Studying at UNIL

The UNIL campus is on the shore of Lake Geneva and offers a beautiful natural environment. The campus aims to be sustainable and you will find waste recycling bins throughout the site.

The UNIL-EPFL Sports Centre is in the south of the campus, literally next to the lake, and offers a wide range of sporting activities.

The campus is easily accessible by public transport from the centre of Lausanne (metro M1); the journey time to the city centre is around 10 minutes by metro. Parking on site is very limited and you are strongly advised to travel to the campus by public transport or bike.

When you arrive at UNIL, you will be given your student card (Campus Card), which you can use to print documents anywhere on campus but also to purchase food and drink in the various cafeterias. You will need to validate your card at one of the dedicated terminals and then top it up with cash at one of the other terminals. You will also be given your UNIL IT credentials.

To get your Campus Card and IT credentials, please go to the SASME office from September onwards if you are coming to UNIL for the autumn semester or the whole academic year, and from February onwards if you are coming for the spring semester.

You will also find a branch of the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV) on campus (on the lower ground floor of the Internef building), where you can easily open a bank account for your time in Switzerland and withdraw cash. You are, of course, free to open an account with any bank. However, it can be somewhat complicated to open an account, particularly if you are staying in Switzerland for less than six months.

You will also find a Postomat (Postfinance cash machine) on the 1st floor of the Anthropole building.

Academic information about course programmes and the conditions for admission to a faculty at UNIL can be found on the faculty websites. You can also contact the mobility adviser of your faculty.

Teaching language

UNIL is a French-speaking university. The main teaching language is therefore French. However, some Master’s programmes and several undergraduate classes are taught in English.

At the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (SPP), all courses at Bachelor's and Master's level are taught in French.

Most language and literature courses are taught in the language concerned.

List of programmes taught in English

A list of the programmes taught in English at UNIL is available below:

Programmes taught in English at UNIL

For a more detailed description, please use the search engine below (select “English” in the “Teaching language” menu).

• Course search
• Course catalogue by faculty and programme

Language level required

• Minimum level B1 of the CEFR for regular courses taught in French or English but level B2 recommended.
• Level A1 for classes in the School of French as a Foreign Language (EFLE) offered during the semester and for the Cours de vacances (CVAC, French intensive programme, 3 weeks) offered during the winter vacation.
• No minimum required for six-week summer Cours de vacances (level A1 required for three-week summer courses).

Study French online (free)

• Test your level of French by finding out about Lausanne at: sepia.unil.ch/unimobil
• Learn basic French for everyday life: unil.ch/cajoue

Credits

UNIL uses ECTS credits. 60 ECTS credits represent one year of full-time study. Credits linked to a teaching unit (course or module) are only granted if the student passes the assessment for the unit concerned (written or oral examination, dissertation, continuous assessment, etc.).

Grading scale

The mark scheme goes from 0 to 6, where 6 is the highest and 4 is the pass mark