AI Rules for Theses at Swiss, Austrian and German Universities
There is no single rule. At most universities in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, your faculty or supervisor decides whether you may use AI in a thesis, and you must declare any use, usually in a signed declaration of independent work or a list of aids. ETH, ZHAW, HSG and Uni Wien set central forms; others leave it to faculties.
Who decides, and what you declare
One row per university. Every cell comes from the official text quoted on that university's page. None of these universities bans AI in theses outright, and every rule we found asks you to declare it.
| BFHSource 1Checked on: | Department and programme | Labelling set by lecturers | Full rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPFLSource 1Checked on: | Course and instructor | Disclosure statement (Lex 1.3.3, Art. 4) | Full rules |
| ETH ZurichSource 1Source 2Checked on: | Your supervisor | Declaration of originality with two AI options | Full rules |
| HSG St. GallenSource 1Source 2Checked on: | Central directive; lecturer for exams | Aids directory + declaration of authorship | Full rules |
| LMU MunichSource 1Checked on: | Your faculty | Per faculty; Physics: software, when, how much | Full rules |
| TUMSource 1Checked on: | Your chair | Per chair; CIT framework agreement | Full rules |
| Uni BaselSource 1Source 2Checked on: | Lecturer and faculty | Labelling per Leitfaden v3.0; sample declaration | Full rules |
| Uni BernSource 1Checked on: | Lecturer and institute | Adapted declaration naming the AI tool | Full rules |
| Uni Fribourg, LawSource 1Source 2Checked on: | Faculty directive | Register of AI use in the annex | Full rules |
| Uni WienSource 1Source 2Checked on: | Subject rules and supervisor | Form BSP/W1: AI texts and images transparent | Full rules |
| UNIGESource 1Source 2Checked on: | Your faculty | Per faculty directive (GSEM, Sciences, FTI) | Full rules |
| UNILSource 1Source 2Checked on: | Your teacher | Tool and purpose; HEC MSc form | Full rules |
| UZHSource 1Checked on: | Your faculty | Full labelling; faculty forms | Full rules |
| ZHAWSource 1Checked on: | Lecturer; default list otherwise (section 5.2.3) | List of generative AI systems with purpose | Full rules |
What “depends on your faculty” means
At UZH, UNIGE, TUM, LMU and BFH, and in practice at Basel, Bern, EPFL and UNIL, the central page sets a frame and leaves the binding rule to faculties, departments, chairs or lecturers. We don't turn one faculty's form into a university rule. Find your own faculty's text, and if it differs from the central page, follow the stricter one.
Two versions changed recently. Basel's citation guideline «Aus KI zitieren» is now version 3.0 (August 2025). Bern's legal-service guidance on the declaration including AI is the bilingual EN/DE edition of 8 October 2025.
What to do, whatever your university
Ask your supervisor before you write. Keep a log of every AI use. Fill in the declaration from the log, not from memory.
Questions this guide answers
Every answer below is assembled from the dated fields on this page. Nothing is written separately for search.
Can I use ChatGPT in my thesis?
It depends on your university, faculty and supervisor. Open your university's page above and ask before you start.
Do I have to declare it?
Yes, at every university where we found a rule.
What if my faculty and my university differ?
Follow the stricter rule, and ask your supervisor which one applies.
Do these rules cover PhD theses?
Mostly not. ETH is the exception we found: doctoral candidates declare at registration for the doctoral exam.