I am considering starting university in France. What is a good university there? How should I start applying?
I am graduating from grade 12 this year from a Canadian high school. I speak French fluently and would like to get an undergraduate degree in science. Which universities in France are really good? How does the application process for international students work?
Thank you so much!
Best reply by Phillp F:
Yeah, sure… You should open up the school on Uranus
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I am considering starting university in France. What is a good university there? How should I start applying?
Science? Orsay (Paris 11) has a very good reputation. Ask them what the application process is:
http://www.u-psud.fr/en/index.html
Well, Science is a very broad term and depending on which field of Science you’re interested in pursuing, there are several options that you can look into. These are some of the top ranking universities, and you’ll notice many of them are Paris-based.
1) Universite Pierre et Marie Curie (Universite Paris 6)
Main campus : Paris
Weblink : http://english.upmc.fr/UK/info/Science_Education/010202#
2) Universite Paris-Sud 11
Main campus : Orsay
Weblink : http://www.u-psud.fr/en/index.html
3) Universite Louis Pasteur Strasbourg
Main campus : Strasbourg
Weblink : http://www-ulp.u-strasbg.fr/
4) Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS-Paris) ***
Main campus : Paris
Weblink : http://www.ens.fr/
5) Universite Paris Diderot (Universite Paris 7)
Main campus : Paris
Weblink : http://www.univ-paris-diderot.fr/
6) Ecole Polytechnique ***
Main campus : Palaiseau
Weblink : http://www.polytechnique.edu/
To say the French tertiary education system is complicated is understating it. Application for international student should be addressed individually to the universities, and the competition is felt right from the start as pretty much any student who passes his/her baccalaureat can be admitted. The drop out rate for certain courses (e.g. medicine, science) is very high after the first year, and there are problems of overcrowding in the initial years. You must be motivated to stay in the game.
While the universities have no selection for entrance, the two grands ecoles (marked ***) listed above have requirements to follow “classe preparatoire” (that takes 2-3 years, no kidding) and the process is very stringent, gruelling and selective. To be accepted to them is a huuuuuge thing in France, and once you graduate the path to employment is wide open, with its graduates having little (if any) problem to finding a job.