University in France
Chambéry, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
University profile
Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB) is a public multidisciplinary university based in Chambéry, in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie departments of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It sits between Lyon and Grenoble, close to the Swiss and Italian borders, and describes itself as a human-scale institution with roughly 15,000 students and some 200 degree programmes at every level of the Licence-Master-Doctorat system. Short courses (university diplomas, BUT), long courses (Licences, Masters, doctorates and engineering diplomas) are offered in initial training, continuing education, work-study and validation of experience, on site or at a distance.
Teaching is spread over three campuses, Annecy, Le Bourget-du-Lac and Jacob-Bellecombette (Chambéry), with the central administration (Présidence) in Chambéry. It is organised into seven teaching units: the Faculté de Droit, IAE Savoie Mont Blanc (management school), IUT d'Annecy, IUT de Chambéry, the engineering school Polytech Annecy-Chambéry, the UFR Lettres, Langues et Sciences Humaines (LLSH) and the UFR Sciences et Montagne (SceM, which includes STAPS).
Research is carried out in 18 laboratories, 11 of them joint research units with bodies such as CNRS, INRAE, CEA and CERN. Mountain environments, mechatronics, organisations and tourism, imaging, energy and physics are the areas where the university is most visible. It is a founding member of the INES national solar energy institute.
Student life is organised by the Service Vie Étudiante et de Campus on each campus, with a library on each campus, free consultations with nurses, doctors, psychologists and social workers, a sports service running outdoor outings (hiking, alpine skiing, via ferrata, climbing) and discovery courses (kayak, sailing, tennis), student associations and a cultural programme. University restaurants and cafeterias and student housing are run by the CROUS.
International students are welcomed through exchange programmes, as free movers, in double-degree schemes and in programmes taught in English; the French-language centre ACCENTS teaches French to international students. In 2024-2025 there were 1,876 incoming and 958 outgoing mobility students. USMB holds the two-star Campus France 'Bienvenue en France' label and is a founding member of the UNITA European university alliance of twelve universities in mountain and border regions. It also reports being the first French university for relative outgoing Erasmus mobility since 2008 and appears in the Shanghai ranking for the ninth consecutive year.
Fees are set by the ministry. Students not subject to differentiated fees pay 178 euros for BUT, Licence and licence professionnelle, 255 euros for Master, 398 euros for Doctorate and HDR, and 630 euros for the engineering track (PeiP and titre d'ingénieur). Students subject to differentiated fees (non-EU students not exempt) pay 2,902 euros for BUT, Licence and licence professionnelle and 3,950 euros for Master, with 178 and 255 euros respectively for those exempted in full; for doctorate and engineering a partial USMB exemption is subject to a decision of the board. Holders of a CROUS social-criteria bursary and holders of a French government scholarship (BGF) are exempt from registration fees. Fees for university diplomas, continuing education and French as a foreign language are set separately by the board.
The Contribution de Vie Étudiante et de Campus is a separate annual contribution of 105 euros, collected by the CROUS and payable online at cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr; a certificate is required for registration, and some students are exempt.
Scholarships on social criteria, emergency aid and CROUS housing are managed by the CROUS Grenoble Alpes through the Dossier Social Étudiant (open 15 January to 15 May). The USMB Foundation supports research and innovation through chairs and exploratory projects and announces annual laureates. Erasmus+ mobility grants support outgoing students. Student social service contact: SVEC, 04 79 75 94 15. Official pages: registration fees, scholarships and financial aid.
Eiffel Excellence Scholarship (applications submitted by Université Savoie Mont Blanc) →
Partial Exemption from Differentiated Tuition Fees for International Students →
Browse the scholarships listed for Université Savoie Mont Blanc and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Université Savoie Mont Blanc →Holders or future holders of the French baccalauréat, or of the DAEU, apply through Parcoursup, followed by administrative registration with the central registry and then pedagogical registration with the teaching unit (UFR, school or institute). Applications outside the published calendars are not admissible. Non-EU/EEA applicants holding a foreign secondary school diploma and seeking a first registration in L1 must complete the Demande d'Admission Préalable (DAP) procedure, whether they live in France or abroad.
Applicants resident in countries connected to the Études en France platform (the list includes Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, India, China, the United States, among others) must submit an online file on Études en France; for the 2026 intake the stated deadline was 15 December 2025, and the file is required for the visa. The Campus France office in the country of residence also assists. Applicants resident in other countries or in France choose a programme in the USMB catalogue and apply on the dates set by each programme.
First-year Master applications go through the national Mon Master platform: programme choice from 2 February 2026 and applications from 17 February to 16 March 2026 for the 2026 intake. Entry to the second year of Master is by application to the programme under the same procedures according to previous studies and diplomas.
Exchange students come for one or two semesters under a partnership between their home university and USMB. Free movers study with the same status as French students; the start is in September and registration is for the full year (a single semester is not possible). Degrees taught entirely in English include Masters in Management (European Master in Business Studies), European and International Business Law, Solar Energy (SOLEM and ESBC), Advanced Mechatronics, and the licence professionnelle Outdoor Softgoods Design and Development. International semesters in English (International Semester in Management, International Industrial and Business Management, Computer Science: Software Applications Development, International Business and Tourism Management) are open to exchange students only.
Polytech Annecy-Chambéry offers engineering diplomas in building eco-construction and energy, industrial and territorial ecology, computer science and data, mechanics and composite materials, and digital systems and instrumentation; the PeiP integrated preparatory cycle is also available. Doctoral training is organised by the doctoral college through two accredited doctoral schools (ED 633 CST and ED 634 SIE) and eight co-accredited with Université Grenoble Alpes, attached to the research laboratories.
The CVEC certificate must be obtained before registration. A certified translation of foreign documents may be required (a list of sworn translators is available).
Each of the three campuses has its own university library and a student life and campus service; health service, sports facilities and CROUS restaurants are available on the campuses.
Experiences shared by students of Université Savoie Mont Blanc.
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.
