University in France
Marcy-l'Étoile, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
University profile
VetAgro Sup is a French higher-education and research institute for food, animal health, agronomic and environmental sciences, under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture. It is the only French institution that trains veterinarians, agricultural engineers and public veterinary health inspectors (inspecteurs de santé publique vétérinaire, ISPV) within one global approach to health, framed as One Health: the interface of human, animal and environmental health.
Teaching is split across two campuses. The veterinary campus at Marcy-l'Étoile, on the edge of Lyon, hosts the veterinary curriculum, continuing veterinary education and the training of ISPV; it stands on 44 hectares and includes the university veterinary teaching hospital (CHUV) with three clinics for companion animals, equines and farm animals, plus the Vetskill simulation platform opened in October 2019. The agronomic campus at Lempdes, near Clermont-Ferrand, trains agricultural engineers and has a collaborative restaurant, a student residence and an orchard conservatory.
Academic work is organised in six teaching departments: Agriculture et espaces; Clinique des animaux de compagnie, de loisir et du sport; Élevage et santé publique vétérinaire; Qualité et économie alimentaires; Sciences fondamentales; and Territoires et sociétés. The internal school ENSV-FVI (École nationale des services vétérinaires - France Vétérinaire International) is the application school for ISPV and is a reference centre of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE) for training official veterinarians. Since September 2026 the school also offers one-year Bachelor agro programmes with partner agricultural technical schools.
VetAgro Sup is a member of the Université de Lyon and of Université Clermont Auvergne et Associés, which received IDEX and I-Site labels respectively in 2017, and co-accredits 11 masters and 2 licences with them. It is also a founding member of the Collège des Hautes Études Lyon Sciences (CHEL[s]). Since July 2022 it has been co-accredited to award the national doctorate with two Lyon doctoral schools.
Student life is organised through associations on each campus: more than 25 student associations are listed for the veterinary campus (including the Cercle Bourgelat, the sports body COB and the student veterinary dispensary DVEL), while the agronomic campus has the BDE and the Cercle Sportif, and a cinema-studies section for engineering students. Both campuses have university residences.
International students come through exchange agreements, double-degree agreements, full degree programmes, clinical or research placements and summer schools. The language of instruction is French (level B1 required for admissibility to courses), with some courses in English, and ECTS credits are used. The veterinary curriculum is accredited by the AVMA (since 2013) and EAEVE; the engineering curriculum is accredited by the CTI.
Veterinary tuition fees are set each year by ministerial order. The engineering curriculum costs EUR 1,990 per year (2025-2026).
Veterinary students in difficulty can request an exceptional one-off aid from the Ministry of Agriculture through the campus management ([email protected]), or an annual Ministry of Agriculture aid at the start of the academic year through the student affairs office ([email protected]). Support is also available from the Association centrale d'entraide vétérinaire (ACV), through the Université de Lyon student aid portal Mes Aides Étudiantes, and through the school's financial aid unit ([email protected]). Agronomy students in difficulty can also obtain aid; residence housing on the agronomic campus qualifies for CAF housing allowance, and meal rates are reduced for students on state grants (weekly full board EUR 27.25 instead of EUR 44.50; half board EUR 5 instead of EUR 25.35).
Details: veterinary student support, agronomic campus life.
Browse the scholarships listed for VetAgro Sup and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for VetAgro Sup →Entry to the four national veterinary schools is by competitive examination only, either straight after the baccalauréat or after at least two years of study. The post-bac concours is open to final-year students in France or abroad sitting a general baccalauréat for the first time and leads to the first year common to the schools (40 students per school). Other routes are CPGE BCPST, CPGE TB (STL or STAV baccalauréat), Licence (four semesters validated in life sciences), BUT génie biologique, BTSA/BTS/BTSM second year, Bac+5 (doctors of medicine, pharmacy or dentistry, or holders of a master-level degree with a predominantly biological curriculum) and ENS. Except for the post-bac concours, examinations are organised nationally by the Ministry of Agriculture. A candidate may apply to only one common-competition route in a given year and may sit the concours at most twice.
Recruitment is by national concours after at least two years of post-baccalauréat study: CPGE BCPST, CPGE TB, Licence, BUT, BTSA/BTS/BTSM, Master (first-year master students in science, technology or health, entering second year) and an apprenticeship route for holders or final-year students of a two or three-year vocational higher diploma. The course lasts three years; level B2 in English is required to enter the third year.
Recruitment is by administrative concours at the end of studies (fifth veterinary year or third engineering year for certain schools): written tests (synthesis note and dissertation), an application file (CV and motivation letter) and oral tests (motivation and knowledge, and a language oral).
A one-year, nationally recognised bac+3 diploma conferring the licence grade, offered from September 2026 in two programmes: CAP AGROBIO (Génie agronomique et transitions) and Élevage PRO en Massif Central (Élevage et transitions), run with agricultural technical partner establishments.
The language of instruction is French, with level B1 required for admissibility to courses; some courses are taught in English. The academic year has two semesters starting in September and February. Exchange students come through partner-university agreements; double-degree students from partner universities (in Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Italy) spend two or three semesters at VetAgro Sup. Enquiries: [email protected].
Candidates contact the Research and Doctoral Studies office ([email protected]) with their INE number, complete the registration file of the relevant doctoral school (EDISS or E2M2) with their supervisor and submit it on ADUM. After a hearing and validation of the doctoral project by the school, administrative registration at VetAgro Sup follows. Theses are written in French; English is permitted with a substantial French summary (5 to 10 pages unless the doctoral school specifies otherwise).
Each campus also has laboratories, expertise units and partner start-ups and associations.
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