University in France
Gif-sur-Yvette, Île-de-France, France
University profile
Université Paris-Saclay is a research-intensive public university south of Paris, created from the shared ambition of French universities, grandes écoles and national research organisations. It covers science and engineering, life sciences and health, and humanities and social sciences, and offers degrees from undergraduate to doctorate level, including programmes delivered with its grandes écoles and a range of lifelong learning courses. It ranked in the top 20 of the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2024 and is cited by the university as France's top-ranked institution in that table.
The university brings together five faculties (Law-Economics-Management, Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Sports Sciences), three technical university institutes (IUT Cachan, IUT Orsay and IUT Sceaux), one university engineering school (Polytech Paris-Saclay), four grandes écoles (CentraleSupélec, AgroParisTech, École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay and Institut d'Optique Graduate School), two associate member institutions (Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and Université Evry Paris-Saclay) and seven research organisations (CEA, CNRS, IHES, INRAE, INRIA, INSERM and ONERA).
Master's, doctoral and research activity is organised through 18 Graduate Schools and 21 Doctoral Schools. The schools span subjects from Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science to Life Sciences and Health, Public Health, Law, Economics and Management, Humanities and Heritage Science, Sociology and Political Science, Education, and Sport, Movement and Human Factors. The university holds the University Innovation Cluster (Pôle universitaire d'innovation) label, awarded in July 2023, and coordinates the European university alliance EUGLOH.
The university has about 50,000 students, 8,100 researchers and academic staff and 8,500 administrative and technical staff. Student life includes over 40 libraries and documentation centres, the Lumen learning centre, more than 80 sports activities run by the SUAPS sports service, cultural activities in theatre, dance, music, writing and photography, catering services, a university health centre and preventive medical consultations. Campuses are served by CROUS student residences and restaurants.
Some 21% of students are international. The university has more than 800 international partnerships, an International Welcome Desk that supports arriving students, doctoral candidates and researchers, a Buddy mentoring programme for new international students, and French-language resources. It is a member of CESAER, EUA, EUF, LERU and the U7+ alliance. Camille Galap was elected president on 11 June 2024.
National diploma fees are set by ministerial decree. For 2025-2026 they are EUR 178 for a bachelor-level programme, EUR 254 for Master's level and EUR 397 for doctoral level. Enrolling in more than one programme at the same institution brings a reduced rate for the additional courses. Non-EU students subject to differentiated fees are eligible for a partial exemption that brings their registration fees in line with the fees for domestic students, under Board of Governors resolution CA-2026-013 of 3 February 2026. Specific master's programmes have their own fees (resolution CA-2026-014). Fees can be paid in three instalments at no extra cost, online by credit card, and full or partial exemption is available either automatically (for example for holders of a need-based grant) or on individual criteria. Refunds are possible after cancelled enrolment or a waiver granted after payment. The CVEC is a separate contribution paid through the national student services portal. See tuition fees.
The university and its constituent institutions offer full or partial scholarships for French and international students, for specific fields or across all disciplines; the schemes cannot be combined. They include the International Master's Scholarships for outstanding international students, particularly those wishing to pursue a PhD; the France Excellence Eiffel scholarship (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, applications supported and submitted to Campus France by the university) for Master's and PhD level; the LPDP-Paris-Saclay scholarship for Indonesian students in STEM Master's or PhD programmes; the Jacques Hadamard Mathematics Foundation scholarships (Women in Mathematics junior scholarship, Sophie Germain scholarship and FMJHCare incoming mobility scholarship); Erasmus Mundus Master's scholarships (SERP, QUARMEN, LASCALA and BIOCEB); the AgroParisTech Foundation International Outreach scholarship; the Saclay Plant Sciences master's scholarship; the Space Academy Ile-de-France mobility scholarship; and the Lafayette fellowship for graduates of American universities. Amounts and deadlines are given on each scheme's page. See international Master's scholarships.
The Klaro platform references more than 2,000 financial, housing, food and transport aids from the university and from local and national schemes. Free food distributions and material aid are offered on campuses, and social workers from the CROUS of Versailles and of Créteil, as well as the university's student life department, assist students. The EUGLOH alliance offers Erasmus+ study mobility, internships and summer schools. CROUS housing for 2026-2027 required a Student Social File (DSE) completed before 31 May 2026. See scholarships and financial support.
Paris-Saclay International Master's Scholarship →
Browse the scholarships listed for Paris-Saclay University and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Paris-Saclay University →Applicants holding or about to hold a French or European baccalaureate, whatever their nationality, apply for the first year of a Licence through Parcoursup, which is compulsory. Students from the EU, the EEA, Switzerland, Monaco or Andorra follow the same Parcoursup procedure as French students. Selective first-year tracks (IUT, BUT, DEUST and double-degree Licences) also use Parcoursup for baccalaureate holders and for EU/EEA applicants.
Applicants without a French or European baccalaureate who are not EU/EEA nationals and who live in a country covered by the Études en France programme apply through the Études en France platform managed with Campus France, which handles enrolment through to the visa application. Applicants living in a country not covered by the programme submit a Demande d'Admission Préalable (DAP): the white file (dossier blanc) for applicants living abroad, lodged with the French Embassy's Cooperation and Cultural Action Department, and the green file (dossier vert) for applicants resident in France, lodged with the registrar's office of the faculty or IUT concerned. The DAP is submitted between November and January before the academic year concerned. Applicants in a country outside Études en France who apply to selective tracks use Parcoursup.
A minimum level of French is required for programmes taught in French. Institutions may ask for a French summer programme or one of the following tests: the Test pour les Études en France (TEF), which is compulsory for international students applying for the first time to a first-year undergraduate programme in a French university, the DELF or the DALF. Requirements vary from one member institution to another, so applicants should check with the faculty or school concerned. Students in English-taught programmes will mostly work in English, and basic French is recommended.
Master's programmes are selective because places are limited. For the first year (M1), applications go through the INCEPTION platform or through monmaster.gouv.fr, depending on the programme. For the second year (M2), applications are made on INCEPTION, and candidates already enrolled in an M1 at the university add the M2 choice sheet. Opening and closing dates depend on the course and appear in the 'Application Procedures' section of each course page; no application is possible outside those dates. For M1, the university advises making at least five applications, applying to at least two different Master's tracks and to at least two institutions. Foreign applicants not enrolled in a French higher education institution in the previous two academic years must give the contact details of two academic referees. Applicants living in an Études en France country apply first on the university's platform and, once admitted, complete their file on the Études en France portal under 'I am accepted'. Refugees, stateless persons, asylum seekers and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, and students in exile, have dedicated procedures.
The doctorate has a reference duration of three years full-time, or three to six years part-time. Admission involves an application file, a procedure and examination of the application. In initial training (continuing from a Master's or equivalent degree) the PhD is full-time and requires funding dedicated to the thesis, with a reference amount corresponding to the public-law doctoral contract remuneration. Lifelong training applies to those whose last diploma was obtained more than two years before first enrolment or who prepare the thesis alongside another main activity, and it can be part-time. Doctoral candidates work in a research unit attached to one of the doctoral schools and must submit a thesis monitoring committee report at each re-registration. A PhD can also be obtained through validation of acquired experience (VAE).
Before enrolling, every student in a full-time programme must obtain a CVEC (Contribution de vie étudiante et de campus) certificate on MesServices.Etudiant.gouv.fr, by payment or by proving exemption. Enrolment then continues with administrative registration and payment of fees, submission of supporting documents and academic registration.
The university spans a wide area south of Paris, and its campuses are linked to the RER B, RER C and RER D lines and local bus services. Main sites:
Facilities include four libraries (Châtenay-Malabry, Kremlin-Bicêtre, Orsay and Sceaux) plus the Jacques Hadamard mathematics library, a network of more than 30 library and documentation sites, a swimming pool, two dance studios, tennis courts, a 300 m2 dojo and three gyms. The President's Office is at 9 rue Joliot Curie, Bâtiment Bouygues, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette.
Study programmes offered at Paris-Saclay University.
Experiences shared by students of Paris-Saclay University.
Studied here? Share your experience to help other applicants.
Book a free consultation with our expert counsellors and take the first step towards your dream university.
Copyrights © 2026 StudyMapped. All rights reserved.
Enter your credentials to continue.
Join us and start your study abroad journey.
