France

• Public university tuition is €178 a year for a licence in 2026/27
• Parcoursup is a genuine central system: one account, one timetable, up to 10 wishes that you do not have to rank
• Sciences Po runs a dedicated route for foreign secondary diplomas with clear, dated rounds, and its fees are income-based down to €0 for EEA families
• Serious English-taught bachelors exist at the grandes écoles: Sciences Po's English-track programmes, the École Polytechnique Bachelor of Science, ESCP's BSc in Management
• France is a short train or flight from Denmark, so visiting before you commit is realistic

• The English-taught options are overwhelmingly the expensive ones — the €178 public university largely teaches in French
• Parcoursup runs on French-school logic and closes wishes in March, long before your IB results, so everything rides on predicted grades and your dossier
• Grandes écoles fees are steep and mostly not income-adjusted: ESCP's BSc is €20,800 a year for European students in the 2027 intake, École Polytechnique's Bachelor €15,900, ESSEC's Global BBA €15,400 a year plus €2,000 registration, and EDHEC's Global Business track €23,900
• French universities can require proof of French (DELF/DALF or TCF) for French-taught degrees; requirements vary by institution, so check with the university
• The Parcoursup 2027 calendar did not exist yet on 24 September 2026 - the official calendar page still showed the 2026 cycle, and the ministry publishes the next one in November or December, so treat the winter dates below as the shape of the year rather than as confirmed

Accepted

Yes

Subjects and levels

Not defined nationally. Selective programmes read HL subjects as the equivalent of French specialities — Sciences Po states there are no specific subject requirements, while the École Polytechnique Bachelor expects a strong mathematics and science background.

Score conversion

No national IB-to-French conversion is published. On Parcoursup and at the grandes écoles your IB record is assessed qualitatively as part of the dossier, alongside school reports and, at Sciences Po, written essays and an interview.

• Sciences Po's international pathway is defined by the diploma you are sitting, not by your nationality: anyone taking a non-French secondary diploma, including the IB, uses it. Students sitting the French baccalauréat use Parcoursup instead.
• Sciences Po scores the application out of 100: 50 points for the file (exam results, school record, essays and project statement) and 50 points for a remote interview covering a self-introduction, an image analysis and your motivations.
• Sciences Po warns that AI-generated or plagiarised essays lead to disciplinary action, and that missing the interview means rejection.
• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens apply for a first-year licence through Parcoursup, like French students; the DAP 'dossier vert' is for other nationalities (Ministry of Higher Education, 2026-2027 page).
• No national minimum IB score exists; each programme sets its own bar.

1. Decide which France you are applying to: public university via Parcoursup, or a grande école / private institution on its own timetable.

2. For a public university, create your Parcoursup account when the platform opens in January and enter your wishes before the March deadline — pre-registration on Parcoursup is compulsory for European students entering the first year of a licence.

3. Confirm each wish and complete your dossier by the early-April deadline, uploading transcripts, predicted IB grades and a motivation section for each wish.

4. For Sciences Po, École Polytechnique, ESSEC, ESCP, EDHEC or AUP, apply directly on the school's own platform in its own round — Sciences Po's 2027 rounds close on 4 November 2026, 13 January 2027 and 28 February 2027 (apply before 1 March).

5. Sit any interview the school requires; Sciences Po's is remote and worth half your score.

6. Accept an offer, pay the €105 CVEC online, then complete administrative enrolment with the institution and pay the tuition.

7. Apply for CAF housing assistance and set up French health cover once you arrive.

Public university licences split into non-selective (you are ranked but capacity-constrained) and selective (IUT, BTS, CPGE, art and design), all inside Parcoursup. The grandes écoles sit outside Parcoursup for foreign-diploma holders and select on dossier plus interview, sometimes plus a written test.

• 20 October 2026, 23:59 CEST

  École polytechnique Bachelor - round 1 closes

  Priority Via French grande école or private institution

  Details

  Later applications are considered after these.

  Published as "September 17, 2026 to October 20, 2026 at 11:59 PM (CEST)", with interviews in early December and results in January 2027. Rounds 2 and 3 follow, so missing this is not fatal. You may apply once a year, either here or through Parcoursup, not both. Application fee €105.

  Source

• 3 November 2026

  EDHEC International BBA - first of five sessions closes

  Priority Via French grande école or private institution

  Details

  Later applications are considered after these.

  Four later sessions run to March; rounds 1 and 2 carry eligibility for Excellence scholarships.

  EDHEC's international admissions page gives the first session as "from 1st October to 3rd November 2026", with an online English assessment and an online interview. Four later sessions run to March; applying in round 1 or 2 is what makes you eligible for its Excellence scholarships. Application fee €100.

  Source

• 4 November 2026, 23:59 Paris time

  Sciences Po — first round for foreign secondary diplomas (2027 intake)

  Hard deadline Via French grande école or private institution

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Results mid-January 2027. Interviews 8-18 December 2026.

  Sciences Po publishes all three round deadlines as "Paris time (11.59pm)". Apply by this date and you get your result in mid-January 2027 — the school publishes only the month, not a result day. The interview window for this round is a separate entry.

  Source

• 8 December to 18 December 2026
  2027 entry

  Sciences Po — interviews, first round (2027 intake)

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Published as "from 8 December 2026 until 18 December 2026". The remote interview is worth 50 of the 100 points, and Sciences Po states that missing it means rejection — so this window is a hard commitment, not a courtesy invitation. You are interviewed in this window if you applied in the 4 November 2026 round.

  Source

• 6 January 2027, 23:59 CET

  École polytechnique Bachelor - round 2 closes

  Priority Via French grande école or private institution

  Details

  Later applications are considered after these.

  Published as "October 21, 2026 to January 6, 2027 at 11:59 PM (CET)"; interviews in February-March, results in March 2027.

  Source

• 13 January 2027, 23:59 Paris time

  Sciences Po — second round, and Émile Boutmy scholarship deadline (2027 intake)

  Hard deadline Via French grande école or private institution

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Published as "Paris time (11.59pm)". Results at the beginning of April 2027 — the school publishes only the month. This is also the deadline to apply for the Émile Boutmy scholarship. The interview window for this round is a separate entry.

  Source

• 8 February 2027, 14:00 CET

  École polytechnique Bachelor - final round closes

  Hard deadline Via French grande école or private institution

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Closes at 2 pm, not midnight.

  Published as "January 7, 2027 to February 8, 2027 at 2 PM (CET)" - 2 pm, not midnight. Interviews in March-April, results in April 2027.

  Source

• 28 February 2027, 23:59 Paris time

  Sciences Po - final round closes (apply before 1 March)

  Hard deadline Via French grande école or private institution

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  The dual-degree pages say apply "before 1 March 2027", so aim for 28 February, 23:59 Paris time. Results in early May 2027 — the school publishes only the month. Dual degrees with Freie Universität Berlin, Hong Kong University, Keio, ESCP and Luiss also close on this date. The interview window for this round is a separate entry.

  Source

• 8 March to 19 March 2027
  2027 entry

  Sciences Po — interviews, second round (2027 intake)

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Published as "from 8 March 2027 until 19 March 2027". You are interviewed in this window if you applied in the 13 January 2027 round. Missing the interview means rejection.

  Source

• 13 April to 23 April 2027
  2027 entry

  Sciences Po — interviews, final round (2027 intake)

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Published as "from 13 April 2027 until 23 April 2027". You are interviewed in this window if you applied in the final round. Missing the interview means rejection.

  Source

• 6 July 2027

  IB results released

  Via French grande école or private institution

  Details

  Every round above closes before this. Offers are made on predicted grades.

• 6 July 2027

  IB results released

  Applies to: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

  Via Parcoursup

• Set by each institution

  ESCP, ESSEC, EDHEC, emlyon and AUP - each on its own calendar

  Via French grande école or private institution

  Details

  Each school runs its own rounds and dates. Check each school’s admissions page.

• Not yet announced for this intake

  Parcoursup registration and wishes open

  Applies to: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

  Via Parcoursup

  Details

  In 2026 this was 19 January. The 2027 calendar is usually published in late autumn.

  Not announced yet for 2027; in 2026 it was 19 January. The official Parcoursup calendar page (in French) published the 2026 cycle as "Du lundi 19 janvier au jeudi 12 mars 2026 : je m'inscris et je formule mes vœux". As of 29 September 2026 the page still shows only the 2026 calendar, so the 2027 opening date is not announced; the ministry normally publishes the next calendar in November or December. Context, not a milestone: the 2026 programme catalogue opened for browsing on 17 December 2025 ("Mercredi 17 décembre 2025 : je découvre la carte des formations Parcoursup 2026"), which is a browsing date rather than something you must do.

  Source

• Not yet announced for this intake

  Last day to enter your wishes

  Applies to: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

  Hard deadline Via Parcoursup

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  In 2026 this was 12 March.

• Not yet announced for this intake

  Last day to complete your file and confirm your wishes

  Applies to: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

  Hard deadline Via Parcoursup

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  In 2026 this was 1 April. An unconfirmed wish is lost.

• Not yet announced for this intake

  Admission phase: answer each offer within its deadline

  Applies to: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

  Hard deadline Via Parcoursup

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  In 2026 it ran from 2 June to 11 July. Offers arrive before IB results, on your file and predicted grades.

• Not yet announced for this intake
  2027 entry — the 2027 calendar is not yet published

  Parcoursup — deadline to enter your wishes

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  On 24 September 2026 the official Parcoursup calendar page still showed only the 2026 calendar, whose wording was "Jeudi 12 mars 2026 : dernier jour pour formuler mes vœux". No 2027 date exists yet; the ministry normally publishes the following year's calendar in November or December, so expect the 2027 date around mid-March 2027 and re-check the same page from December 2026. Aggregator sites already print 13 March 2027, but they label it prévisionnel (provisional) and no official page gives it yet, so do not plan around it.

  Source

• Not yet announced for this intake
  2027 entry — the 2027 calendar is not yet published

  Parcoursup — deadline to confirm your wishes

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  On 24 September 2026 the official Parcoursup calendar page still showed only the 2026 calendar, whose wording was "Mercredi 1er avril 2026 : dernier jour pour compléter mon dossier et confirmer mes vœux". A wish you do not confirm is lost, so this is the second hard gate and it falls about three weeks after the first. No 2027 date is published yet.

  Source

• Not yet announced for this intake
  2027 entry — the 2027 calendar is not yet published

  Parcoursup — admission phase: answering the offers you receive

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Once the admission phase opens you must answer each offer within a short published window or lose it, so this is a period you have to be reachable in, not a single date. The 2026 calendar ran it as "Mardi 2 juin 2026 : début de la phase d'admission" through "Samedi 11 juillet 2026 : fin de la phase principale", with the complementary phase from 11 June 2026 to 10 September 2026 and response deadlines suspended during the baccalauréat written exams. The 2027 equivalents were not yet published on 24 September 2026.

  Source

• No central deadline
  2027/28

  CVEC payment before administrative enrolment

  Details

  There is no fixed national date: the CVEC portal says (in French) to pay "au plus près de votre inscription effective" and that payment must be made "préalablement à son inscription", because the attestation is what lets you enrol. In practice that means from early July once you have definitively accepted a place. Context, not a milestone: the same page gives 31 May 2027 as the close of the 2026-2027 refund campaign, which only concerns students who paid and were in fact exempt.

  Source

English-taught bachelors

Concentrated almost entirely in the grandes écoles and private institutions — Sciences Po's English-track programmes, the École Polytechnique Bachelor of Science, ESCP's BSc in Management, the BBAs at ESSEC, EDHEC and emlyon, and the American University of Paris. No official national count is published.

Proving your English

Set institution by institution. ESCP asks for IELTS 6.5 or equivalent for its BSc in Management. Sciences Po expects high English proficiency and sets language requirements per programme. Whether IB English A or B is accepted in place of a test is not confirmed here; check with each institution.

Local language needed?

Not for English-taught programmes

• French is not required for the English-taught grande école programmes, but Sciences Po's bachelor is multilingual and some ESCP courses at the Paris campus are taught in French in years 2 and 3.
• For a French-taught public university degree you will normally need to prove French, typically through DELF/DALF or TCF. The exact level varies by institution; check with the university.
• Everyday life, part-time work and administration all run in French regardless of your degree.

Tuition, EU/EEA

Public universities: €178 a year for a licence (reduced rate €118), €255 for a master's, €398 for a doctorate, and €2,620 for an engineering diploma. On top of that every student pays the CVEC of €105. Grandes écoles are separate: Sciences Po undergraduate is €0–€14,900 depending on household income for EEA fiscal residents; École Polytechnique's Bachelor of Science is €15,900; ESCP's BSc in Management is €20,800 for the 2027 intake. (2026/27 (ESCP figure is the 2027 intake))

Tuition, non-EU

Public universities charge differentiated fees to non-EU/EEA students: €2,902 a year for a licence and €3,950 for a master's in 2026/27, set by decree no. 2026-385 of 19 May 2026; universities may exempt up to 30% of them. Grandes écoles: Sciences Po charges a flat €14,900 to students with fiscal residence outside the EEA; École Polytechnique's Bachelor is €19,200; ESCP's BSc is €26,800 for the 2027 intake. (2026/27 (ESCP figure is the 2027 intake))

Application fee

Sciences Po charges €150, non-refundable and waived only for refugees. École Polytechnique's Bachelor charges €105, EDHEC's BBA €100 and ESCP's BSc €80. Parcoursup itself is free.

Living costs

About €600-800 a month for housing, food and transport, according to Campus France; Paris costs noticeably more. (Campus France guidance, undated)

• The CVEC (Contribution de vie étudiante et de campus) is €105 for 2026/27, is paid online at cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr, and you cannot complete enrolment without the attestation. Scholarship holders and refugees are exempt but still need an exemption attestation.
• Sciences Po's fee depends on the tax household's resources, not on nationality: an EEA family below roughly €42,000 combined income pays nothing, and the ceiling applies only at very high incomes. Figures beyond the €0–€14,900 range are not confirmed here.
• Some non-EU students pay the EU rate anyway — residents of Quebec, holders of long-term residence cards and doctoral candidates among them.
• If you transfer your enrolment between two institutions, €23 is retained by the first one.
• The living-cost figure is Campus France's general guide, not an official survey; rents vary more than anything else, and Paris is the outlier.

Funding you could actually get

• Danish SU can follow you here if you can claim it (Danish citizens, or EU/EEA citizens with equal status under EU rules) and meet the ties-to-Denmark requirement. The programme must be SU-approved, and outside the Nordics SU is capped at four years (48 klip). If you cannot claim SU, look first at your own country's student finance: several EU/EEA systems fund a full degree in another country.
• CAF housing benefit (APL/ALS) is open to students in France including EU citizens, and meaningfully reduces rent; apply after you have a lease.
• Sciences Po's Émile Boutmy scholarship for undergraduate applicants, with a 13 January 2027 deadline for the 2027 intake.
• CROUS bourses sur critères sociaux, which also exempt you from the CVEC and from tuition; eligibility for EU nationals depends on residence conditions not confirmed here; check with CROUS.
• Grandes écoles and business schools run their own merit scholarships, usually assessed at application.
• Erasmus+ for an exchange period inside the degree.

Residency

As an EU/EEA citizen you need no visa and no residence permit. Travel on your passport or national ID card. There is no compulsory EU registration in France, but you will need a French bank account (for CAF and rent), a French phone number and a social-security number, so start those in your first weeks. Non-EU students apply for a VLS-TS student visa through the Études en France procedure before departure.

Working

EU/EEA citizens have full labour-market access in France with no permit and no hour cap. Non-EU students on a student residence permit may work up to 964 hours a year (60% of the legal annual working time) without a separate work authorisation (service-public.gouv.fr).

Housing

CROUS student residences are cheap but scarce and allocated mainly on social criteria. Most students rent studios or shared flats privately, and French landlords normally demand a French guarantor — the state Visale scheme exists to replace one, and is worth arranging early. Paris is very expensive and very competitive; Lille, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Lyon and Nice are far easier. Start in May or June for a September start.

Healthcare

Bring a European Health Insurance Card. Students staying for a full degree register with the French health system through etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr to obtain a social-security number and a carte Vitale, then usually add a mutuelle (top-up insurance) because the state reimburses only part of most costs.

Your IB is still a foreign qualification here, so the IB entry rules still apply to you.