It is locally still known as Polytechnikum, or simply as Poly, derived from the original name eidgenössische polytechnische Schule,[10] which translates to "federal polytechnic school".

The Zentrum campus grew around the main building, which was constructed 1858–1864 outside and right above the eastern border of the town, but which is nowadays located right in the heart of the city.

Because this geographic situation substantially hindered the expansion of ETH Zurich, a new campus was built from 1964 to 1976 on the Hönggerberg, a northern hill in the outskirts of the city.

It emphasized bold and clear massings with a detailing, such as the rusticated ground level and giant order above, that derived in part from the work of Andrea Palladio and Donato Bramante.

The Hönggerberg campus houses the:[26] There is also an ASVZ sports centre which is accessible to all students and faculty, and includes a gym, beach volleyball court, football field, and martial-art rooms.

[33] Being a public university, the heavily subsidized (by Swiss federal tax) tuition fees are CHF 730 per semester, regardless of the student's nationality.

[35] Most notable is the VSETH (Verband der Studierenden an der ETH) which forms the umbrella organization of all field of study specific student associations and comprises a large variety of committees such as the Student Sustainability Committee and the ETH Model United Nations.

The largest career fair on campus is the Polymesse which is organized by students in the Forum und Contact committee of VSETH.

It forms a bridge between industry and ETH Zurich and offers many services for students and companies alike as a student-led consulting group.

[37] The biggest annual sports event is the SOLA-Stafette (SOLA relay race) which consists of 14 sections over a total distance of 140 kilometers.

While both makerspaces offer similar tools, the central one is significantly larger and also hosts a rentable auditorium, intended for pitching projects to faculty to gain funding, and a bar.

Both makerspaces include workspaces for wood- and metalworking, electronics fabrication, as well as an array of 3D-printers for students to use at a little over material cost.

Both also feature a shop for students to buy items such as resistors in lower quantities than ordinarily, while passing down the savings of bulk purchases.

[44] ETH Zurich promotes technology and knowledge transfer through an entrepreneurial ecosystem to foster spin-offs and start-ups.

[46] ETH Zurich has three prominent competition teams that perform research in different popular fields and compete on the world stage.

The most prominent area of research is in the development of a sounding rocket that is flown yearly at the Spaceport America Cup.

ARIS also dedicates its resources to the academic advancement of spaceflight and hosts projects ranging from the development of Hybrid rocket Engines to Payload research.

Highlight was the double victory at the Formula Student Germany (FSG) in the Electric as well as the Driverless Category (autonomous driving car).

[1] Swissloop is the ETH Zurich's newest competition team that is working on the development of a Hyperloop system.

At the end of November, the Polyball welcomes around 10,000 dancers, music-lovers and partygoers in the extensively decorated main building of ETH Zurich.

ETH Zurich has produced and attracted many famous scientists in its short history, including Albert Einstein and John von Neumann.

Academic achievements aside, ETH Zurich has been alma mater to many Olympic medalists and world champions.

Its purpose is to raise funds to support chosen institutes, projects, faculty and students at the ETH Zurich.

[53] Examples of funded teaching and research are:[54] The Military Academy is an institution for the education, training and development of career officers of the Swiss Armed Forces.

It is a national facility based in Lugano-Cornaredo,[59] offering high-performance computing services for Swiss-based scientists.