Applying for the BA in Multilingual Communication

What are the FTI's admission conditions?

To study in the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting (FTI) at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), you must:

• Fulfil UNIGE's admission conditions

You must hold a secondary school diploma (maturité gymnasia, maturité suisse, French Baccalaureate or a diploma deemed to be equivalent). You are required to familiarise yourself with the Admissions Guide and the University's official enrolment conditions.

Please note that the FTI has it's own enrolment conditions, which can be found in "Procédures et conditions d'admission particulières". Additionally, if you are not a Swiss national, you will find conditions for holders of a non-Swiss diploma.

• Fulfil the FTI's admission conditions

1) You must choose three languages for your combination.
Your A language is your mother tongue or language of education. We expect you to have a perfect command of this language, both written and spoken. Based on your A language, you then have to choose two B languages from the language combination chart. Together, these three languages make up your language combination.

2) To apply, you must upload the following documents:

-        An up-to-date CV in your A language

-        A letter of motivation in your A language

-        A copy of all your secondary education grades and all diplomas

-        Certificates or proof of any stays abroad that may enhance your profile.

-        Any recognised language certificates or diplomas for each request to be exempt from a B language assessment.

3) You will have to pass the entrance exam.

See also the general description page of the programme.

What does the entrance exam consist of?

Unless you are exempt for one of your B languages (see the associated requirementsadd hyperlink), you will have to pass three oral tests :

• A test in your A language (compulsory for all options), which will enable us to get to know your educational background and confirm your knowledge and general skills in your native language or language of education.
• A test in each of your B languages (passive languages), which will enable us to confirm your level.

The aim of these oral tests is to confirm the information you provided in your application.

After evaluating your level in the three languages in your language combination (scale starting with "very poor", followed by "poor", "sufficient" and "excellent"), we will determine your overall result and will inform you of our final decision to admit you ("pass") or not to admit you ("fail"). This decision will be based on your whole application.

- You will be guaranteed to be admitted if you achieve "sufficient" or "excellent" in all three of your languages.

- If you achieve "poor" in one of your languages, you can make it up by achieving "sufficient" or "excellent" in your other languages. Your A language is the exception. It is imperative that you achieve at least a "sufficient" in your A language..

- In general, you will not be admitted if you achieve two "poor" grades during the exam period in session.

See the description of the BA entrance exam and the possible language combinations.

What level of proficiency is required?
You need to have perfect command of your A language. You should be able to express yourself in a way that is logical, well-structured and in a suitable style.

For your passive languages, we recommend that you have at least a B2 level under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Exemption from the passive language tests: You may be exempt from from a B language test if you hold a diploma/certificate that confirms you have at least a B2 level in that language under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), if you have completed two years of secondary school or university education in a country that speaks that language, or your secondary school marks fulfil our exemption criteria. You will find the exemption criteria for the B language tests that apply to the BA here.

Depending on the supporting documents provided (level of diploma/certificate obtained), being exempt for a B language will give you a "sufficient" or "excellent" grade for that language.

Other exemptions: If this is your second attempt at the entrance exam, you can ask to be exempt from the tests you passed on your first attempt and request that those grades be retained (A and B languages). However, your exam results are only valid for a year.

Applicants who don't have French in their FTI language combination must also sit for UNIGE's French exam (a test that is independent of the FTI's entrance exam), unless your meet the University's exemption conditions.

When and where will the entrance exam take place?

The admission exam will take place online from 18 to 22 May 2026.

Results will be posted on 5 June 2026.

How do I apply?

You need to prepare and upload the following documents.

Apply online  to register for the FTI entrance exam and apply to enrol at UNIGE.

We accept applications (if no visa is required) from 15 January to 30 April 2026.

If a visa is required, we accept applications from 15 January to 28 February 2026.

The FTI will send you an email at the beginning of May to invite you to participate in the entrance exam. Please remember to check your email around this time, as well as your spam folder.

The tuition fee is CHF 500 per semester, regardless of whether you are a Swiss or foreign student.

How do you contact the Student Secretary?

Admissions and enrolment

Mme Marie-Laure Cudet
Building: Uni Mail
Office: 6256
Telephone: +41 (0)22 37 98708
Email: admission-fti(at)unige.ch

Office hours: Monday - Thursday, 10:00am - 12:00 pm/2:00pm - 4:00pm