Université Paris Cité

Key facts

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 5 November 2026.

About Université Paris Cité

Université Paris Cité was created in 2019 through the merger of Paris Diderot and Paris Descartes universities, with the Institut de physique du globe de Paris as a component institution. Since July 2021 the Institut Pasteur is a partner research organisation.^[7]

The university has three faculties: Health, Sciences, and Societies and Humanities.^[8] Its head office is the Odéon site at 85 boulevard Saint-Germain in the 6th arrondissement. Other sites include the Campus Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Grands Moulins campus in the 13th arrondissement, and medicine sites in the 10th and 18th.^[5]

How is Université Paris Cité ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, Université Paris Cité is 303rd in the world (300th in the 2026 edition, 302nd in 2025). In the table of French institutions it is the seventh, after PSL (34th), Institut Polytechnique de Paris (43rd), Sorbonne University (73rd), Université Paris-Saclay (76th), ENS de Lyon (235th) and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (246th).^[2]

Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.

What can you study at Université Paris Cité?

The university is organised in three faculties, plus an engineering school, two IUTs and 30 graduate schools:^[8]

• Health: the sites list medicine, pharmacy and odontology (dentistry).^[5]
• Sciences: science and technology.^[6]
• Societies and Humanities: humanities and social sciences; the international brochure also lists law and economics programmes, for example in banking and finance and international business law.^[7]

For students who do not speak French, the international brochure (2024/25) lists programmes taught in English or jointly with partner universities. Examples are the Bachelor in Frontiers of Life Sciences, the Master in Fundamental Physics and the Master in Biomedical Engineering.^[7] Other master’s programmes are bilingual: the neuroscience master is taught half in French and half in English in year 1, and in English in year 2.^[9]

How much does Université Paris Cité cost in 2026/27?

These are the 2026/27 amounts on the university’s fee page.^[3] The same page shows the differentiated amounts in a box headed 2027–2028, while the sentence introducing them says they apply in 2026/27. They equal the national differentiated rates for 2026/27.^{[3] [10]}

Partial exemption for non-EU students

In a vote of 17 October 2025 the Board of Directors renewed the moratorium on differentiated fees for 2026/27. Non-EU students enrolled in a national diploma therefore get a partial exemption and pay the bachelor’s or master’s fee that applies to European students.^{[3] [11]} The exemption also covers students on a gap year (césure).^[11]

Students who are exempt and have been enrolled at the university without interruption since 2025/26 or 2026/27 keep the exemption if they re-enrol in the same cycle in 2027/28. From 2027/28 non-EU students are generally subject to the differentiated fees unless they qualify for a regulatory or institutional exemption.^[3]

Who is not affected by differentiated fees

According to the university, differentiated fees do not apply to, among others, EU, EEA and Swiss nationals, refugees and holders of subsidiary protection, holders of a long-term resident card, people attached to a French tax household for at least two years, doctoral students, CPGE students, and holders of a Crous or French government scholarship.^[3]

Older amounts you may see

The university’s admission page for independent international students still lists €175 for a licence, €250 for a master and €391 for a doctorate, plus the CVEC (compulsory student and campus life contribution) of €103, and says that non-EU students got a partial exemption in 2024/25.^[12] Those are earlier-year figures; use the 2026/27 amounts above. For the CVEC and living costs see our France guide and the Study in France guide.

How do you apply to Université Paris Cité?

For independent (non-exchange) international students the university names three routes:^[12]

• Bachelor’s, first year: a Preliminary Admission Request (DAP).
• Other levels, if you live in a country on the Études en France list: an application on the Campus France platform Études en France. The university’s page speaks of 66 countries, while Campus France’s current page speaks of 75, so check the current list.^[13]
• If your country is not on that list: the university’s own eCandidat application portal.

A jury examines the file. It looks at your academic background, motivation letter and recommendation letters, and some applicants are invited to an interview or a language test.^[7] Programme pages give the exact requirements for each course.^[7]

We give no deadlines here because they change every year and differ by programme. Check the timetable of your programme before you start.

Which language level do you need?

The university’s Faculty of Societies and Humanities asks exchange students for a B2 level in French and/or English, depending on the language of the courses they follow. Accepted proofs include DELF B2, DALF C1 or C2, and the TCF (Test de connaissance du français).^[4] The CEFR is the European scale from A1 to C2; B2 is upper-intermediate.

For degree students the level depends on the programme. The neuroscience master, for example, asks for French at B2 (TCF 400 or DELF B2) and for English at B2 (for instance IELTS 6 or TOEFL 87), even though year 2 is taught in English.^[9] The independent-student page says that an official French test (TCF) is mandatory “in some cases” and names no level.^[12] The international brochure adds that some non-EU students who have never studied in France need the required French level even when the course is taught entirely in English.^[7]

More about studying in France

• France: best universities
• Study in France: complete guide
• Cost of Studying Abroad
• International Student Scholarships
• University Ranking Methodology

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