Universities & Courses in France

Your guide to finding the best universities and courses in France tailored to your academic and career goals.

Finding Programmes

France has more than 3,500 higher education institutions. Use the Campus France catalogues.

Useful links

Free tools.

Campus France catalogues: Bachelor's, master's and English-taught programme lists.
Campus France research portal: Doctoral schools and PhD offers.

Tips

Use the Campus France catalogues of bachelor's and master's programmes (updated in April and October).

For English-taught options, use the Programs Taught in English catalogue (more than 1,600 programmes).

Art and architecture: the CampusArt catalogue.

Types of Schools

Where you can study.

Public universities

State-funded. They take 63% of foreign students.

Key Characteristics:

A national degree has the same value at every university.
Fees for students from outside the European Union (EU): EUR 2,902 (bachelor's) and EUR 3,950 (master's) a year.

Best For:

Students who want low fees and a wide choice of subjects.

Grandes écoles

Grandes écoles are top selective schools recognised by the State.

Key Characteristics:

Higher fees than universities.
Much teaching in English.

Best For:

Students aiming for selective engineering, business or political science schools.

Examples:

Écoles normales supérieures (ENS)Political science institutes (IEP)Engineering and business schools

Technical and preparatory programmes

Short technical courses and preparation for grandes écoles.

Key Points:

BTS (short technical course) and CPGE (preparation for grandes écoles): two years, 120 ECTS credits.
Entry to year 1 is through Parcoursup, the French website for first-year places on some courses.

Note for International Students:A French national degree is worth the same at every university.

Example Programmes

Programmes open to students from Pakistan in the 2027 France Excellence Pakistan scholarship round. They show the kind of master's on offer. These are for Pakistan only.

Engineering and environment

MSc Process and Bioprocess Engineering, IMT Atlantique (Nantes)

Master in Biorefinery and Biomaterials, Grenoble INP-Pagora

Engineering master's linked to energy and the environment.

Economics

International Economics, Université de Lille

Needs a solid bachelor's in economics, statistics and maths.

Health and food

One-Health Emerge Master's, Oniris (Nantes)

MAFEN, Université d'Avignon

For vets, food engineers, doctors, pharmacists and scientists.

French Degrees

France uses three levels: licence (bachelor's), master and doctorat (PhD).

Licence (bachelor's)

6 semesters

Program Structure

thesis

credits

180 ECTS credits (European study credits)

defense

research

coursework

internships

supervision

specialization

The first university degree.

Master's

4 more semesters

Common Examples

Master in Management (MiM)
Master of Science (MSc)
Engineering degree

Program Structure

thesis

credits

120 more ECTS credits (300 in total)

defense

research

coursework

internships

supervision

specialization

Includes MiM (Master in Management), MSc and engineering degrees, all at 300 ECTS credits in total.

Doctorate

16 semesters in total, counting from your first year of bachelor's

Program Structure

thesis

credits

480 ECTS credits in total

defense

research

coursework

internships

supervision

specialization

Prepared in a doctoral school (the unit that trains PhD students), usually attached to a university.

Study Year

Two semesters

Academic Holidays

Summer holidays start in May or June and last at least two months.

School Examples

Two well-known schools: Sciences Po and HEC Paris (a business school).

Sciences Po

Paris | Grand établissement

Highlights

2026-27 fees for students with tax residence outside the European Economic Area (EEA): EUR 14,900 (euros) a year for a bachelor's, EUR 20,640 for a master's.

HEC Paris

Jouy-en-Josas | Business school