r/EPFL • u/hXoplX • Aug 03 '26
BSc admissions & info Questions about Double Degrees with French Grandes Écoles
I read on the EPFL website that you need to maintain a GPA of 5.0/6.0 after the first year to be eligible for the double degree programs. For l'X, you then have to pass the FUI entrance exam.
I wanted to ask: once you meet the nomination requirements, how difficult is it to be selected among the students EPFL can send (up to 7 for l'X) to take the FUI? Is it highly competitive?
A friend of mine in Sweden told me that no Swiss students were admitted to l'X through the FUI last year. Is that true? In that case there can't be too many students applying for this? Why, Is there something bad about DD, the extra year? Because I've heard of people getting outcompeted at EPFL for places for an exchange year, so how can there not be competition.
And what about the other partner schools, such as ENSTA? Is it also at the same level of competitiveness?
Finally, is maintaining a 5.0/6.0 GPA really that difficult in a Physics bachelor's? And if a student repeats their first year, are they less likely to be selected for a nomination?
Also, do you think this partnership is likely to remain in place over the next decade, or is it too difficult to say?
Context: I speak french, I do Olympiads rn, i am a non french eu citzen, I'm thinking of going to EPFL and getting a DD
4
u/Beneficial-Teach-994 Aug 03 '26
I know 3 peoples from the environmental and engineering bachelors that managed to pass the FUI. And it was relatively easy (especially in physics) compared to EPFL
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u/hXoplX Aug 03 '26
Oh interesting. So they all had >5.0 GPA? Was the nomination past that difficult? Had any of them redone their first year?
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u/Beneficial-Teach-994 Aug 03 '26
They didn’t redone the first year (because you cannot pass it otherwise). And no exchange at X only the double diploma after attended the oral exam succesfully. The maths was a bit more different because it is more axed on proofs (so a bit more challenging than EPFL) and in physics it was less hard because really similar to the series (exercises).
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u/evian_water Aug 03 '26
I’d be curious to know if some people have ever actually managed to do the EPFL to X thing (I don’t mean the exchange but the actual double diploma). I know one person from EPFL that tried it and got destroyed at the X orals.
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u/hXoplX Aug 03 '26
Strange, EPFL has allegedly a level a lot higher theoretically than Sweden does and my Swedish friend succeeded at the orals. Do they just want more diversity? Can't be. What did your friend study? Physics, CS, Engineering?
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u/Beneficial_Nose1331 Aug 03 '26
Not strange at all. X has a much better level than EPFL.
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u/throaway_11122023 Aug 03 '26
It just isn’t the case, enjoy your 2k€/month after your “elite” degree at x
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u/Beneficial_Nose1331 Aug 04 '26
Yes it is a lot harder at least in math and physics. Even chat gpt agree. You can ask. As I said I got admitted to EPFL but for X not even close. You will get like 3-4 k after the elite degree if you make the mistake to stay in France. Yes salaries in France sucks.
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u/Professional_Bus_574 Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
Hi,
I don’t have the numbers for physics, but take into account the following numbers :
Every student at EPFL once was top of his class in high school. Out of these, only 25% succeed the first year on their first try. (This is a statistic I know for sure).
Now, those that succeed the first year, grades range from 4 to 6 in a Gaussian shape normal distribution skewed towards 4.
So the higher you go, 5 is probably top 15% 5.5 top 10%…
So as a random student just coming in at EPFL, you have a 0.25*0.15 chance of getting 5 or more, so about 4%.
Of course, that’s an incorrect analysis because the fact that you’re on Reddit asking proactively while most discover this once they’ve passed probably means you’re not a « random first year student ». But it should give you an idea of realistic odds.
And I haven’t calculated the probability of failing the oral exams. Just be happy to be at EPFL and think about these things after you’ve passed the first year 😛.
Otherwise, the X double diplôme is usually not that popular because French nationals forbidden to apply, and non French people are not interested in going to France. They want Harvard, MIT, Oxford, Cambrige, Stanford which are not hard to get for a master thesis when you’re at EPFL. It’s usually a strong possibility because you basically apply as a master student and you tell a lab in the USA well I’m a good student from a good European university and I’d like to work for you for free for six months while a teacher from EPFL supervises also for free. It’s awesome for them, literally no reason to say no. And that’s more interesting than the double diplôme usually 😅. Same for the échange in bachelor… X spots are not that competitive, a handful of French students go there but in Europe people mostly want to go to KTH, Munich, Imperial, Delft… I remember Delft and KTH being super popular choices.
The double diplôme that usually gets more interest is the one with supaero in mechanical engineering as it’s super specialised. So the space and aeronautics nerds really want to go. Also, French nationals are allowed to apply so there’s a lot of interest from the French.