Fourteen, and matriculated
The University of Freiburg announced it on 20 October 2014: a 14-year-old was beginning a degree. The Matura, Switzerland's school-leaving certificate and the gateway to its universities, is normally taken at 18 or 19. Eichenberger had it at 13.
His home was Oberwil, in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, a short journey from the German border, which is how a Swiss teenager came to matriculate at a German university. Swiss national broadcaster SRF covered him as a gifted teenager from the Baselbiet studying in Freiburg; the Badische Zeitung, the regional paper on the German side, reported the same arrival from the other direction.
Chemistry, then biology
He began in chemistry and later switched to biology. It is the kind of detail that rarely survives into the international retelling of a prodigy story, and it is among the more useful ones: a 14-year-old choosing a subject, discovering it was not the right one, and changing it is an undergraduate experience rather than a spectacle.
The Badische Zeitung returned to him at 18, reporting that he planned to go on to a doctorate after finishing at Freiburg. That is the most recent documented statement of his intentions in the sources used here.
Nine languages
The figure that travelled furthest was linguistic rather than academic: he was reported to speak nine languages. Switzerland's four national languages and the multilingual schooling that goes with them make the number less startling than it reads elsewhere, though nine is exceptional in any country.
No source used here lists which nine, or by what standard fluency was judged. The claim is reported, not measured, and is presented that way.
What being fourteen at university is like
The Spanish-language edition of VICE used his case for a piece on what it is actually like to go to university at 14, the practical questions that the announcement stories skip: lectures with students five years older, laboratory safety rules written for adults, and a social world that does not adjust.
German and Swiss universities handle such admissions through early-entry arrangements, and the numbers are small but not unheard of. Freiburg's press office treated the case as notable enough to announce, which is itself a measure of how rare a 14-year-old matriculation is.
Where the record stops
After the 18-year-old interview, the trail goes quiet. No source used here confirms whether he completed the Freiburg degree, whether the doctorate happened, or what field he works in now. He would have been in his mid-twenties by the time this page was written.
That is worth stating plainly, because early-university stories tend to acquire endings they have not earned. The documented record is this: a Matura at 13, matriculation at 14 at a university that said it had never had anyone younger, a change of subject from chemistry to biology, a reported nine languages, and a stated plan at 18 to pursue a doctorate. Everything beyond that is unrecorded in the sources available, and is left unrecorded here.
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christiana Imafidon | United Kingdom | Studying at Durham University at eleven | Age 0 |
| Xavier Gordon-Brown | United Kingdom | An A* GCSE at eight, A-level maths at ten, a degree course at twelve | Age 8 |
| Bastian Eichenberger | Switzerland | The University of Freiburg's youngest student, at 14 (2014) | Age 14 |
| Miguel Donaire | Spain | Admission to Oxford at 15 to read mathematics and computer science | Age 15 |
| Matteo Bernardeschi | Italy | Italy called him too young and too little schooled. Berlin enrolled him in | Age 16 |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Passed the Swiss Matura at 13
- Became the University of Freiburg's youngest student at 14 in October 2014 (university announcement)
- Switched from chemistry to biology; at 18 said he planned a doctorate (Badische Zeitung)
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- The nine-languages figure is reported, with no list or fluency standard given
- No confirmation that the degree or doctorate was completed
- No information on his life or work after the age of 18
Questions people ask about Bastian Eichenberger
How old was Bastian Eichenberger when he started university?
Fourteen. He enrolled at the University of Freiburg in October 2014 after passing the Swiss Matura at 13.
What did Bastian Eichenberger study?
He began with chemistry and later switched to biology.
How many languages does he speak?
He was reported to speak nine. No source used here lists them or explains how fluency was assessed.
Is he Swiss or German?
Swiss. He is from Oberwil in Basel-Landschaft and travelled to study at the German university of Freiburg, near the border.
Where is Bastian Eichenberger now?
The most recent report used here is from when he was 18, when he said he planned to take a doctorate. Nothing later is documented in these sources.
Is Bastian Eichenberger on Wikipedia?
No Wikipedia article on him was found. His record rests on the University of Freiburg's announcement and on Swiss and German regional reporting.
What is his IQ?
No IQ figure for him appears in any source used here. The documented markers are the Matura at 13 and his matriculation at 14.
Did he finish his degree?
No source used here confirms completion of the degree or of any doctorate.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Bastian’s story?
At what age did Bastian Eichenberger pass the Swiss Matura?
Which subject did he switch to?
How many languages was he reported to speak?
Sources
- 14-Jähriger beginnt Studium in Freiburg — University of Freiburg, 2014-10-20
- Überflieger landet mit 14 Jahren an der Uni Freiburg — Badische Zeitung, 2014-10
- 18-Jähriger will nach Studium in Freiburg promovieren — Badische Zeitung, 2018
- Hochbegabter Teenager aus dem Baselbiet studiert in Freiburg — SRF, 2014-10
- Cómo es ir a la universidad con solo 14 años — VICE en español
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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