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EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), School of Computer and Communication Sciences · Application cycle 2027/2028

EPFL Doctoral Program in Computer and Communication Sciences (EDIC) with IC School Fellowships 2027/2028

Applications open Fully funded?

About this scholarship

A PhD program in computer science, communication systems and related fields at EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, open to international applicants. Every admitted student is paid a salary, and the best admitted applicants receive a one-year IC School Fellowship, with 55 fellowships in 2027.

Funding type

Covers: a salary as a doctoral assistant. The basic starting salary is CHF 55,225 gross a year, at the rate valid from 1 January 2026. IC School Fellowship students are not tied to a lab in their first year. They take courses and work in several labs, then join a lab from the end of the first semester or later in the year. Doctoral students also work as teaching assistants. Does not cover: the two charges listed on EPFL's doctoral page, a registration fee of CHF 150 at enrolment for holders of a foreign master's, and a doctoral tax of CHF 1,500 at the end of the studies.

Tuition fees
Covered
Living costs
Covered
Travel
Not specified
Insurance
Not specified

Eligibility requirements

Nationalities
All nationalities
Residence condition
No residence condition

No nationality restriction is stated. The selection also takes export-control and embargo laws into account By enrolment, a four or five year bachelor's degree or a master's degree A strong background in computer science, communication systems, electrical engineering, mathematics, physics or a related field Good spoken and written English Admission needs two things: acceptance by the EDIC admission committee, and an IC School Fellowship or a hiring offer from a lab

Minimum grade
Not stated
Work experience asked for
Not stated
Return condition
Return condition not stated
How to apply
Straight to the provider

Language requirements and exemptions

Language test required TOEFL iBT IELTS Cambridge English TOEIC Other test Waiver possible

A test is needed if English is not your native language or if your degree is not from an institution that teaches mainly in English. Minimum scores: TOEFL iBT 100 (or 5), IELTS Academic 7.0, Cambridge C1 Advanced grade B, Cambridge C2 Proficiency grade C, TOEIC Listening and Reading 850, or Michigan ECPE 840. The GRE is optional.

University admission details

Admission included in application?

Apply to EDIC through the EPFL portal before 1 December 2026, 23:59 CET. Your three reference letters must arrive by the same deadline, because the review starts right after it and an application may not be looked at again if a letter comes late. Applying is free, and you cannot change the application after you submit it. EPFL's information session of 12 October 2026 gives this timeline: interviews around 5 to 15 January, decisions at the end of January, and an Open House in Lausanne in March for fellowship students. Admitted students start in September 2027. A much smaller second round closes on 15 April 2027. Fewer students are admitted in it, and they do not attend the Open House. Accepted applicants without a fellowship are shown to the labs, and a professor may invite them to an interview and then offer them a position.

Required documents

Transcripts from all university studies, with the grading scale Diplomas, or a letter from your university with your expected graduation date CV in English Statement of purpose of one or two pages Three reference letters, submitted online by the referees English test result and a copy of your passport Certified English translations of documents that are not in English, French, German or Italian

Application steps

Read the pages of the EDIC labs and choose the research areas and professors you want to work with. Ask three referees early and enter their institutional email addresses in the form. Fill in the EPFL doctoral application, choose EDIC, and upload unprotected PDF files of up to 2 MB each. Submit before 1 December 2026, 23:59 CET.

Requirement checklist

EPFL doctoral application form Required

You choose EDIC, one to three research areas, and one to five professors you would like to work with.

Statement of purpose Required

One or two pages in English on your research interests, your experience and whom you want to work with.

Three reference letters Required

Your referees submit them online before the deadline. Professors are preferred.

English test Conditional?

Needed if English is not your native language or if your degree is not from an English-medium institution.

GRE General Test Optional

Optional. Not having it does not harm your application.

Scholarship contacts

EDIC doctoral program office, EPFL: [email protected]

Universities and contacts

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Switzerland

No official contact email published

University website

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