Lausanne, which is in western Switzerland on Lake Geneva, is a business center and capital of its canton. It offers many shops, theaters and art galleries. Lausanne has frequent concerts, and hosts the ballet troupe Béjart Ballet Lausanne. Most of the university buildings are located in Dorigny, to the southwest of Lausanne, at an attractive, modern campus by the lake.

ISEP Exchange: undergraduate and graduate programs available for an academic year or semester

ISEP-Exchange for US students.

Academic year: mid-September to end of June
Semester 1: mid-September to end of January
Semester 2: February to end of June
 

Option 1: Full year or semester enrollment in regular university courses
Faculties of Biology and Medicine (biology); Commercial Studies (actuarial science, economics, political economy); Geosciences and Environment (geography, geology, geophysics); Law and criminal science (comparative, French, German, international, public, Swiss, Forensic science and criminology); Letters (ancient history, archaeology, art history, cinema, English, French, German, Greek, history, information science, Italian, Latin, linguistics, Oriental languages & civilization, philosophy, Russian, Spanish); Political and Social Sciences (anthropology, mass communication, political science, psychology, social science, sports sciences); Protestant Theology. School of French as a foreign language, Center for European Research, Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, Institute of Advanced Studies in Public Administration.

Option 2: Full year of semester language and culture courses at the École de Français Langue Étrangère (EFLE)
Students may also take full-time language and culture courses either first or second semester, or for the full year. The School of French as a Foreign Language (EFLE) offers a full-time course in French language (around twenty hours per week). It provides in-depth training in French as a foreign language in both its linguistic and cultural dimensions and provides the theoretical knowledge of literature, linguistics and teaching necessary to achieve a good mastery of the subject (literature of French-speaking countries, linguistics and sociolinguistics of French, literature and language teaching, etc).

Most Masters-level courses in business are offered in English.

ISEP participants may take bachelor/master-level courses in all departments except medicine. Most courses at Lausanne are offered on a semester basis.

Option 1: Full year or semester enrollment in regular university courses
A minimum of 4-5 semesters of university-level French or the equivalent must be completed prior to program.

French language and culture courses are offered in addition to regular classes during each semester for all levels. Contact hours per week: 6-8.

A 3-week (SM1 and SM2) or 6-week (SM1 only) pre-session intensive French language and culture program is available before for an additional cost for all levels (SM1) and for intermediate to advanced levels (SM2).

The UNIL organizes intensive French courses during the summer break. For a detailed description of these French options, refer to the Opportunities for Exchange Students.



Option 2: Full year or semester language and culture courses at the École de Français Langue Étrangère (EFLE)
Note that the EFLE does not offer a beginner's course on the full-time program. For beginners, students must enroll in the intensive French courses during the summer break. For enrollment in the full year or semester language and culture program, students must be able to start at an intermediate level.

For more information on courses and language options, see the:
French Language Advising Guide for US Students
French Language Advising Guide for I-to-I Students
 

Single students are housed in residence halls or in off-campus rooms. A stipend to cover the cost of room and board is provided.

ESTIMATED PERSONAL EXPENSES

You are responsible for all of your personal expenses including: optional fees (e.g. computer, language, science lab fees), books, local transportation, entertainment, etc. The amount below is provided as a guide; the actual amount needed will vary depending on courses and personal habits. Your personal expenses per month, including books, are estimated at: 500 Swiss Francs per month. This will vary by personal spending and consumption habits.

The UNIL Xchange Association (www.unil.ch/xchange) will contact you before your arrival in Switzerland to offer you a partnership; a UNIL student may pick you up at the airport or at Lausanne’s train station and bring you to your student residence. The Affaires socio-culturelles office will welcome and assist you in administrative and academic procedures. The Welcome Days for new students give general information about the university and information about the departments (faculties) is given out. The service d"orientation et conseil and the mobility advisors in each faculty will be at the service of the students who have difficulties in their studies.

International students have many opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities at the University of Lausanne and the student organization Xchange (http://www.unil.ch/xchange) offers a lot of social and cultural activities (theater, music, skicamp, pubnights, meals, travel, etc.) Xchange also organizes a buddy program.

Founded in 1537 as a school of theology, Lausanne evolved into an academy and became a university in 1890. The physical education center of Dorigny offers multi-purpose sports rooms, physical training facilities, a stadium and sports fields. Total enrollment: 11,500 (including 6,500 bachelor students, 2,300 master students, 1,600 PhD students and 2,300 international students).