FAQ for Incoming Students

The Institute of Political Science (IPZ) at the University of Zurich was established in 1971. Today, around 130 people work at the IPZ in teaching and research, spread across 16 professorships and research areas. The IPZ is part of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Zurich and, together with ETH Zurich, forms the Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS). 

In line with the IPZ's mission statement, the modules at Bachelor level are characterized by a broad thematic diversity and intensive methodological training to further develop your analytical skills. Current research projects at the institute and relevant social developments are directly integrated into teaching. You will learn about various theories and concrete applications based on case studies. Concepts and perspectives from related (social) science disciplines such as economics, sociology, communication, philosophy, law, history and area studies are also incorporated into the course through cross-listing.

The Master's degree course in Political Science is one of the most renowned courses in Europe. The IPZ's Master's modules offer a wide range of opportunities for in-depth study - they are methodologically strong, research-oriented and internationally focused. The focus is on the ability to work independently and apply the methods and knowledge acquired in a practice-oriented manner.

Contact your home university to find out about existing exchange programs that will make your stay at UZH easier from an administrative point of view. This website of the UZH Global Student Experience (GSE) provides an overview.

If there is no program or agreement with UZH or our institute at your home university, you can organize your stay with us independently. You can find an overview of self-organized guest studies at UZH on this GSE website.

Information on entry, health insurance, finances, housing and working is compiled on this website of the Global Student Experience (GSE). Here you will also find information on various German courses before and during the semester.

No compulsory language certificate is required. In general, knowledge of the language of instruction (English or German) at a minimum level of B2 is recommended.

The nomination for the exchange is made via the responsible office at your home university. Once you have been successfully nominated with us, the next step is to compile your application dossier. Information on the application and application documents can be found on this Global Student Experience website. GSE will inform you of all the necessary steps by e-mail.

The complete application documents should be uploaded to the Mobility Online application platform by March 30 (exchange in the fall semester or academic year) or September 30 (exchange in the spring semester) at the latest. Please contact your home university in good time to find out about the individual submission deadlines.

Students who undertake a mobility under a SEMP agreement usually automatically receive a grant to cover a port of the travel and accommodation costs. This grant is paid out in two parts. Students planning an exchange via a University-wide (GU) or Faculty Agreement can find all the latest information on financial support options on the Global Student Experience (GSE) website.

All information on module selection and booking and the IPZ pre-booking service can be found here.

When you book the module, you are automatically registered for the examination or the necessary certificate of achievement.

This may be possible under certain circumstances. Please contact the IPZ mobility coordinator for more information.

The language courses are offered by the Language Center of UZH and ETH Zurich. Please note that the language courses have an earlier booking period and the number of places is limited.

You can send the Learning Agreement (LA) by email to mobility@ipz.uzh.ch and have it signed by the mobility coordinator at the IPZ. You then upload it to the Mobility Online (MobOn) platform. If you make any subsequent changes to the LA, you must revise and resend it. 

The general deadline for submitting the Learning Agreement is September 30 in the fall semester and February 28 in the spring semester. However, please also note the information provided by your home university, as different deadlines may apply. If, in exceptional cases, your definitive LA is not yet available at this time, upload a provisional version to MobOn by the end of this deadline. The definitive version can be submitted later by e-mail to the IPZ mobility coordinator.

You must clarify with the relevant office at your university at an early stage whether a particular module can be recognized for your studies at your home university. The great freedom of choice you have when booking modules at UZH does not automatically mean that all courses can be recognized by your home university. It is therefore entirely up to your home university to decide whether courses can be recognized. Detailed course descriptions can be found in the UZH course catalog.

We recommend that our exchange students take between 20 and 30 ECTS. 30 ECTS correspond to a full course load. The majority of the credits must be earned in modules offered by the Department of Political Science.

You can find all information on the official Transcript of Records here.

The grading of the performance records is on a scale of 1 to 6, with 6 being the highest and 1 the lowest. Intermediate values are permitted. Ungraded performance records are assessed as passed / failed or fulfilled / not fulfilled.

Yes, the Global Student Experience (GSE) team and the IPZ each hold a welcome event at the start of each semester. You will be informed in advance by e-mail. During the GSE welcome event, students learn everything about studying at UZH in general and about life in Switzerland.  At the IPZ info event, you can find out specific information about studying at our department and get to know your IPZ student buddy!

In principle, yes. However, it is a prerequisite that you also attend courses during your mobility stay.