The enrolment procedure is different depending on the cycle, or stage of higher education, in which you wish to enrol. More information is available on the French Ministry of Education website:

• if you want to enrol on a premier cycle course, which is the first stage of undergraduate studies
  
  
• if you have started your studies outside France and want to continue your studies in the French higher education system at a university

If you already have a higher education qualification and want to continue your studies at a French higher education institution, you can apply for exemption from elements of the course from the institution in which you wish to take a French qualification. To do this, you will need to show the foreign qualification(s) that you have along with translations in French and a description of the course(s) taken. The chancellor of the university or the director of the institution concerned will decide at which level you will be admitted, on the recommendation of a teaching committee (see decree No. 85-906 of 23 August 1985). This exemption is intended to allow you to gain accreditation for part or all of your previous university studies.

For some courses of study, there is a different admission procedure. You should contact the bodies indicated below for:

• Non-university higher education courses in plastic arts

The French Ministry of Culture and Communication does not award certificates of recognition of study levels for foreign qualifications. Holders of foreign qualifications who wish to continue their higher education studies in a French art school should contact the school concerned directly. A list of higher education-level art schools can be obtained from:

Ministère de la Culture et de la communication
Délégation aux arts plastiques
38, avenue de l'Opéra - 75009 Paris
Tel.: 01 40 15 75 38

• For information on higher education-level accounting courses and chartered accounting

Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la recherche
Direction générale pour l'enseignement supérieur et l'insertion professionnelle (DGESIP)
Sous direction des formations post-licence
Bureau des masters
110, rue de Grenelle - 75357 Paris 07 SP
Tel.: 01 55 55 69 99

• Courses to train agronomic engineers, agrifood engineers and veterinarians

Send your application along with a certificate of attendance from your institution, which must be validated by the department for cultural affairs at your embassy.

Ministère de l'Alimentation, de l'agriculture et de la pêche
Direction générale de l'enseignement et de la recherche
Sous direction des politiques de formation et d'éducation
Bureau des diplômes de l'enseignement technique
1 ter, avenue de Lowendal 75700 Paris 07 SP
Tél.: 01 49 55 57 40
Email: infodoc@agriculture.gouv.fr

• Non-university higher education courses in music and dance

Ministère de la Culture et de la communication
Direction de la musique, de la danse, du théâtre et des spectacles
Sous direction de la formation professionnelle et des entreprises culturelles
Bureau de l'enseignement supérieur de la formation professionnelle
53, rue Saint-Dominique - 75007 Paris
Tel: 01 40 15 88 26

• Paramedical courses

In this field, the contact changes according to the course that you wish to take and the profession that you would like to enter.
To continue your studies, find the profession that you would like to enter in the list below, and get in touch with the contact indicated.
Exemption from elements of your course may be granted on the basis of a qualification obtained outside France for some paramedical professions. Exemption is not automatic and is not applicable to all courses. In some cases, you may need to complete your studies again in full.

For courses leading to the following professions:

• biomedical analysis technician (for the Diplôme d’Etat, or government-certified diploma, in biomedical analysis - note: Different procedure for the BTS), dietician (for the course leading to a DUT [Diplôme Universitaire de Technologie] - note: Different procedure for the BTS - [Brevet de Technicien Supérieur]), hearing aid specialist, masseur-physiotherapist, nurse, nursing auxiliary, orthophoniste, psychomotility therapist, radiologist, speech therapist

  Contact the training institutions for each profesion

• biomedical analysis technician (for the BTS. Note: Different procedure for the Diplôme d’Etat in biomedical analysis), dietician (for the course leading to a BTS. Note: Different procedure for the DUT), optician-spectacle maker

Contact the rectorat [local education office] of the académie [local education authority] in which you live.

• occupational therapist, orthoptist

Contact the DDASS (Directions Départementales des Affaires Sanitaires et Sociales, or departmental bureau for health and social affairs; see the DDASS address for each department)

• ambulance driver

Ministère de la Santé et des sports
Direction générale de la santé
Bureau 2 C des formations des professions de santé
14, av. Duquesne - 75350 Paris 07 SP
Tél.: 01 40 56 48 39

• pharmacist's assistant

Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la recherche
Direction générale pour l'enseignement supérieur et l'insertion professionnelle (DGESIP)
Sous-direction des formations professionnelles
Bureau de la réglementation des diplômes professionnels
110 rue de Grenelle 75007 Paris France
Tel.: 01 55 55 35 56