Ways to apply to France

Direct application, Campus France and understanding the French education system

1. Direct application

With a direct application, you do much the same as in many other countries: you go to the university's website, find the program you want, read the admission requirements (Prerequisites), and upload your documents through the university's own portal by the stated deadline.

This method is usually used for one of the following cases:

Some private universities and grandes écoles (Business Schools, Engineering Schools, etc.).

A large share of English-taught programs, especially specialized Master's programs.

Programs whose admissions page explicitly says to apply only through the university's own portal.

Some universities that recruit outside the system (e.g. for some PhDs).

Even if your application is direct, you may still need to create an account on to get a visa, so your file is visible to the embassy; always check this on the university's website and on your country's Campus France website.

2. Applying through Campus France (Études en France)

For most public French universities, and for students living in countries like Iran, the main application route is through the platform, run by. This platform effectively manages every step, from admission all the way to the visa application.

The general process looks like this:

Create an account on the Études en France platform and fill in your personal information.

Upload translated documents (diploma, transcripts, language certificate, CV, recommendation letters, etc.).

Choose the programs and universities you want (you can usually apply to several programs and universities at once).

Pay the file-review fee (Campus France fee), which is set separately for each country and is usually paid by bank transfer; check the exact amount on your country's Campus France website.

An initial document review and, in most countries, an educational interview with a Campus France advisor (some countries have no interview).

Your approved file is sent to the universities through the platform itself.

You receive the universities' answers and confirm your final choice inside the same platform.

After admission, the same Études en France account is used for the next step: the student visa application.

The exact calendar (when the platform opens, deadlines, etc.) is announced each year by each country's Campus France office, but for the September intake registration usually opens around October and continues until late winter; always check that year's dates on the Campus France Iran website and on the university's website.

3. Searching for a program and a university

You can search for a program using Campus France's catalogues as well as directly on university websites. On the Campus France website you can search by level, teaching language, city and field of study, but always confirm sensitive information such as tuition, language requirements, minimum GPA and deadlines on the university's own website, since catalogues may not be up to date.

It's important to always read the or section on each program's page to find out whether:

Applications must go only through Études en France,

or direct application on the university's own portal,

or both methods are accepted (in which case you'll usually still need an EEF account for the visa).

4. The French education system and its Iranian equivalents

The French university system is called "LMD" and rests on three main levels:

After finishing high school, students earn the diploma, equivalent to the Iranian diploma (plus the old pre-university year).

Each year of university study counts as "one year after the Bac" and is written as and so on.

The level lasts three years and is usually written as (first, second and third year of Licence); at the end of L3 your level is.

The level takes two years and is written as (first and second year of Master); at the end of M2 your level will be.

After the Master's, you can enter a, which usually takes three years and brings you to a total level of.

In practice, the name of the degree you get is not necessarily "Licence" or "Master"; depending on the field and the type of school you may see names like and others, but in terms of academic level and value they are equivalent to a Licence or Master (they are classified the same way in the official tables of the French Ministry of Higher Education).

5. From which year can I apply to France?

An important point in France is that, in general, you don't just apply for a "level" — you can also apply for a specific year within a level. In other words, you don't necessarily have to start from the first year of a Licence or the first year of a Master.

Examples (assuming the university is satisfied with your academic record):

If you've studied one year of a Licence in Iran, your level is effectively around and some universities may admit you into (second year of Licence).

If you've completed the full four-year Iranian Licence, you've studied four years after high school, meaning in terms of number of years you're close to level. In practice, applications are usually made for (first year of Master, equivalent to bac+4 at the start and bac+5 at the end). Some universities, if your credits and CV overlap fully enough with the program, may even admit you directly into (second year of Master); but this depends entirely on the university's own decision and is never guaranteed.

For the third year of a Licence (L3) or the second year of a Master (M2), you usually need to show that you've completed the previous years' credits at another university and are at the equivalent academic level; that's why carefully reading the Prerequisites on the university's website is very important.

In short: the most important thing for French universities is the number of years studied after the Bac and the coursework content completed, not simply what your degree is called.

6. Intake semesters (September and January)

At

public

French universities, nearly all Licence programs and a large share of Master's programs only admit students once a year, i.e. the autumn / September intake. These programs have no January or February term, and if you miss the deadline you usually have to wait a year.

By contrast, some private schools (especially business schools and management or IT programs) may have a January intake or a as well, but the number of universities and programs in that term is limited and mostly announced on the schools' own websites.

So if your goal is a public university, plan around the September intake and the Études en France calendar.

7. In brief: tuition fees in France

At universities, a large part of the real cost of studying is covered by the French government; that's why the official tuition for European students is around €178 a year for a Licence and €254 for a Master's, while different fees apply to many non-European students (sometimes waived, sometimes around €3,000–4,000 a year).

By contrast, tuition at private universities and schools can range from a few thousand to over €10,000 a year; always check the exact amount, scholarship options and waivers on that school's own website.

On top of tuition, all students must also pay the yearly (Contribution Vie Étudiante et de Campus), which is about €105 a year and is paid before finalizing university enrollment.