Types of public university in France<\/h2>\n
Public higher education institutions in France fall into several categories:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Universities (Universite):<\/strong> the main type of public institution, spread across the country and teaching across every discipline.<\/li>\n
- Engineering and technology schools (Ecoles d’ingenieurs):<\/strong> also under the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, offering specialist training in engineering and technology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/p>\n- \n
- Universities of technology (Universites de Technologie):<\/strong> specialists in scientific and technical fields, based in cities such as Belfort, Compiegne and Troyes.<\/li>\n
- Grandes Ecoles:<\/strong> although these are not all directly under the Ministry of Higher Education, many rank at the top academically and specialise in fields such as management, engineering and political science.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Recommended by Aval Visa: read our article on the best subjects to study for a move to France<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ten public universities in France<\/h2>\n
France has a large number of public institutions, so knowing which ones stand out matters for international students. The list below sets out ten of them.<\/p>\n
1. Universite PSL, Paris<\/strong><\/h3>\n
PSL is one of France’s leading research universities, formed by bringing together several established institutions. It has ranked in the top 30 of the QS World University Rankings, and its strengths are the natural sciences, mathematics and the humanities.<\/p>\n
PSL teaches in both French and English, maintains strong international partnerships and offers an advanced research environment. Among its distinguishing features is a faculty that includes Nobel laureates and Fields medallists.<\/p>\n
Website: https:\/\/psl.eu\/en<\/span><\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n2. Universite Paris-Saclay, Paris region<\/h3>\n
Paris-Saclay is one of the largest scientific hubs in France, formed from institutions including Paris-Sud and CentraleSupelec, and has ranked around 70th in the QS World University Rankings.<\/p>\n
It performs particularly well in mathematics and physics. Admission is competitive, and engineering and science candidates are selected through dedicated procedures.<\/p>\n
Website: https:\/\/www.universite-paris-saclay.fr\/en<\/span><\/p>\n
For the visa side of a move to France, our full guide to booking a French visa appointment<\/a> is available on the Aval Visa site.<\/p>\n
3. Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris), Palaiseau<\/h3>\n
IP Paris is an alliance of engineering grandes ecoles including Ecole Polytechnique and Telecom Paris, and has ranked around 40th to 50th in the QS World University Rankings. It runs more than 15 master’s programmes and trains over 5,000 engineers a year.<\/p>\n
Admission is highly competitive and runs either through the demanding preparatory class route (prepas) or through international admissions. Programmes are taught in French and English.<\/p>\n
Website: https:\/\/www.ip-paris.fr\/en<\/span><\/p>\n
4. Sorbonne Universite, Paris<\/h3>\n
The Sorbonne, with a history stretching back centuries, is one of the most respected universities in France and in Europe. It has campuses across Paris and one in Abu Dhabi, and with more than 1,500 international cooperation agreements and a role in European research projects it is heavily internationally engaged.<\/p>\n
Specialist libraries, museums and active student societies are among its other features.<\/p>\n
Website: https:\/\/www.sorbonne-universite.fr\/<\/span><\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n5. Universite Paris Cite, Paris<\/h3>\n
This university was created in 2019 from the merger of Paris Descartes and Paris Diderot. Paris Cite is known for medicine, social sciences, biology and cognitive science, and it works with 15 teaching hospitals.<\/p>\n
Admission is generally through the national baccalaureat route, and courses are taught in French and English.<\/p>\n
Website: https:\/\/u-paris.fr\/<\/span><\/p>\n
Read more: A guide to the University of Strasbourg<\/a><\/p>\n
6. ENS Lyon<\/h3>\n
ENS Lyon is one of France’s most selective grandes ecoles, focused on research and teaching in the natural sciences and the humanities. It admits around 200 students a year through highly competitive entrance examinations.<\/p>\n
Most courses are taught in French, though some master’s programmes are available in English. Its graduates are well known as researchers in France and internationally.<\/p>\n
Website: https:\/\/www.ens-lyon.fr\/<\/span><\/p>\n
7. IMT Atlantique, Nantes<\/h3>\n
IMT Atlantique is a leading French engineering school working in digital technology, electrical engineering and computer science, and it ranks well internationally in engineering subjects.<\/p>\n
It places particular weight on research into the circular economy, energy and digital health, and is expanding its student intake by around 25 per cent as part of its plan for engineering education. Admission is through its own entrance examinations or through international pathways.<\/p>\n
Website: https:\/\/www.imt-atlantique.fr\/en<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
8. AgroParisTech<\/h3>\n
AgroParisTech is a leading institution in agriculture, biotechnology and environmental science, and has been part of the Paris-Saclay network since 2007. It works with partners under more than 200 international agreements in 54 countries and runs English-taught programmes in biotechnology and biocosmetics.<\/p>\n
Website: https:\/\/www.agroparistech.fr\/en<\/span><\/p>\n
9. Universite de Montpellier<\/h3>\n
The University of Montpellier, whose history reaches back to the 13th century, is one of the oldest universities in France and is known for innovation, ecology and law.
\nIt belongs to the Coimbra Group and to the European CHARM-EU project, and most of its teaching is in French. Modern facilities and a focus on environmental research and law have made it one of the more significant institutions in the south of France.<\/p>\nWebsite: https:\/\/www.umontpellier.fr\/en\/<\/span><\/p>\n
10. Universite Grenoble Alpes<\/h3>\n
Grenoble Alpes, which has ranked around 334th in QS and in the 351-400 band in the Times Higher Education rankings, specialises in the natural sciences, engineering and environmental research, particularly climate. Admission runs through the national Parcoursup system, and most courses are taught in French, although some English-taught programmes exist. The university is known for applied research and its focus on environmental questions.<\/p>\n
Website: https:\/\/www.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr\/<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Studying in France with Aval Visa<\/h2>\n
France is a popular destination for international study, particularly at master’s and doctoral level, and public universities are plentiful. The application and visa process, though, calls for care and a working knowledge of French administrative procedure.<\/p>\n
If you are not sure where to start, Aval Visa<\/a> works across immigration, study and work visas and can handle each stage, from choosing a university and translating documents through to admission and the visa application.
\nIf you want a clear and lawful route to studying in France, get in touch with our advisers through the Aval Visa website<\/a>.<\/p>\nFrequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
- \n
- Can students work while studying?<\/strong>
\nYes. The French long-stay student visa (VLS-TS) allows student work of up to around 964 hours a year.<\/li>\n- Can a spouse and children come too?<\/strong>
\nYes, on an accompanying family visa (visa famille accompagnante), provided sufficient funds are demonstrated.<\/li>\n- What is the main difference between public and private universities?<\/strong>
\nPublic institutions charge lower fees and are more competitive to enter; private ones charge more and admit more easily.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ten of the best public universities in France, with their websites, strengths and admission routes, to help you plan a French student visa application.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":22434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Can a spouse and children come too?<\/strong>
- Grandes Ecoles:<\/strong> although these are not all directly under the Ministry of Higher Education, many rank at the top academically and specialise in fields such as management, engineering and political science.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Engineering and technology schools (Ecoles d’ingenieurs):<\/strong> also under the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, offering specialist training in engineering and technology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n