ETH Student Summer Research Fellowship

The ETH Student Summer Research Fellowship (ETH SSRF) programme offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to gain their first research experience in an area of their choice. The fellowship provided by the Computer Science Department of ETH takes place during two summer months and is open to all students worldwide. The department is committed to increasing diversity in the computer science area.

Research opportunities are available in the following areas:

• Machine Learning

• Information Security

• Computer Systems

• Robotics

• Programming Languages and Software Engineering

• Bio/Medical informatics

• Human-computer interaction

• Theory

• Visual Computing

Eligibility

You are eligible for the ETH Student Summer Research Fellowship programme if you satisfy the following conditions:

• You are enrolled in a study programme (bachelor or master) in computer science or a closely related field (e.g., electrical engineering, mathematics, physics)

• Your expected graduation date in your current study programme (bachelor or master) is in the year following the fellowship or later

• You will have completed two years of study by start of the programme (master students naturally satisfy this condition)

• The duration of the fellowship is the full two months of July and August, during which time you must be present

• Although formal evidence of language proficiency is not required, the fellowship requires a good working knowledge of English and it may be assessed at an interview.

Application process

Before starting your application, explore the faculty members in the participating hosting labs and review their research topics. You will be asked to indicate one or two preferred research areas in your application. This helps the programme coordinate an optimal lab placement. 

Make sure you already have some background knowledge through relevant courses or projects in the research areas you choose. Do not select an area you wish to learn entirely from scratch.

During the application, you will be asked to provide personal details and upload the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV) in English (use the Europass format.)
• Official Academic Transcript from your home university. Accepted languages: English, German, French, or Italian. Note: If the GPA of your first master's programme semester is not yet available when applying, please indicate your final bachelor's degree GPA.
• Letter of Motivation / Personal Statement: Describe in your own words why you have chosen your proposed scientific area of research. Explain what you hope to accomplish by coming to ETH and how it will support your academic or professional goals and prepare you for a career in research. A good personal statement can be written in half a page and you should aim not to write more than a full A4 page. Lay it out carefully to make it easy to read.
• Only complete applications with all required documents submitted through the SiROP application tool will be considered.

Funding

Fellows will receive a stipend of CHF 4,000 to cover housing and living expenses. Travel and visa expenses will be covered as well. Students can claim the travel costs against receipts at the beginning of the programme.

Schedule

Application period: 1st November – 16 December 2025

Communication of the admission decision: Applicants will be notified by e-mail by end of February 2026.

Duration of the programme: The programme will take place from 1st July – 28 August 2026.

For more detailed information, please visit the official page of the fellowship.