What Swiss university did Albert Einstein attend?

Albert Einstein attended ETH Zurich, then known as the Swiss Federal Polytechnic, from 1896 to 1900. He studied mathematics and physics there and earned a teaching diploma, qualifying him to teach those subjects.

Einstein first applied to the school in 1895, at age 16, but failed the general part of the entrance examination. He performed exceptionally well in physics and mathematics, so the school’s principal advised him to complete his secondary education in Aarau before applying again. He entered the Zurich program the following year.

ETH was important to Einstein’s early career, but he did not immediately receive an academic position there after graduating. He later worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern, where he produced several landmark papers in 1905. Einstein returned to ETH as a professor of theoretical physics from 1912 to 1914.

A common mix-up is the University of Zurich. Einstein received his doctorate from that university in 1905, but ETH Zurich was the institution he attended for his main undergraduate education.