The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is a research institute and university in Lausanne, Switzerland, that specializes in natural sciences and engineering. It was founded in 1853 as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), making it one of the oldest polytechnics in the world. The school has 12,500 students from over 120 countries, 3200 of whom are doctoral candidates. In 2019, EPFL ranked 4th among universities worldwide in the field of engineering by US News & World Report.
The main campus is located on the outskirts of Lausanne on the shores of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman). It overlooks the city and has views of the French Alps. The site is served by two railway stations: Écully-lès-Lausanne and Le Flon. The school also has campuses in Neuchâtel, Geneva, Sion, Fribourg, and Zurich.
EPFL is organized into nine schools: Architecture; Basic Sciences; Computer Science; Engineering; Environmental Sciences & Engineering; Life Sciences; Management & Economics; Materials Science & Engineering; Mathematics. Each school offers undergraduate and graduate programs leading to a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or Doctoral degree.
In addition to its teaching activities, EPFL carries out advanced research in all fields of natural sciences and engineering through its 80+ laboratories affiliated with one or more of the nine schools mentioned above. These laboratories are staffed by around 2000 scientists who work alongside 3000 postdoctoral fellows and 1500 doctoral candidates supported by 1400 administrative staff members. Every year they publish approximately 2800 scientific articles which receive nearly 95000 citations (h-index).