Parution : 3 octobre 2007 à 18:14 / Mise à jour : 3 octobre 2007 à 18:14

There are two procedures for enrolment :

• Individual requests (contact the Registrar’s Office) ;
• Inter-University Agreements (contact the International Office).

ENROLMENT FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS (Registrar’s Office)

Individual requests : Undergraduate Enrolment (Licence : L1, L2, L3 – LMD system)

You are a foreign student and you would like to register for the first time in undergraduate courses. You must complete a Pre-Admission Request (Demande d’Admission Préalable = DAP). The application can be obtained from the cultural services of the French Embassy if you live in a foreign country or from any French University if you live in France.

The Pre-Admission Request has to be received between November 15 and January 15 preceding the beginning of the term (Decree n° 811221 dated 31/12/81).

You must submit a residency permit with one year validity due to the right of residence of spouse or parents with three-year validity. A degree from your native country must also be submitted, potentially equivalent to one of our degrees. A covering letter is also required as well as a description of previous studies.

A good knowledge of the French language is necessary. Candidates are subject to a test of linguistics held in February. Holders of the DALF (Diplôme Approfondi de la Langue Française) are exempt from that test. In some specific cases, candidates are exempt from the Pre-Admission Request and/or of the French language test.

In all cases, admission depends on the availability of studies and courses offered by U.P.F. according to the class capacities and the level of candidates. Please check this matter with the university or the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.

Individual requests : Postgraduate Enrolment (Master M1, M2 - LMD system)

All foreign candidates planning to register in postgraduate courses must hold an undergraduate degree (L3) upon arriving in France or have a minimum of six semesters of undergraduate studies.

Recognized Equivalent Overseas School Qualifications To obtain an equivalence of your qualifications, applications have to be submitted to the Registrar’s Office (Direction de la Scolarité) during the month of July preceding the beginning of the term. A committee will examine all applications and has the authority to call in the candidate to confirm his/her knowledge in the concerned subject(s) and to check his/her understanding of the French language (a good level is requested). The decision to accept the candidate is done by the President of U.P.F. with the committee’s advice. All candidates who are not French citizens have to provide as much information as possible about their level of knowledge in the French language.

If enrollment in postgraduate courses is refused, the student can be admitted at the undergraduate level if he/she has filled out a Pre-Admission Request (DAP) between November 15 and January 15 preceding the beginning of the term. The presentation of the original degree is compulsory upon final enrolment.

Comparison with Anglo-Saxon Degrees

There is no direct legal equivalence between foreign and French degrees (apart from the LMD system used by the countries of the European union). Consequently, requests are processed individually by the appealed institution. Any decision of equivalence integrates not only the degrees obtained by the student in his/her native country, but also program requirements, number of years studied, and institution(s) attended.

US colleges and universities are completely different from French higher education institutions. Therefore, any parallel between US and French systems is much more difficult to establish compared to the British system. Only a very rough comparison of equivalency can be mentioned here since there is no official equivalence between French and US degrees. Only a French University is able to decide at what level the US student can be admitted keeping its own conditions for enrolment in mind.

High School Degree
This degree does not necessarily allow a US student to enter a higher education program in France. It is not equivalent to the "Baccalauréat". Consequently, the degree validation depends on the US institution where it has been prepared, on the number of hours, courses completed and on educational type.

Bachelor’s Degree
This US diploma is equivalent to a French degree of level 2 (DEUG, DEUST, BTS, DUT) or to a Licence (LMD system) or a Master (level M1- LMD system) depending on the US University where the diploma has been prepared.

Master’s Degree
If the student has prepared a thesis to obtain his/her Master, French universities might consider that he/she has a Master level (M1 - LMD system) and therefore, that he/she can enter a Master level (M2 LMD system). If not, the level is brought back to the Licence and the student will have to prepare a Master (M1).

Doctorate Degree
The Doctorate is similar in France and in the US.

Entry requirements for a stay inFrench Polynesia

If you would like to study for a year in our Territory, you must apply for a long period visa (over 3 months) at least two months before the date of arrival.

You will need to show evidence of sufficient funds and you are required to take an insurance plan for your health cover for your stay in French Polynesia.

Whether you come from a country in the European Community or not, you must : request a visa, which must be submitted to the embassy or to the French Consulate of your native country, or hold the visa prior to boarding. The validity of the residence permit cannot exceed the duration of the studies undertaken.

Contact

ENROLMENT OF EXCHANGE STUDENTS (International Office)

If an agreement has been signed between your institution and UPF, you can ask for admission under the agreement rules. Please contact first the officer in your home university in charge of the exchange programs.