University in France
Lorient, Bretagne, France
University profile
Université Bretagne Sud (UBS), the University of South Brittany, is a public multidisciplinary university created on 7 February 1995 and based on campuses in Lorient, Vannes and Pontivy in the Morbihan department of Brittany. It is the only public university in Morbihan and offers study from the Bachelor Universitaire de Technologie (B.U.T.) through the licence, master and engineering diploma to the doctorate. It brings together nearly 10,000 students and describes itself as an engaged and entrepreneurial university with a strong maritime dimension.
Teaching is organised in seven components: three faculties (the Faculté Droit & Science Politique in Vannes, the Faculté Lettres, Langues, Sciences Humaines & Sociales in Lorient, and the Faculté Sciences & Sciences de l'Ingénieur in Vannes and Lorient), two IUTs (IUT de Vannes and IUT de Lorient-Pontivy), the engineering school ENSIBS and the IAE Bretagne Sud management school in Vannes. IUT de Vannes trains for computing, statistics, commerce, management and accounting, while IUT de Lorient-Pontivy prepares for environment, thermal and chemical engineering and logistics. ENSIBS trains close to 1,000 engineering students in six specialities: cyberdefence and computer science and cybersecurity in Vannes; hydrogen energies, civil engineering 4.0, industrial engineering 4.0 and mechatronics in Lorient.
Research is organised around four ecosystems: Environment, Health and Disability; Sea and Coastlines; Cyber and Data Intelligence; and Industry of the Future. The university is a supervising institution of 14 laboratories, nearly two thirds of which work on marine topics, and runs three technology platforms (Compositic, Prodiabio and the Cyber Security Center).
Student life includes more than 40 student associations, sport services on the Lorient and Vannes sites, and nautical activities such as rowing, catamaran, surfing, windsurfing, stand-up paddle, kayak and diving. Two J-80 sailboats, UBS I and UBS II, serve for teaching and for the UBS Sailing Team, which enters university regattas up to the French championships. The Kerjulaude building in Lorient, a former primary-school gymnasium acquired in 2022, was converted into an art and sport space with a climbing wall, a weights room and areas for artistic practice. Welcome Deiz events greet new students each year.
For international students, the university has held the Bienvenue en France label since 2021. It runs welcome days in early September, French as a Foreign Language courses at the Centre de Langues on the Lorient and Vannes campuses, and a health and social welcome day for international students. It has been a member of the European university alliance EMERGE since 28 June 2024.
Registration fees are set nationally by the ministry. For 2026-2027: DAEU and first-cycle programmes (B.U.T., DEUST, licence, licence professionnelle) 178 euros; master 255 euros; doctorate and HDR 398 euros; engineering degree 630 euros (integrated preparatory cycle 178 euros), for EU/EEA, Swiss and Québec students, refugees, long-term residents and students fiscally resident in France for at least two years. Students of non-EU nationality not covered by those situations pay differentiated fees: 2,902 euros for first-cycle programmes and the integrated preparatory cycle, 3,950 euros for master and engineering degree, and 398 euros for doctorate. Students holding a French government scholarship (BCS or BGF) and wards of the Nation are exempt. Students already enrolled at UBS in 2025-2026 in the same programme continue to pay the French-student rate until the end of that programme.
The Contribution de Vie Étudiante et de Campus (CVEC) is a separate mandatory contribution collected by the CROUS, payable (or proof of exemption obtained) before registration at cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr. It applies to all initial-training students including international students.
The university's exemption commission examines requests for exemption of registration fees on social criteria assessed by the social workers, including household income and dependants, financial independence, family breakdown, orphan status and refugee or subsidiary-protection status. A request form is available on the university site.
The joint master CYBERUS in cybersecurity, coordinated by UBS with the University of Luxembourg and the Université Libre de Bruxelles, is taught in English over two years with specialisation tracks in IoT Cybersecurity (UBS and ULB) and software cybersecurity (UBS and University of Luxembourg). It offers Erasmus Mundus scholarships of 1,400 euros per month together with a waiver of registration and tuition fees to selected students.
Social-criteria bursaries are requested through the Dossier Social Étudiant between January and the end of May. The Pôle social et handicap offers annual or one-off financial aid, a solidarity grocery at Vannes and Lorient, and CROUS meals at 1 euro for students on bursaries or in precarious situations. French-language courses for registered international students are free of charge. See Aides & ressources.
CYBERUS Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Scholarship and Fee Waiver (Cybersecurity) →
UBS Tuition Fee Exemption (Exonération des droits d'inscription) →
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View scholarships for Université Bretagne Sud →School-leavers apply for the first year of a licence or B.U.T. through Parcoursup. For the 2026 intake, the course offer was displayed on 17 December 2025, wishes could be entered from 19 January to 12 March 2026 and confirmed by 1 April 2026, and the main admission phase ran from 2 June to 10 July 2026, with a complementary phase from 11 June to 10 September 2026. B.U.T.1 applications from candidates in countries outside the Campus France 'Études en France' scheme are made by a separate admission request.
Applicants residing in a country covered by the 'Études en France' procedure (the list includes Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya and many others) create an account on the Études en France platform and complete the online admission file, which is processed by the Campus France office of the country of residence and may include an interview. This applies to L2, L3, licence professionnelle, B.U.T.2/3, M1 and M2. Applicants living in a country outside the scheme use e-candidat (for French diplomas) or a downloadable admission file for L2, L3, LP and M2 (foreign diplomas, return date 1 March 2027), and Mon Master for M1. Candidates already living in France who are not enrolled in higher education complete the same admission file; those enrolled in a French institution use e-candidat.
Level C1 of the CEFR is required for programmes in Lettres, Langues, Sciences Humaines et Sociales and in Droit, Sciences Économiques & Gestion, and level B2 for the other programmes. Students whose French is insufficient can follow preparatory courses at the Centre de Langues. Some master's programmes, such as the CYBERUS Erasmus Mundus master in cybersecurity, are taught in English.
Master 1 applications are made nationally on Mon Master. For the 2026 intake the offer was visible from 2 February 2026, applications ran from 17 February to 16 March 2026, and answers outside alternance came from 3 June 2026. Applications to other years of study (L2, L3, B.U.T.2/3, LP, M2) are made on the UBS e-candidat platform: create an account, enter your details and course history, select programmes and upload supporting documents.
Exchange students apply for autumn or whole-year study by 1 June (EU) or 1 May (non-EU), and for the spring term by 1 November (EU) or 1 October (non-EU). The file includes a signed learning agreement, an ID photograph, a copy of the ID card, a CV, the latest transcript translated into French or English, proof of French proficiency (B2, or C1 for the Lettres and Langues, Droit and IAE programmes) and, for EU students, a European Health Insurance Card.
To register for a thesis, candidates must have a thesis subject, a thesis supervisor and a host laboratory, and are attached to one of the doctoral schools. The thesis is funded through an employment contract such as the contrat doctoral, a CIFRE agreement, a Brittany Region ARED allocation or an ANR contract. Joint supervision (cotutelle) with a foreign university is possible, with registration in both institutions and fees paid once.
Once admitted, students obtain a CVEC certificate, register online with the university and upload their supporting documents. Non-EU students need a student visa; health-insurance affiliation to the French student scheme is free of charge, while EU students bring the European Health Insurance Card.
University libraries (BU) are open to all publics Monday to Friday and offer bookable group-work rooms and a digital library. Sport offices are located in Lorient and Vannes, and student health, psychological, social and disability services operate on the Lorient and Vannes campuses. The university does not operate its own residences; the CROUS and local youth information offices help with housing.
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