Top Universities in France in 2025 - Courses, Fees & Ranking

Top Universities in France 2025—France is one of the famous tourist destinations. Along with tourism, the country is well known for its top-listed universities with high academic standards and low-cost education. France is known for its accessible education system, rich cultural heritage and top-ranked universities. France has some of the top universities that are ranked consistently among the top educational institutions in the world. It is one of the top destinations for international students and attracts numerous students, making France a prominent choice for higher education. Some of the universities in France are popular because they offer numerous programs that are taught in English as well as in French.

This Story also Contains

1. Top Universities in France: Key Highlights
2. Top Universities in France 2025
3. Top Private Universities in France
4. Top Public Universities in France 2025
5. Advantages of Studying in France 2025
6. Admission Requirements to Study in French Universities

Most of the top universities in France, which are run by the government, do not charge any tuition fee. France attracts a lot of international students with their affordable tuition fees and universities or institutions listed in the QS World University Rankings 2025.

Many international students are willing to study in France due to the quality and affordability of education. Read the article on top universities in France for international students to know more details like ranking, courses, tuition fees, etc.

Top Universities in France: Key Highlights

Top Universities in France 2025

French universities also feature among the top global universities for a number of subjects, making it one of the top reasons to study in France. Candidates need to attempt a few entrance tests for admission into France universities like the GRE, GMAT, TCF, TEF, etc. Here, the list of the best universities in France that are ranked by QS and THE World University Rankings 2025 is given below.

Top universities in France for international students: QS Ranking 2025

Université PSL

The University PSL, located in Paris, is a public university established in 2010. It is one of the best universities in France, holding 24th position in the QS World University Rankings 2025. The University PSL courses cover all the areas of science, social sciences, humanities, engineering, and arts.

The university is research-focused, consisting of 140 laboratories and 2,900 researchers, and provides research-based training to the students. The university has held the title of being one of the top universities in France since 2018. It is also among the best universities in Paris, consisting of 20% international students.

Institut Polytechnique de Paris

The Institut Polytechnique de Paris, located in Palaiseau, France, is a public university established in 2019. It is one of the best universities in France, holding the 38th position in the QS World University Rankings 2025. The university focuses on both research and technology innovation by holding a community of 1,000 teachers and researchers.

Being one of the best colleges in France, it aims to support entrepreneurship and the creation of startups in the students with the help of innovation centres and start-up incubators. The university offers 189 programs in various fields like math, biology, engineering, design, transportation, etc., and a few more.

Sorbonne University

Sorbonne University, located in Paris, France, is a public university founded in the 13th century. It is one of the top universities in France, holding the 59th position in the QS World University Rankings 2025. The university offers a wide range of courses in engineering, sciences, arts and humanities, medical and paramedical, etc.

The courses are available in French and English languages. Being one of the top universities in Paris, it offers buddy system networking to international students, through which the international student is helped by a local buddy. There is no tuition fee, but a modest registration fee of 170 to 380 euros per year is charged to the students.

Université Paris-Saclay

The University of Paris-Saclay, located in the south of Paris, is a public university. It is one of the best universities in France, holding the 71st position in the QS World University Rankings 2025. It is the leading university in mathematics. The university offers UG, PG and PhD programs built with cutting-edge research. The courses include science, medicine, pharmacy, engineering, law, etc.

Being one of the most prestigious universities in France, it is focused on research and shares 275 labs with various private and government agencies. It is one of the cheapest universities in France with no tuition fee, but a registration fee of 170 to 380 euros per year is charged to national and international students.

École Normale Supérieure de Lyon

École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, located in Lyon City, is a public institution founded in 1794. It is one of the best universities in France, holding the 184th position in the QS World University Rankings 2025. The institute is a part of the University of Lyon. Being one of the good colleges in France, the institute offers bachelor's, master's, and PhD programs. The sports, language and IT courses are free to everyone at École Normale Supérieure de Lyon.

École des Ponts ParisTech

École des Ponts ParisTech, located in the suburbs of France, is a top-level educational institution created in 1747. It is among the top universities in France, holding the 192nd position in the QS World University Rankings 2025. Being one of the public colleges in France the institute offers bachelor's, master's and PhD programs in engineering, social science, humanities, transportation, mathematics, etc.

The school provides a high level of education in engineering programs like civil, mechanical and nuclear engineering, etc. The institute gathers with D.school Paris for design thinking and transversal resource innovation for the students.

Top Private Universities in France

France houses some of the top private universities for international students around the world. The private universities in France hold good ranks and provide education with reasonable tuition fees. Private universities in France are a great way to secure academic goals and a well-deserved degree. Here is a list of private universities in France where international students can pursue their studies.

• Adventist University of France

• American University of Paris

• Audencia Business School

• Brest Business School

• Burgundy School of Business

• Catholic University of Lille

• Catholic University of Paris

• Catholic University of the West

• Catholic University of Toulouse

• CPE Lyon

Top Public Universities in France 2025

France has many public universities that are globally recognised for their academic excellence and research contributions. Students can check the list of top universities in France to get information about top public universities in France. As per the QS World University Rankings 2025, the top public universities in France are mentioned below.

• PSL University

• Institut Polytechnique de Paris

• Sorbonne University

• Paris Saclay University

• École Normale Supérieure de Lyon

• Ecole des Ponts ParisTech

• Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

• Université Paris Cité

• Université Grenoble Alpes

• Sciences Po

Université PSL

Université PSL, also known as PSL University, was established in 2010. PSL University offers bachelor's, master's, and PhD diplomas for its constituent schools. Courses at Université PSL are Sciences, Humanities and Social Science, Engineering and Arts. It has 17,000 students, 2,900 researchers, and 140 research laboratories. It offers courses in arts, humanities and social sciences; business and management; engineering and technology; natural science; and social sciences and management. Université PSL has been ranked 24th in the QS World University Rankings 2025.

Institut Polytechnique de Paris

The Polytechnic Institute of Paris is a research-based institution established in May 2019. Institut Polytechnique de Paris academic programs are taught in French and English. Courses offered by the Polytechnic Institute of Paris include bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, Master of Science in Engineering, and PhD. Academic programs of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris are taught in English and/or French. The Polytechnic Institute of Paris has been ranked 46 in the QS World University Rankings 2025.

Sorbonne University

Sorbonne University is a public research university situated in Paris, France. It offers courses from bachelor's to doctoral degrees in arts, humanities, science, and engineering. The university offers programs in both English and French. It provides the best educational opportunities to its 53,400 students. However, 10,200 students are international, and 4,400 are in doctoral programs. Sorbonne University has been ranked =63 in the QS World University Rankings 2025.

Paris Saclay University

Established in 2019, Paris-Saclay University is a public research university in Orsay, France. It offers a wide range of training courses, from undergraduate to PhD. It offers courses in arts and humanities, business and management, engineering and technology, life sciences and medicine, natural sciences and social sciences and management. Paris Saclay University is ranked #73 in the QS World University Rankings 2025.

École Normale Supérieure de Lyon

The École Normale Supérieure de Lyon is a public higher education institution located in Lyon that trains professors and researchers in the academic system through fundamental research. It has been ranked #187 in QS World University Rankings 2025. ENS de Lyon has various research laboratories in social sciences, exact sciences and humanities. École Normale Supérieure de Lyon has been ranked #187 in QS World University Rankings 2025 is one of the top public universities in Lyon, France

Ecole des Ponts ParisTech

Ecole des Ponts ParisTech is a public university, established in 1747. The university offers various opportunities to students for high-quality education and a cultural environment. This institution trains engineers to become highly competent in technical, scientific and general areas. Ecole des Ponts ParisTech has been ranked 205 in the QS World University Rankings 2025.

Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University

With over 800 years of history and 50 years of excellence, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University is a public university. It is one of the best universities in France for humanities and social sciences. The three main areas of education and research are arts and humanities, economics and management, and law and political science. Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University is ranked #283 in QS World University Rankings 2025.

Université Paris Cité

Université Paris Cité is a multi-disciplinary, renowned university that delivers high-quality education and world-leading research. It is one of the prestigious French research-intensive universities, recognised internationally for its excellence in research. The University of Paris Cite is ranked =302 in QS World University Rankings 2025.

Université Grenoble Alpes

Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) is a public university that offers high-quality training in all disciplines. The university admits about 50,000 students in undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and short-stay/certificate programs. Université Grenoble Alpes is a public university, ranked #334 in QS World University Rankings 2025.

Sciences Po

Sciences Po was established in 1872 and is a leading university in the social sciences. Sciences Po is ranked 2nd worldwide for politics (QS, 2024). Sciences Po Undergraduate College offers bachelor’s degrees for a span of three years. It also offers courses in different disciplines, including law, humanities, history, political science, economics, sociology and others.

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Université de Paris

Université de Paris is located in the centre of Paris and is a public university. This top university in France holds 236th position in the QS World University Rankings 2025. The university provides innovative courses like arts, humanities, engineering, science and technology, medicine, nursing, etc., and a few more. Being one of the best universities in Paris, the university has 4,500 staff and 119 laboratories.

Université Grenoble Alpes

Université Grenoble Alpes, located in Saint-Martin-d'Hères commune in France, is a public university created in 1339. Among the most prestigious universities in France, Université Grenoble Alpes is ranked 294th in QS World University Rankings 2025. The university offers 450 programs in diploma, bachelor, master and PhD degrees.

Among these courses, the medium of instruction for 52 programs is English. A few English degrees offered at Université Grenoble-Alpes are masters in engineering, sciences, mathematics law degrees, etc. Being one of the best universities in France, it has a count of 10,000 international students studying there.

Sciences Po

Sciences Po in Paris is a public university founded in 1872. It is among the top universities in Paris, ranked 319 in the QS World University Rankings 2025. The university specialises in law, economics, social science, politics, history, etc. The university has around 14,000 students, half of whom are international students from more than 150 nationalities. Being one of the best universities in France for international students, it provides courses that are entirely taught in English only.

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Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, located in Paris, is a public university. It is one of the top universities in France, holding the 328th position in the QS World University Rankings 2025. The university offers specialised courses in history, arts, law and legal studies, archaeology, etc. The university is focused on research, having 37 research labs that are supervised by CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) and IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement).

Advantages of Studying in France 2025

There are various benefits of studying in France for international students, which include its architecture and heritage, the best universities, reasonable tuition fees, various financial assistance, excellent research opportunities, internship opportunities, multicultural environment, living expenses, diverse student cities, etc.

Admission Requirements to Study in French Universities

The medium of instruction in many French universities and colleges is French. However, students are usually advised to take the French Language Tests to be eligible for admission. Students must have passed 10+2 from a recognised board along with a valid score in the English Language Proficiency Test for admission to undergraduate programs. To be eligible to study a postgraduate program in France, students must have passed an undergraduate degree and have valid scores in the GRE/GMAT, English Language Proficiency Test scores, and work experience certificates (if required). If students want to enrol in PhD courses, they will have to pass a master’s degree or equivalent from a recognised university.

The necessary documents required to be submitted during admission are mentioned below:

• Mark sheets of Standard X, XII, and the Bachelor's degree

• Academic Reference Letters from Professors

• Passport

• Passport-size photographs

• Work Experience Certificate

• Statement of Purpose (SOP)

• Resume

• Letters of Recommendation (LOR)

• Scores of language tests and GRE/ GMAT

• Portfolio (in case of students applying for architecture programs)

• Other certificates include achievement certificates at the state and national level and extracurricular activities

• Health Insurance Certificate

• Proof of funds