The Mon Master platform
A complete guide to applying for a Master's in France via monmaster.gouv.fr
0. Mon Master at a glance
Almost all public French Master's programs (Diplôme national de master) admit students through the Mon Master platform at. The platform itself doesn't make admission decisions; it's just a central bridge between you and all the universities.
One account for every university and Master's program
A single calendar for applications, review and results
Smart capacity management (when someone declines an offer, the next person in line takes their spot)
1. Who can use Mon Master?
Anyone who has Bac+3 (a three-year Licence), or is in their final Licence semester and will get their degree before the Master's starts, can apply through Mon Master.
Which programs are on Mon Master?
All Diplôme national de master programs (official university Master's degrees).
A large share of grade de master programs at engineering/business schools.
Which programs might be outside Mon Master?
MBAs, Mastère spécialisé, and many private programs
Some schools that haven't joined this system yet (application only through their own website).
Types of Master's degree (summary)
Degree type
Level
Official status
Main use
Bac+5 (M1+M2) Fully official Standard academic/PhD track
Bac+5 Official Often at écoles de commerce/ingénieur
Usually Bac+5 Depends on RNCP Professional/specialized; check its accreditation
Usually Bac+5 Varies Management and business, often expensive and private
2. Formation initiale, Alternance and Formation continue
2.1. Formation initiale (FI) – the classic university model
In formation initiale you study like at any regular university; you're at university most of the year, and if your program includes an internship (Stage), you work full-time for 1 to 6 months a year in an internship related to your field.
Finding the internship is up to the student.
A three-way agreement between the university, the company and the student must be signed (Convention de stage).
For longer internships, the student receives an internship allowance (at least a few hundred euros a month).
If you don't complete the mandatory internship for a given year, that academic year is not validated for you.
2.2. Alternance – working and studying at the same time
In alternance (a broad subset of formation continue), the academic year alternates between periods at the university and at the company; for example:
2 weeks at university / 2 weeks at the company
Or 3 days at university / 2 days at the company, depending on the program
An alternance contract is like a work contract: you have to find the position yourself, and a three-way agreement between the university, the employer and you must be signed. The contract usually lasts one academic year (anything shorter needs the university's approval).
Pay in alternance is higher than in an internship and depends on age; over 26 years old, the employer usually has to pay at least the minimum base salary (around €1,800 based on the SMIC), which is why people under 26 have better odds of getting an alternance contract.
Important visa note: if you're over 30 when signing the contract, some types of alternance contracts require a Pôle emploi number, which is usually not given to students from outside the EU; so check this carefully before applying.
If you're admitted to an alternance Master's but can't find a contract, you can often (with the university's approval) do a long regular internship instead so that your year is still validated.
2.3. FI or FC? What's the difference in tuition?
The university admits you into either the Formation initiale or Formation continue category; this choice is usually not up to the student.
If you're FI, your tuition is the standard public tuition (e.g. around €250 a year for a Master's).
If you're admitted as Formation continue or "returning to study", tuition can be around €4,000 to €5,000 a year.
If more than 3 years have passed since your last degree, you're more likely to be classified as FC; but some universities still consider you FI if you're a language-course student. Policies vary by university.
If you're unsure, it's better to choose Master's programs that accept both FI and FC so you don't end up with no offer at all.
2.4. The two main types of alternance contract
Contrat d'apprentissage – suitable for those with a student visa; full rules:
Contrat de professionnalisation – for those with a visa other than a student visa:
In both cases, this is a real job: a contract, pay, responsibilities, and it requires a good resume and motivation letter. Simply being admitted to the Master's doesn't guarantee a contract; the employer needs to be convinced you have enough experience and ability.
3. How many choices (vœux) can we have?
Each student can submit up to 30 applications:
15 vœux for regular programs (hors alternance)
15 vœux for alternance programs
Each vœu corresponds to one mention de master at one university. If a Master's has, say, 7 tracks (parcours) and you apply to all 7, they all count together as a single vœu.
Applications don't require mandatory ranking upfront; meaning you don't have to say from the start which Master's is your top priority. They're all reviewed, and you set your preference order later, at the classement stage.
4. Required documents on Mon Master
4.1. General documents (common to all Master's programs)
After creating your compte Mon Master and filling in your Informations personnelles, you need to upload a set of general documents just once in your profile; these are shared across all your applications:
CV
Bac / diploma certificate
Cursus post-baccalauréat (list of programs after high school)
Relevés de notes (transcripts for all years)
Stages (internships)
Expériences professionnelles (work experience)
Sportif de haut niveau (if you're a high-level athlete)
Artiste confirmé (if you're a professional artist)
Disability status, scholarships, etc. (if applicable)
This means that a single CV is sent to every program; so your CV needs to be written so it doesn't contradict any of the Master's programs you're targeting.
4.2. Program-specific documents
For each mention de master, the "Pièces complémentaires" section may ask for one or more of the following:
A motivation letter specific to that Master's
Avis de poursuite d'études or a professor's recommendation
Proof of relevant professional experience (internship/work)
French language certificate (TCF/DELF/DALF/…)
English language certificate (IELTS/TOEFL/Duolingo…)
Projet de recherche or pré-projet de mémoire
Résumé des travaux de recherche en Licence
Autre pièce utile à votre candidature (portfolio, course certificates, awards, etc.)
4.3. The "Mes engagements" section
Some Master's programs have a section called mes engagements related to your volunteer work and social/community activities (clubs, associations, NGOs, student activities, etc.).
This section can showcase your soft skills (teamwork, responsibility, project management); if you have serious activities, be sure to document them.
5. GPA, transcripts and degree recognition
Universities usually look at your overall grade pattern rather than a single semester; but your most recent year/semester transcript also matters, since it shows your current situation.
If your earlier years were strong and you had one weak final semester, that one semester won't ruin everything; explain the reason in your motivation letter.
If your earlier years were weak and you've made significant progress this year, that's a positive signal; be sure to highlight it in your motivation letter.
Regarding degree recognition (équivalence), things are complicated and depend entirely on the field and university:
In fields like psychology, architecture and others, an official equivalence is often requested.
In many other fields it's not needed at all.
The best approach if you're unsure is to email the faculty directly and ask.
If needed, you usually have to go through the ENIC-NARIC France website; the process takes a few months.
6. Motivation letter, CV and recommendation letter
6.1. The motivation letter on Mon Master
Carefully read each parcours's official page; it usually has a section called Objectifs and a section on skills/prerequisites. Use this to pull out the keywords and skills you should mention in your motivation letter.
Instead of writing one generic text for everyone, keep a shared core and adjust a few paragraphs for each parcours based on its specific goals and skills.
Make sure the motivation letters for different tracks under the same mention don't contradict each other (e.g. saying in one that you love fundamental research and in another that you're only interested in working in industry).
Example: if your main interest is "innovation in the food industry using microorganisms", for a microbiology Master's, plant–microorganism interactions, or fermentation science, you can explain each time how that program feeds the same goal.
6.2. A professional CV
A few tips from a French perspective on CVs (for a Master's, a job, or an internship):
In 90% of cases, one page is enough.
If you include a photo: a simple, neutral background, very light makeup, no bright red (in the background or makeup).
Use light, soft colors in the layout, not dark or loud ones.
In the education section, just write headline-style entries — which program, where, which year; explain your practical skills in the work/internship experience section.
In the Centres d'intérêt section, write things you actually do (not a cliché list like "reading, music, travel" if you don't actually do them).
Your resume should be clear, readable and concise; imagine it's the hundredth resume the committee is reading.
To design your CV you can use ready-made templates from (just be careful not to make it too crowded or colorful).
6.3. The recommendation letter (Lettre de recommandation)
A recommendation letter is usually written on a plain sheet (no official letterhead needed); what matters is that the professor writes their academic email at the bottom of the letter and mentions how and where they know you from.
Right now, Mon Master mostly works as a "file upload", not a direct link sent to the professor.
You can ask professors in Iran or France to write you a general letter in French/English and use the same one for several Master's programs.
A letterhead isn't required, but a university email address is very important.
7. Mon Master calendar and timeline
The exact dates each year are on the official Mon Master website and the Ministry of Higher Education's infographic, but the general pattern is roughly this:
Early February: the list of all Master's programs starting in September is published.
Roughly late February to late March: Application submission (Dépôt des candidatures) – creating your account, choosing Master's programs and uploading documents.
Late March to around June: universities review the files.
Early to mid-June: Phase principale d'admission – results (accepted/rejected/waitlisted) come in and you must respond within a few days.
Late June to mid-July: Phase complémentaire – the supplementary phase, to fill remaining spots.
8. Admission results, waitlists and managing your vœux
When results come in, you'll see one of these statuses next to each Master's: Accepted, Rejected, Waitlisted. In the main phase, you usually have a few days to respond to each decision (and this window shrinks as time goes on).
For each offer you can do one of three things:
Refuser: decline it; your spot goes to the next person.
Acceptation provisoire: accept it temporarily while staying on the waitlist for other options.
Acceptation définitive: make it final; all your other applications (offers and waitlists) are removed.
For regular Master's programs you can only hold one offer (temporary or final) at a time; for alternance, you're sometimes allowed to hold several temporary offers at once, since finding a contract takes time.
8.1. Possible situations before the supplementary phase
As the main phase draws to a close, your set of choices is in one of these situations:
You have no offers and no waitlists.
You only have waitlists.
You have one temporary offer + several waitlists.
In all three cases you can enter the supplementary phase (next section).
9. The supplementary phase and ranking your choices
9.1. Phase complémentaire
The supplementary phase usually runs from around June 17 to July 17. During this phase:
You can submit up to 20 new applications (10 classic + 10 alternance) for programs that still have openings.
You can't reapply to a program where you were "definitively rejected", unless the rejection was due to an incomplete file.
Programs that weren't fully filled during the main phase reappear here, but with more limited choices.
9.2. Classement des vœux – what exactly do we need to do?
Between roughly June 17 and 23, a page becomes active in your account called Classement. A lot of people get confused at this stage.
The process usually works like this:
Go to the Candidatures > Classement section.
Next to each program, click the "classer et conserver" button; this adds that program to the ranked list above.
Do this in order of your actual real preference; meaning your favorite program first, and so on down the list.
Once you've arranged everything, be sure to click the "Enregistrer mes classements" button; until you do, the system doesn't save your ranking.
After this step, the first positive result you get based on this list is automatically treated as your final acceptance, and all other options (and any previous temporary offer) are removed.
10. Interviews on Mon Master
Each Master's page usually states how files are reviewed:
Dossier – only the file is reviewed, no interview.
Dossier et entretien – file + interview (usually online).
Interviews are much more common in alternance Master's programs, since the university wants to see whether you're professionally ready and how good your chances are of finding a contract.
10.1. Example interview questions for Master's/alternance
Introduce yourself, explain your academic and career path, why this field and why this university?
What's your career project, and where do you want to work after graduating?
For alternance: have you found a company yet? If not, what's your plan for finding a contract?
Is alternance or formation initiale your priority?
Sometimes simple technical questions: e.g. "what is omega-3?", "what is an enzyme?", or a quick calculation; be sure to review the basic concepts of your field.
In some cases, more personal questions come up, like "why would a young woman with a job in Iran come to France? Will you go back or stay after your studies?" which you should answer in a neutral and rational way.
A simple tip: before the interview, read your motivation letter and CV out loud a few times, and repeat a few key technical terms from your field in French; keep paper and a pen handy in case you need to work something out on paper.
11. Summary and a simple strategy
The Mon Master process isn't linear or mechanical; every file is a mix of strengths and weaknesses. Your goal is to play it so the admissions committee has enough reasons to accept you, even if there are also reasons to reject you.
Starting now, make a list of your target Master's programs (FI and alternance) and see which ones make sense together.
Prepare your general documents early: a clean one-page CV, complete transcripts, translations, recommendation letters.
For each Master's, write at least one fully tailored motivation-letter paragraph that connects to that program's Objectifs page.
If you're considering alternance, start creating accounts on job sites and preparing a "job" resume as soon as you apply; university admission without a contract isn't a job.
During the Phase principale and complémentaire, check your account every day (or at least every other day) so you don't miss a decision deadline.