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IB Mathematics & Physics · Italy

The IB Diploma for ETH, EPFL and German Universities (2027 Entry)

Q: What IB score do you need for ETH Zurich?

38 of 42 points, without bonus points. The Diploma also needs Mathematics (AA or AI), a science and a Language A at Higher Level; otherwise the route is ETH's reduced entrance exam.

Q: Does ETH accept IB Math AI?

Yes, at Higher Level. ETH's rule names either Mathematics course at HL, as EPFL's and Germany's do.

Q: Is EPFL taught in English?

Mostly not at bachelor level. Most courses are in French, with at most one English course per semester in principle, and EPFL requires French at B2.

Q: Can I study in Germany with IB Maths at SL?

Only degrees outside mathematics, science and engineering. HL Mathematics opens every field; schools on the KMK's list, such as the International School of Como, are the exception.

Q: Do I need German for TUM?

For most bachelors, yes. Informatics, Mechanical Engineering and Physics are taught in German; Aerospace is taught in English and asks for German at A2.

4 min readBy Renzo DiazLast reviewed October 7, 2026

Swiss and German universities admit IB students on a rule for the whole Diploma, not a course-by-course offer. ETH Zurich asks for 38 of 42 points without bonus points, with Mathematics (AA or AI), a science and a Language A at Higher Level, and teaches in German. EPFL asks for 38 of 42 with Mathematics and Physics at HL, at least a 6 in both, ranks applicants by points for a capped number of places, and teaches in French. Other Swiss universities ask for 32 of 42. In Germany, the national agreement on the IB Diploma requires at least a 4 in all six subjects, and Mathematics at Higher Level opens every degree, while SL limits access to degrees outside mathematics, science and engineering.

For a family used to UK offers, the Swiss and German rules read differently. There is no conditional offer built for each course: a university or a whole country sets one condition for the IB Diploma, and a student either meets it or takes another route, such as an entrance exam. The subject combination matters as much as the score, and the language of teaching narrows the choice before either.

This article sets out the rules for ETH Zurich, EPFL, the other Swiss universities and Germany, with the Technical University of Munich (TUM) as the German example, from each institution's own pages, read on 7 October 2026. ETH and EPFL publish the rule for the current year; check the 2027 version when it appears.

In Switzerland and Germany the question is not which offer you hold, but whether your Diploma meets the rule.

Key takeaways

ETH and EPFL: 38 of 42, bonus points excluded, with HL Mathematics; either AA or AI is accepted.
Language before grades: ETH needs a German C1 certificate by 31 March; EPFL requires French at B2.
EPFL ranks by points: first-year places are capped, and applicants with foreign certificates are ranked by their total.
Germany converts the score: 42 points or more is a German 1.0, 36 a 2.0, 24 a 4.0.
SL Mathematics narrows Germany: it opens only degrees outside mathematics, science and engineering, except at schools the agreement lists, such as the International School of Como.

The rules side by side

Four rules cover most IB students applying to Switzerland or Germany. They differ in the points, in the level of Mathematics, and in the language.

IB Diploma admission rules at ETH Zurich, EPFL, other Swiss universities and in Germany
System	Points	Mathematics	Other subjects	Teaching language
ETH Zurich	38 of 42, without bonus points	AA or AI at HL	A science and a Language A at HL; three more subjects from a list at SL	German, C1 certificate
EPFL	38 of 42, without bonus points; at least 6 in Maths and Physics	AA or AI at HL	Physics and chemistry, biology or computer science at HL; two modern languages and a humanity	French, B2 required
Other Swiss universities	32 of 42, without bonus points	AA or AI, SL or HL	One subject from each group; three at HL, including Maths or a natural science	Varies by university
Germany (KMK agreement)	At least 24, with at least a 4 in every subject	AA or AI; HL for mathematics, science and engineering degrees	Two languages, a natural science and a social science, each over two years	German for most TUM bachelors

Sources: ETH's country list for 2026/27, EPFL's admission criteria for the current year, swissuniversities (2026/27) and the German agreement on the IB Diploma (KMK, as amended 15 June 2023, first applied to the 2025 exams); read 7 October 2026.

ETH Zurich

ETH admits an IB student without an entrance exam when the Diploma has 38 of 42 points, bonus points excluded, with Mathematics (AA or AI), Physics, Chemistry or Biology, and a Language A at Higher Level, and three further subjects at SL from a list of sciences, humanities, a second language and computer science. No minimum grade per subject is stated. A Diploma that falls short leads to the reduced entrance exam instead, in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, held in German.

The main teaching language of every ETH bachelor is German, and, unless a waiver applies, the German C1 certificate must arrive by the application deadline. An applicant may apply to one programme only. ETH updates the rule every year, and it has announced changes for autumn 2028, mainly for certificates from European countries; it states that they do not affect students starting in autumn 2027.

ETH Zurich, entry in autumn 2027

IB points: 38 of 42; Without bonus points, with the subject conditions met.
Applications: 1 Dec 2026 – 31 Mar 2027; The German C1 certificate is due by 31 March.
Start: 20 Sep 2027; Through the entrance exam (January 2028), the start is September 2028.
Tuition: CHF 730; Per semester; CHF 2,190 for students not resident in Switzerland or Liechtenstein when they gained their qualification.

EPFL

EPFL's rule is stricter on the subjects and adds a ranking. The Diploma needs Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry, Biology or Computer Science at Higher Level; a first and a second modern language and History, Geography, Economics or Philosophy at either level; 38 of 42 points without bonus points; and at least a 6 in Mathematics and in Physics. Both AA and AI are accepted.

Since 2025, for at least four years, first-year places are capped at 3,000. Applicants with foreign certificates and the IB are ranked by their total points, decisions arrive in early August, and meeting every condition does not guarantee a place. Swiss applicants and those living in Switzerland for work or family reasons need 36 points and at least a 5 in Mathematics and Physics, and sit outside the cap. Most bachelor courses are taught in French, and EPFL requires French at B2, recommending C1.

EPFL, entry in autumn 2027

IB points: 38 of 42; With at least 6 in Mathematics and Physics; ranked within a cap.
Applications: Mid-Nov – 30 Apr; IB results and the release to EPFL by 10 July.
French: B2; C1 recommended; at most one English course per semester in principle.
Tuition: CHF 2,190; Per semester for foreign students who move to Switzerland to study; CHF 730 otherwise.

The other Swiss universities

swissuniversities publishes one IB rule for the universities of Basel, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, St. Gallen and Zurich, and the Università della Svizzera italiana: 32 of 42 points without bonus points, six subjects with one from each group, at least three at Higher Level including Mathematics or a natural science. Either Mathematics course counts, at SL or HL. St. Gallen adds its own selection procedure.

Germany: the KMK agreement

German universities recognise the IB Diploma under one national agreement of the Standing Conference of education ministers (KMK), last amended in June 2023 and applied from the 2025 exams. It asks for twelve consecutive years of schooling and six subjects taken over the two years: two languages, one of them a continued foreign language; a natural science (Biology, Chemistry or Physics); Mathematics, AA or AI; and a social science. One of the three Higher Level subjects must be a language, Mathematics or a natural science. Every subject needs at least a 4; a single 3 can be offset by a 5 in another subject at the same or a higher level, with at least 24 points in total.

The level of Mathematics decides the range of degrees. With Mathematics at Higher Level, the Diploma opens every field. With AA or AI at Standard Level, it opens only degrees outside mathematics, science and engineering, unless the student's school is on the agreement's list of exceptions.

IB points converted to a German grade under the KMK agreement
IB total points	German grade
42 to 45	1.0
39	1.5
36	2.0
33	2.5
30	3.0
24	4.0

The agreement's formula, N = 1 + 3 × (42 − P) / (42 − 24), with bonus points counted and every total from 42 to 45 set to 1.0; the rows are worked from it. Source: KMK agreement on the IB Diploma, section 3.

Near Milan

The International School of Como is on the list

The agreement names schools whose graduates meet the Mathematics condition with SL. The one school in Italy on the list is the International School of Como, from the May 2022 exams.

TUM as the German example

At TUM, the IB Diploma is first checked against the German rule, through a preliminary documentation from uni-assist or a recognition notice from Bavaria's certificate office. The IB counts as proof of German only with German A at Higher Level; Aerospace and Information Engineering also accept German B at HL. Applications for the winter semester run from 15 May to 15 July.

Four TUM bachelor programmes: teaching language and admission
Programme	Teaching language	Admission
Aerospace	English, with German at A2	Aptitude assessment weighting Mathematics three times; interview for borderline scores; an 8-week internship before the start
Informatics	German, some courses in English	Aptitude assessment, which can include a written test
Mechanical Engineering	German	Aptitude assessment; an interview on subject-specific German for non-native speakers from schools abroad
Physics	German	Open admission, no selection

Source: TUM programme pages and the Aerospace aptitude statute, read 7 October 2026.

How to plan the IB for Switzerland or Germany

Four decisions, in order

Take Mathematics at Higher Level
ETH, EPFL and every German science or engineering degree need it at HL; AA or AI both count.
Check the whole subject combination
ETH needs a science and a Language A at HL; EPFL needs Physics at HL with a 6, and a third science; Germany needs two languages, a science and a social science.
Start the language certificate early
A German C1 certificate for ETH or B2 French for EPFL takes longer to reach than an IB grade, and ETH's is due by 31 March.
Count the points without the bonus
ETH and EPFL count the six subjects out of 42; Germany counts the bonus points in its conversion.

Terms used in this article

Bonus points: The up to three points the IB awards for Theory of Knowledge and the extended essay; ETH, EPFL and swissuniversities count the Diploma out of 42 without them.
KMK: The Standing Conference of the education ministers of the German states, which sets the national rule for recognising the IB Diploma.
Reduced entrance exam: ETH's exam in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, in German, for applicants whose Diploma does not meet the rule.
Aptitude assessment: TUM's selection procedure for some programmes, which scores school grades and can add a test or an interview.
AA and AI: The two IB Mathematics courses, Analysis and Approaches and Applications and Interpretation; both count for the rules in this article.

Questions about the IB in Switzerland and Germany

What IB score do you need for ETH Zurich?

38 of 42 points, without bonus points. The Diploma also needs Mathematics (AA or AI), a science and a Language A at Higher Level; otherwise the route is ETH's reduced entrance exam.

Does ETH accept IB Math AI?

Yes, at Higher Level. ETH's rule names either Mathematics course at HL, as EPFL's and Germany's do.

Is EPFL taught in English?

Mostly not at bachelor level. Most courses are in French, with at most one English course per semester in principle, and EPFL requires French at B2.

How is the IB score converted to a German grade?

By the KMK formula, which sets 42 points or more to 1.0 and 24 to 4.0. Bonus points count; 36 points is a 2.0 and 30 a 3.0.

Can I study in Germany with IB Maths at SL?

Only degrees outside mathematics, science and engineering. HL Mathematics opens every field; schools on the KMK's list, such as the International School of Como, are the exception.

Do I need German for TUM?

For most bachelors, yes. Informatics, Mechanical Engineering and Physics are taught in German; Aerospace is taught in English and asks for German at A2.

Written by

Renzo Diaz

Teaching IB since 2016. Seven years of IB reviews you can check on Google — and named results with the documents behind them.

Last reviewed October 7, 2026

Sources

Every rule comes from the institution's own page or the official agreement, read on 7 October 2026. ETH's and EPFL's rules are the current ones (2026/27); both publish the next year's version later. The grade conversions in the German table are worked from the agreement's formula.

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