University in France
Nantes, Pays de la Loire, France
University profile
Nantes Université is a public higher-education and research institution in Nantes, in the Pays de la Loire region of western France. It was created on 1 January 2022 as an établissement public expérimental, replacing the former Université de Nantes, and describes its model as a university of world standing that brings together a university structured in four poles and several partner institutions. Its figures for 2024-2025 are about 42,000 students, of whom more than 5,500 are international, and 5,680 staff.
Teaching and research are organised in four pôles: Humanités, Santé, Sciences et Technologie, and Sociétés. The composantes include the UFR Droit et sciences politiques, IAE Nantes (Économie et management), the Institut de Préparation à l'Administration Générale (IPAG), Sociologie, the UFR Médecine et techniques médicales, Odontologie, Sciences pharmaceutiques et biologiques, STAPS, the Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement Régional (IGARUN), the Faculté des Langues et Cultures Étrangères (FLCE), Lettres et langages, Histoire, Histoire de l'art et Archéologie, Psychologie, UFR Sciences et techniques, Polytech Nantes, three IUTs (Nantes, Saint-Nazaire, La Roche-sur-Yon), the Inspé and the Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Nantes Atlantique (OSUNA).
Six member institutions share the project: Centrale Nantes, the école Beaux-Arts Nantes Saint-Nazaire and the école nationale supérieure d'architecture de Nantes as établissements-composantes, the CHU de Nantes and the IRT Jules Verne as associates, and Inserm through a cooperation agreement. The university has 12 campuses in three cities: Nantes (including Carquefou), Saint-Nazaire and La Roche-sur-Yon. It belongs to the European university alliance EUniWell, and its Initiative d'Excellence NExT (Nantes Excellence Trajectory), labelled in 2022, focuses on the health of the future and the industry of the future.
Student life is organised around the university libraries on the seven library campuses, the Pôle Étudiant and the TU-Nantes university theatre at the Tertre campus, the Maison des Services (careers service SUIO, student health service, disability liaison and social workers) and the SUAPS sports service. CROUS provides more than 3,500 rooms in halls and residences, allocated primarily on social criteria, as well as university restaurants. The Maison des échanges internationaux et de la Francophonie (MEIF) hosts the Guichet Unique, a single desk that handles residence permits, housing and administrative formalities for international students.
International students number more than 5,000 a year, from about 140 nationalities, and the university has held the Bienvenue en France label at the highest three-star level since 2019, renewed in July 2025. Nantes Université has 42 research units, 1,225 doctoral students and about 350 partner universities, and French-language courses are offered through the Institut de Français Langue Étrangère.
For 2026-2027 the national registration fee for a Licence is 178 euros. The CVEC (contribution vie étudiante et de campus) is 105 euros in 2026-2027 for non-scholarship students, paid to the CROUS before registration. Under decree no. 2026-385 of 19 May 2026, differentiated fees may apply to non-EU students admitted after its publication. Exempt categories include EU/EEA, Swiss, Monaco and Andorra nationals, refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, long-term residents, students fiscally domiciled in France since 1 January 2024, doctoral students, CPGE and CTI engineering students, French Government scholarship holders and students from partner universities with reciprocal exemption agreements. For 2026-2027 the university can exempt at most 30 percent of its non-European international students. See the fees FAQ.
The Eiffel Excellence programme of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs funds master and doctoral students; all applications must go through Nantes Université, which sends files to Campus France. Other programmes listed by the university include MOPGA 2027 for young researchers on climate and ecological transition (call open to 15 December 2026), France Excellence Graduate Scholars, France Excellence Europa, LPDP France for Indonesian master students, France Excellence Charpak for Indian students, Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie allowances, and Campus France scholarship listings. Credit-mobility partnerships exist with Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia. See international scholarships.
Nantes Université offers a Pass numérique of up to 300 euros towards a computer, a Pass énergie of up to 150 euros for energy bills, exemption from registration fees in some cases, social workers, free legal consultations, and a 1 euro meal for all students. CROUS social-criteria scholarships and housing require a Dossier Social Étudiant on the CROUS website, from 20 January to 15 May. See aid for students.
Eiffel Excellence Scholarship 2027, Master Track (applications via Nantes Université) →
Eiffel Excellence Scholarship 2027, PhD Track (applications via Nantes Université) →
Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility (AC171) Grants for Incoming Students →
Differentiated Tuition Fee Waiver (Exonération des frais d'inscription différenciés) →
Browse the scholarships listed for Nantes Université and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Nantes Université →First-year applications (L1 or BUT1) for French students, EU/EEA, Swiss, Monaco and Andorra nationals, and holders of a French baccalauréat or DAEU go through Parcoursup. Wishes are entered from 19 January to 12 March 2026 and confirmed by 1 April; admission answers start on 2 June and the admission phase ends on 10 July; the complementary phase runs from 11 June to 8 September. Selective courses include BUT, parcours Europe, the Franco-British-Irish law pathway, the international Economics-Management pathway and Cursus master ingénierie. Access conditions are on each programme page under 'Modalités d'accès'. Licence law (Nantes and La Roche-sur-Yon), psychology, STAPS and PASS are subject to geographic sectorisation.
Applications are for students never enrolled in French higher education (Licence-Master). Residents of the 75 countries that apply the Études en France procedure (including Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, the United States and the United Kingdom) apply only through the Études en France platform, with no postal documents: Licence 1 and BUT from 1 October to 15 December 2026; Licence 2, Licence 3, Master 1 and Master 2 from 1 October 2026 to January 2027, with closing dates varying by embassy or Campus France office.
Applicants resident in other countries, in the EEA or in France apply for Licence 1 with a Demande d'Admission Préalable (DAP) file, 1 October to 15 December 2026, as a single PDF emailed to [email protected]; Licence 1 Santé, Psychologie, LEA and STAPS are closed to these applicants. Licence 2, Licence 3 and Master 2 applications go through the SURF platform with all listed documents; incomplete files are not examined. Master 1 applications go through Mon Master. EU/EEA applicants with a foreign diploma apply to the relevant faculty for Licence 2, Licence 3 and Master 2.
Certain Masters belong to Graduate Programmes with their own platform, open 1 October 2026 to 15 March 2027. Applicants resident in Études en France countries apply for Master 1 there rather than on Mon Master; Master 2 applications for all go through this platform. Language prerequisites are set by each programme; applications can be corrected for 7 days after submission. Contact: [email protected].
Holders of non-EU health diplomas applying for Licence 2 Santé apply through the Service de Coopération et d'Action Culturelle of the country where the diploma was awarded. The file requires transcripts, certified and translated diplomas, sworn statements, a CV and cover letter in French, and DALF or DELF B2 with a minimum score of 65/100.
Applicants hold a national master's degree or equivalent, apply on a doctoral research project supervised by a researcher of a Nantes Université team, and must have a funded doctoral contract or demonstrate the means to carry out the thesis. Applications are examined by the doctoral school concerned; the regional schools include Biologie-Santé (ED 605), Sciences de l'Ingénierie et des Systèmes (ED 602) and Mathématiques et STIC (ED 641). Doctoral offers are listed on the national platform Amethis, and international cotutelle is possible.
Courses are run by the Institut de Français Langue Étrangère: the Diplôme Universitaire d'Études Françaises (six levels, 216 hours per semester), the DU Passerelle for refugees and asylum seekers, evening courses, a summer campus and DELF B2 preparation.
Nantes Université is present in three cities and 12 campuses.
University libraries serve the seven library campuses and lend laptops, offer printing, wifi workspaces and training workshops. The student health service offers medical consultations, psychologists, preventive check-ups and nursing care; the SUAPS runs sport in Nantes, La Roche-sur-Yon and Saint-Nazaire; the Centre de ressources en langues supports language learning.
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