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Rankings: The 42 best universities in France for 2021/2022

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Rankings: The 42 best universities in France for 2021/2022

Universities, grand ecoles, business schools: France offers a diverse range of institutions at which you can study. And many of them rank high with the best universities in Europe and the world. Another statistic underlines France’s claim to be one of the world’s leading nations for higher education: France is high up among the countries with the most Nobel prize winners.

Thanks to the remarkable reputation of French education, a degree from a university in France will open many doors for you around the globe.

Top ranked universities in France

University QS Ranking 2020 THE Ranking 2020 ARWU Ranking 2019
Université PSL 53 45 –
École Polytechnique 60 93 301
Sorbonne University 77 80 44
CentraleSupélec 139 501 601
ENS de Lyon 160 201 301
Sciences Po 242 401 –
École des ponts ParisTech 250 251 –
Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne 305 601 –
ENS Paris-Saclay 312 601 901
University of Strasbourg 379 401 101
University of Bordeaux 458 401 201
Aix-Marseille University 491 301 101
University of Montpellier 498 301 151
INSA Lyon 501 601 –
Université Paul Sabatier 511 – 201
University Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas 531 – –
Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University 651 501 201
University of Lille 701 601 301
Université de Lorraine 751 601 301
Université Lumière Lyon 2 801 – –
Université de Rennes 1 801 601 601
University of Poitiers 801 – 701
Université de Nantes 801 601 601
Institut national polytechnique de Toulouse – – 901
University of Savoy – – 801
University of Orléans – – 801
Université Nice Sophia Antipolis – – 801
Université de Bourgogne – – 601
University of Clermont Auvergne – 601 601
Grenoble Institute of Technology – – 601
Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines – 351 401
Toulouse 1 Capitole University – – 201
Université de Paris – – 101
Université Grenoble Alpes – 301 101
Paris-Sud University – 201 37
University of Cergy-Pontoise – 1001 –
Université Côte d’Azur – 401 –
École Centrale de Lyon – 601 –
Centrale Nantes – 401 –
University Paris Nanterre – 1001 –
University of Tours – 601 –
University of Technology of Compiègne – 601 –

Explained: How do the university rankings work?

The QS World University Rankings are among the most important, most-referenced rankings. The QS ranking relies heavily on its academic survey, asking thousands of academics worldwide about the reputation of universities.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (or the THE Rankings for short) compile a wide range of statistics. Equal weight is put on teaching quality, research excellence, and research impact through citations (meaning how often a university’s research is referenced elsewhere).

The Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (often just Shanghai Ranking, or ARWU) focuses on research output and quality, for example measured by the number of published and cited scientific papers and the number of staff or alumni winning the Nobel Prize or Fields Medal.

Study in France France - Flag

Thanks to world-leading universities and tuition-free education at public institutions, France is one of the most popular student host countries in the world. Many French universities have increased the number of English-taught degree programmes in recent years. Business, Engineering, Computer Science, Social Studies - in France, you can study virtually any subject in English.

Read more about studying in France

Find the right study programme for yourself:

Bachelors degrees in France
Masters degrees in France
PhD programmes in France

Relevant links

  • Studying abroad in France: Basic information for international students
  • Study programmes in France
  • Visit the website of the QS World University Rankings
  • Visit the website of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings
  • Visit the website of the Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities

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