Enrolling independently in a French public university is a great way to get a good, inexpensive education and to save money studying abroad. To enroll as a foreign student, you’ll need to follow the procedures and timeline for applying and enrolling from abroad in order to get your paperwork and student visa before the fall semester begins. Because French high school students don’t apply to school until they’ve passed the bac in June, applications for French universities generally become available in mid-April, and admissions run until mid-October, a few weeks into the fall term. Schools are closed from July 14 to September 1, so you’ll want to apply in the spring, in order to receive your paperwork for applying for a your student visa during the summer.
While admission to undergraduate programs in France is automatic upon receipt of a high school diploma, master’s programs in France admit students based on applications, and can be more competitive. To choose a master’s program, you’ll first have to decide what you’d like to study, find a professor who specializes in your topic, and have that professor agree to direct your thesis project. You’ll probably have to do some research. Here’s a guide to figuring out what you want to study and how to get accepted into a French master’s program:
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Creating a Project Proposal for a French Master’s Program
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Choosing a Professor to Work With
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Writing a Cover Letter for Your Master’s Project
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Sample Project Proposal
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Sample Project Cover Letter
The CIEP, or Centre International d’Etudes Pédagogiques, is the national institute in France that administers French language tests according to the European Union language standards. The tests are administered all over the world, and are graded according to a seven hundred-point scale, similar to the SATs. You’ll need to take one of these tests if you plan on enrolling directly in a French university.
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