Official 2026 Graduation Ceremony

Afternoon of Saturday 23 May 2026

Organised and sponsored by ISL

Rue Louis Favre 2, 1024 Ecublens

(EPFL campus)

Official Graduation Ceremony 14:00 - 18:00

13:15 Doors open for families (please arrive no later than 13:45)

13:45 Final call to take seats

14:00 Official graduation ceremony starts and will include speeches, musical performances and the presentation of individual high school diplomas

17:00 Reception to toast the new graduates (The graduation photographer will be onsite for families wishing to have group portraits taken. There is no need to prebook.)

18:00 End of the graduation reception

*Directly following the ceremony, wine, juice and water will be available for a short reception. As the ceremony and cocktail reception at SwissTech are school activities, siblings who are currently ISL students should not consume alcohol.

Student Rehearsals for Graduation Day

ISL will organise two rehearsals to ensure students feel confident and fully prepared for the Official Graduation Ceremony, and everything runs smoothly on their big day.

🎓 Friday 22 May 2026 at ISL

On Friday 22 May at 9:00, ALL students must attend the graduation rehearsal at ISL which will take approximately two hours.

Please note that this takes place at ISL and not at EPFL SwissTech.

🎓 Saturday 23 May 2026 at SwissTech

9:30 Sound check for selected student musicians

10:30 All graduates arrive at SwissTech and leave their belongings in the designated rooms on the garden level

11:00 Final dress rehearsal (Students need to arrive in their graduation clothing and bring their graduation shoes to the auditorium for the rehearsal)

12:00 Official group graduation photograph in the auditorium

12:15 Lunch break for students. No lunch provided. There are two supermarkets just outside the main entrance.

14:00 Official Graduation Ceremony starts

SwissTech Seating Arrangements

Seating in the convention center will be allocated in advance by a random seat generator. SwissTech’s design guarantees fantastic views from every seat!

Parents can reserve the number of seats needed using a google form, which will be sent out in April.

Dress Code - What To Wear?

A formal dress code will be implemented for graduates. This dress code aligns with the School’s values of celebrating individuality, while maintaining the event’s formal nature. Graduates are encouraged to express their personal style within the framework of appropriate formal attire, ensuring a dignified and memorable celebration for all.

Student Dress Code for Official Graduation Ceremony:

A suit, dress, pantsuit or traditional formal or graduation clothing from home culture
Students may choose any colour, but solid colours are preferred over flashy patterns
Ties are optional
Smart shoes that are easy to walk up and down stairs. Sneakers are also accepted, as long as they are clean and smart!

There is no dress code for guests, however attendees generally choose to follow the student dress code.

Elizabeth Fransdonk - Official Ceremony Photographer

Photos

All families will be charged 55 CHF in the spring term fees, which will be returned as a voucher for the purchase of graduation photographs.

Wednesday 20 May 2026 and Thursday 21 May 2026 - Individual portraits of graduates

All graduates will have individual portraits taken by the graduation photographer, Elizabeth Fransdonk.

Saturday 23 May - Photos during the Ceremony

Elizabeth and her team of photographers will take photographs of students on stage at the ceremony and family portraits after the ceremony. No pre-booking is needed.

Parking & Metro

The SwissTech convention centre is located on the EPFL university campus close to Lausanne and is easily accessible by both public transport and car. You can find all details here.

The M1 metro links directly to the SwissTech Convention Center (STCC) (EPFL stop) from the Renens train station or Lausanne Flon. It is approx a 10-minute walk from the metro to SwissTech. If you are attending the evening Gala party at the Beau Rivage Palace, it's about 30 minutes by public transport taking the M1 to Lausanne Flon, and then the M2 (direction Ouchy) to Ouchy-Olympique.

The SwissTech Convention Center (STCC) is 2 minutes from the highway exit “Lausanne Sud, UNIL-EPFL”. There are 400 public parking spaces approximately 5 minutes walking from the STCC (see map) - the Parking EPFL Campus (1) has 150 places, Parking Arcades/SwissTech Village (2) has 80 spaces, and the Parking P+R Bourdonnette (3) has 250 places.

LiveStream Available!

For those who are unable to attend in person, SwissTech will livestream the graduation event. Friends and family can join virtually around the world by visiting the ISL YouTube channel.

Questions or Comments?

Contact Sarah Gifford at sgifford@isl.ch with any questions about the official ceremony.