Rankings: The 42 best universities in France for 2020/2021
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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.
| 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 | – |
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.
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
