Understanding the French Education System (2024)

Formal schooling in France starts as early as age three, when many children attend kindergarten (maternelle). Day care (pré-maternelle) is available from age two.

Whilepré-maternelleandmaternelleare not mandatory, all children must be enrolled in school by age six.

Primary school consists of five years of study, from approximately age sixto age eleven(similar to a USelementary school).

After primary school, students move to the secondary level, which is divided into two stages.

The first stage, thecollège, is composed of four years of study, for students ages eleven through fifteen (similar to a USmiddle school). Students receive abrevet des collègesupon its completion.

After thecollègestudents attend thelycée(high school) for the final three years of secondary education.Students thentake an examination to receive thebaccalauréat(bac) qualification. Thebaccalauréatis equivalent to theUShigh school diploma, but differs in that it requires preparatory study.

After thelycée, students choose to pursue either a vocational diploma or an academic diploma.

Vocationaldiplomas:

The DUT (diplôme universitaire de technologie) and BTS (brevet de technicien supérieur) are two-year technology-oriented degrees.BTS courses are offered by high schools, whereas DUT are awarded by universities.A DUT or BTS may be followed by one additional qualifying year of study, leading to alicence professionnelle.

Academicdiplomas:

There are three types of higher education institutions in France: universities, Grandes écoles, and specialized schools.

Universitiesare public institutions that offer academic, technical, and professional degrees to any student who has obtained abaccalauréator itsforeign equivalent.University study leads todegrees in many fields.Degrees are awarded at three different levels of achievement, calledcycles, within a framework referred to aslicence,master,doctorat(LMD), which is described in the following section.

The Grandes écolesareselective public and private institutions. They are similar to universities, but typicallyoffer a more specialized three-year course of study, in subjectssuch as business, public administration, or engineering.Students are admitted to the Grandes écolesbased on their scores on a competitive exam.Before taking this exam, students must have obtained abaccalauréat,and theyoften have taken a two-year preparatory course (cours préparatoiresorprépas).Students graduate from a Grande écolewith amaster's degree (master).

Specialized schoolsarepublic or private institutions that train students for professional careers in specific fields, such as art, architecture, social work,or tourism.They offerlicenceandmasterdegrees.

Thelicence, a three-year course of study, is an undergraduate degree equivalent to a bachelor's degree in the English-speaking world.

After thelicence, students can complete amaster, a two-year course of study equivalent to a master's degree. Themastercan be a professional degree (master professionnel), e.g. law, business, or engineering, or it can be a research degree (master recherche), leading towards doctoral work.

Students holding amaster recherchemay complete an additional three years' coursework to qualify for adoctorat(doctoral-degreeequivalent).Thedoctoratis obligatory for medical doctors, who receive a state diploma in medicine (diplôme d'Etat de docteur en médecine).

Source:CampusFrance

The LMD framework is the result of the Bologna Process to harmonize university qualifications in Europe.

While the previous system no longer exists, you may hear people refer to their degreesusing the old terminology. Prior to the reform, the first two years of what is now thelicencewere referred to asthe DEUG (diplôme d’études universitaires générales).The third year of today’slicencewas referred to as thelicence, and the fourth year as themaîtrise. Today’smaster recherchewas a year-long degree called a DEA (diplôme d’études approfondies) and themaster professionnela DESS (diplôme d’études spécialisées).

You may also hear students refer to their academic credentials in terms of how many years of study they have completed since thebaccalauréat.For example, a master’s degree is a“bac plus cinq”(Bac+5).

There is no standard orofficialequivalency between French and American degrees. The following infomation is provided as a guideline:

An Americanhigh school diploma sometimesqualifies the student to enter an institution of higher education in France. The institution will rate its equivalency on a case-by-case basis.

An American associate degreeoften qualifies the student to enter duringthe first or second year at a French institution.The institution will rate its equivalency on a case-by-case basis.

An Americanbachelor's degree maybe rated as equivalent to a licence. Certain institutions consider it equivalent to two or three years' study towards a DUT, BTS, orlicence. This may, in turn, qualify the student for application to a master's degree program in a French institution.The institution will rate its equivalency on a case-by-case basis.

An Americanmaster’s degree qualifies the student to begin a second master's degree program in Europe ora doctoral degree program.The institution will rate its equivalency on a case-by-case basis.

An American doctoral degree (PhD) is considered equivalent to a French doctorat. The degree qualifies the researcher to begin a post-doctoral program or to teach in French instituions of higher education.

TheMinistry of Educationand theMinistry of Higher Education and Researchare responsible for determining the equivalency status of foreign applicants to public institutions. To receive an attestation de niveau d'études, you may contactENIC-NARICif you live outside France, or you may contact your localrectoratif you live in France. Identify your rectorat, then consult its website to find theDARIC(Délégation académique aux Relations internationales et à la Coopération.

American degree equivalences may also be determined by the Franco-American Fulbright Commission, for a small fee (+331 44 14 53 60, couziel@fulbright-france.org). To obtain the document, you must submit a copy of your diploma, along with your transcripts and a full description of all yourcourses and the grades you received. All of these documents must be translated into French by a certified translator. When you apply to a French institution, you must include thisattestationas part of your dossier.