University in France
Rennes, Bretagne, France
University profile
Université Rennes 2 is the largest centre of research and higher education in arts, letters, languages, humanities and social sciences in western France. It was created in 1969 from the former faculty of letters of the University of Rennes, whose origins go back to the ducal University of Brittany founded in Nantes in 1460. It is a public university and works with six other institutions on the Rennes academic site.
The university brings together about 20,000 students in 24 teaching departments, with 1,400 staff, of whom 850 are teachers and teacher-researchers. It offers more than 120 diplomas, from Licence and Licence professionnelle to Master and doctorate, and is home to 21 research units, five of them joint units with the CNRS, and five doctoral schools with around 500 doctoral students.
Teaching is organised in five UFR (training and research units): Arts, Lettres, Communication (visual arts, performing arts, art history and archaeology, communication, literature, music); Langues (German, English, Breton and Celtic, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Italian, applied foreign languages, Portuguese, Russian); Sciences Humaines (psychology, education sciences, sociology); Sciences Sociales (AES, geography and planning, history, MIASHS); and STAPS (sport sciences). Specialist training units on campus include CIREFE (French for foreigners), CFPsyEN, CFMI, CFCB and URFIST.
The university has three campuses: Villejean (its largest, in Rennes), La Harpe (Rennes, sport sciences) and Mazier (Saint-Brieuc). Students use nine libraries on the Rennes campuses and one at Saint-Brieuc, a free student health service, sports facilities run with SIUAPS (46 sporting and artistic activities), and a cultural programme with arts venues. Student housing is provided through CROUS Rennes, which operates 25 university residences in the city.
About 2,500 international students study at the university, with almost 3,000 international students registering each year on exchanges, individual mobility or French courses. It holds the Bienvenue en France and Qualité FLE labels, is a member of the European alliance EMERGE (launched 1 January 2025, funded by Erasmus+) and is associated with the experimental public institution Université de Rennes while keeping its own legal personality.
Registration fees (droits d'inscription) are set annually by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research: Licence, DEUST and DU 178 EUR; Master 255 EUR; Doctorate and HDR 398 EUR. Additional fees: SCD library fee 34 EUR and application fee 23 EUR; free auditor status 68 EUR. By decision of its board, Rennes 2 has renewed for 2026-2027 the partial exemption from the differentiated fees for international students, so their fees follow the same scale as for French and European students; an exemption request form is available.
The Contribution Vie Étudiante et Campus (CVEC) is paid separately on the national CVEC website before registration, and a payment or exemption certificate must be supplied. It is not refundable once paid.
Scholarships on social criteria are awarded by CROUS (Dossier Social Étudiant), including for students who become scholarship holders during the year, who can then claim a refund of registration fees. A merit aid is paid to the top 2.5% of scholarship-holding licence graduates per UFR who enrol in Master 1, for both Master years, with no application needed. Students in difficulty without a scholarship can apply for a refund of fees on social criteria. Further support includes the Emploi d'avenir professeur scheme and student jobs at the university.
Rennes 2 awards 12 doctoral contracts a year, plus contracts co-funded by Brittany Region, CIFRE conventions, European industrial doctorates and foundation grants.
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View scholarships for Université Rennes 2 →Applicants who are French or hold a French or European secondary diploma apply through Parcoursup (for the 2026 entry, wishes could be entered from 19 January to 12 March 2026 and confirmed by 1 April 2026). Before administrative registration, the CVEC certificate (payment or exemption) is required. Registration is online, followed by uploading supporting documents; the supplementary registration period for 2026 ran from 24 August to 4 September 2026. First-year students complete the compulsory JAMI digital methodology session.
The procedure is the Demande d'Admission Préalable (DAP). Applicants living in a country with a Centre Études en France (Campus France) apply through the Campus France website of their country of residence; Ghana is among the listed countries. The campaign opens on 1 October of the year before entry and closes on 15 December. Applicants living in a country without a CEF return the white DAP file to the cultural service of the French embassy by 15 December; applicants resident in France send the green DAP file to three chosen universities by 15 December. French level B2 minimum is required, checked by the TCF-DAP; exemptions include applicants from countries where French is the sole official language, those whose secondary studies were mainly in French, and holders of DALF C1/C2 or DELF B2. Original diplomas and certified translations by a sworn translator are brought at registration. Applicants with a late visa issued before 25 September 2026 may register until 15 October 2026.
Applications are made on eCandidat during the campaign window of each programme. Admission to L2/L3 requires validation of the lower level, or validation of studies and experience; the Licence professionnelle requires a bac+2 minimum or equivalent and is selective.
For Master 1, applications go through the national platform Mon Master (2026 campaign: 17 February to 16 March, extended to 17 March; principal admission phase 3-16 June 2026). Master 2 is automatic for Rennes 2 Master 1 students in the same mention; others apply on eCandidat. International applicants resident in a CEF country apply through Campus France from 1 October to 15 December. French level C1 is required for all Master applications except Sciences Sociales Masters (B2): for Arts, Lettres and Communication Masters, TCF C1 with a global score of 450 including 450 for oral comprehension and optional written expression (minimum 14/20), DALF C1 with at least 70/100, or DUEF C1 at 14/20; for Sciences Sociales, TCF B2 or DELF B2 with at least 70/100. Exemptions apply to nationals of states where French is the exclusive official language (such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Togo), those who studied in French in certain other countries, and holders of French university degrees.
Applicants must hold a national Master or equivalent grade, have a research project fitting a research unit attached to the doctoral school, and obtain the prior agreement of a thesis supervisor (a professor or HDR holder) and of the laboratory director. The file is examined by the council of the doctoral school; the registration is then pronounced by the head of the institution. A thesis lasts three years when funded by a doctoral contract or CIFRE and up to six years when self-funded.
Welcome sessions for administrative registration were held from 27 August to 4 September 2026; the Espace Accompagnement Étudiant (building P, 2nd floor) assists from 20 August to 30 September. Students on exchange follow the procedure of the international relations office ([email protected]).
Libraries: nine on the Villejean and La Harpe campuses (Central, Arts-Lettres-Communication, Music, Humanities, Social Sciences, STAPS, Médiathèque, François-Lebrun history research library, LAHM archaeology library) and one at Mazier, with group study rooms, interlibrary loan and training. Health: free medical and social services on the Villejean and Mazier campuses. Sport: SIUAPS offers 46 activities, with weight rooms on the Villejean and Beaulieu campuses.
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