Studying at university in France

There are different types of higher education institutions in France, including:

• “Universités”, which are public institutions that depend on the French state and are attached to geographical school catchment areas known as “académies”.
• “Grandes écoles”, which are public or private establishments accessible through competitive exams. A specific two-year preparation course known as the “classe préparatoire” is usually required first. Entry into these establishments is very selective and registration fees are high, but they have a good reputation within France.

University education is split into three cycles.

You can obtain a degree at the end of each cycle.

Cycle 1: Bachelor’s degree “Licence”/“Bac+3”

The first cycle lasts three years. The three years are called “Licence 1”, “Licence 2” and “Licence 3”.

At the end of this cycle, you can obtain a degree called a “Licence” or “Bachelor” depending on the course you followed. You have now obtained the level “Bac+3”.

Cycle 2: Master’s degree “Master”/“Bac+5”

The second cycle lasts two years. These years are called “Master 1” and “Master 2”.

At the end of this cycle, you can obtain a “Master” or Master’s degree. You have now obtained the level “Bac+5”.

Cycle 3: PhD/“Bac+8”

The third cycle lasts three years and is the equivalent of doctoral study.

At the end of the PhD, you can obtain a degree called a “Doctorat”.

Enrolment for university courses usually takes place between March and June.

It is recommended that you contact the university of your choice directly to find out about the enrolment schedule and how to proceed.

The enrolment procedure will depend on a number of factors, including your intended degree level, the country you are currently resident in and your nationality:

• If you are a citizen of a member state of the European Union, you can follow the same enrolment procedure as a French student.
• If you currently reside in the European Union but are not a citizen of a member state of the European Union, you will need to:
  • submit a pre-admission application or “demande d’admission préalable (DAP)” to enrol you in your first academic year
  • contact the relevant establishment directly to enrol directly in levels above the first year.

The qualifications you have obtained in another country may be recognised in France under certain conditions.

To request this, you will need to contact the department responsible for issuing the documents enabling the recognition of qualifications in the majority of subject areas, known as the “centre ENIC-NARIC”:

• if they are responsible for recognising your degree, they can tell you the procedure to follow
• if they are not responsible for recognising your degree, they will refer you to the relevant department.

The following generally need to be included in your application:

• A document called a “Curriculum Vitae” or “CV” detailing your work experience, the education and training you have completed and the qualifications you have obtained.
• A cover letter or “lettre de motivation” explaining why you are applying for this university course and why you think you are a good candidate.
• Copies of the qualifications you have obtained. If you have had them recognised in France, also attach the associated documents.
• A document called a “certificat” certifying your level of French. To obtain this document, you need to take a test at a centre. You can search for a test centre near you on this website.

If your documents are not in French, they must first be translated by an sworn translator called a “traducteur assermenté”:

• Translation costs 30–80 euros per page on average.
• You can search online or ask the embassy of your country in France for a list of “traducteurs assermentés” in your language. However, if you are a political refugee in France, you must not contact the authorities in your home country. Contact an organisation offering free services called an “association” specialised in law on refugees instead.