Admission requirements for studies at university in France

General requirements for studies at French universities and institutes of technology

First cycle studies - Licence (bachelor's)

Students seeking to study first cycle (undergraduate) degrees at universities and institutes of technology in France must hold a French baccalauréat or equivalent and have passed the university entrance exam in their home country. In addition, if you are applying for a study program at an institute of technology, you should be ready to undertake a personal interview.

Second cycle studies (master's)

If you are applying for a master's program at university in France, you are required to be in possession of a relevant bachelor's or equivalent degree diploma.

Third cycle studies - Doctorat (PhD)

In the event you are applying for doctoral studies at university in France, you are required to be in possession of a relevant master's degree diploma.

General requirements for studies at French Grandes Écoles

Unlike public universities, which have the obligation to accept all applicants provided they hold a French baccalauréat or equivalent, Grandes Écoles apply a very rigorous admission process. Students seeking to study at a French Grande École must hold a baccalauréat or equivalent diploma and they are ranked according to the results obtained at very competitive entrance examinations. These examinations take place at the end of a two-year preparation program called "Classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles" (CPGE - Preparatory classes for Grandes Écoles).

Language requirements for studies at universities and colleges in France

French

Since the language of instruction at French universities and colleges is French, you are required to prove your level of command of the French language. If you are enrolling in the first or second year of a study program at university in France, you must prove you have the adequate level of knowledge of French by either passing a language test or by obtaining a degree in French. If you are applying for studies at a Grande École, or you intend to study in the third year of a study program, or plan to enroll in a master's or PhD program, you will have to check the French language requirement with your school in France since it varies depending on the study program. In general, you are expected to have a level of command of the French language corresponding to B1/B2 in the European Language Passport.

Language tests:

Degrees in French

Exemptions from the requirement to demonstrate proficiency in the French language

Holders of the French baccalauréat, the international or European baccalauréat, and the Franco-German baccalauréat
International recipients of scholarships from the French government, international organizations, or foreign governments whose grants are administered by an approved French entity
Nationals of states where French is the official language: Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte dʼIvoire, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Republic of CongoSenegal, and Togo
Nationals of multilingual states where French is one of the official languages and they have completed all of their secondary education in a French language institution: Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Haiti, Madagascar, Mauritania (except for students in the Arabic-language curriculum), Rwanda, Seychelles, Switzerland, and Vanuatu
Students graduating from bilingual programs in which French was one of the languages
Nationals of states in which final examinations for graduation from secondary school are conducted primarily in French

Sources: Eurydice database (Eurydice is an international educational database developed by the European Commission and Member States of the European Union with the aim of facilitating and improving the understanding of the different educational systems in Europe).
TCF (Test de connaissance du français - Test of knowledge of French)
Le TEF (Test d’évaluation de français - French assessment test)
DELF (Diplôme d’études en langue française - Diploma of French-language studies)
DALF (Diplôme approfondi de langue française - Advanced diploma in French language)
CNOUS-CROUS