first year of study. Exams for all courses of the first year are held during the summer break and are called the "Basisprüfung" (basic exams). The Basisprüfung has a dropout quota of over 50%. Since the ETH is a federal institution, there are no admission criteria for Swiss students except a Matura, something between high school and college diploma. However, many international students are required to submit to entrance exams. It is also possible to enter the ETH without any kind of Mature diploma by passing an exam covering all standard high school courses. Wilhelm Röntgen is a famous example for this kind of admission. The ETH also has an upper limit for the time to reach graduation.

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The amicable rivalry between the ETH and the neighbouring University (the main building of the university is just besides that of the ETH) is still cultivated. Since 1951, there has been an annual rowing match between teams from the two institutions on the river Limmat.

Related Topics:
1951 - Rowing

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Once a year, the main building of the ETH is transformed into a huge party hall for the annual Polyball, which is organized by the student's association of the ETH.

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