146 Best Public Universities in France

France, home to the famous landmark The Eiffel Tower, can be one of the places to consider if you want to study in a public university abroad. This country in West Europe offers budget-friendly education that contends with top universities around the globe. Besides starting your career through international studies, living in France can also help you build professional networks and learn more about people from various backgrounds.

There are 230 universities you can find in France, and 146 of them are public universities. Having these many choices makes France a great place for international students.

In this article, you’ll find out the public universities in France, with some added information on programs, tuition, and how many international students you’ll be studying with. Let’s get started!

Can International Students Study in Public Universities in France?

Absolutely! International students in public universities in France can pursue different program levels, but the most popular ones are bachelor’s and master’s programs.

As for tuition fees, note that these vary across specific disciplines and program levels, with some charging significantly more than others. Some public universities in France charge no tuition fees to international students, while others charge up to 16,800 Euros.

Rank University Location
1 Sorbonne University Paris, France
2 Paris-Saclay University Gif sur Yvette, France
3 École Normale Supérieure Paris, France
4 Paris Cité University Paris, France
5 Grenoble Alpes University Grenoble, France
6 Toulouse 1 Capitole University Toulouse, France
7 Paris Institute of Political Studies Paris, France
8 Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France
9 École Centrale de Nantes Nantes, France
10 University of Strasbourg Strasbourg, France
11 ENS Lyon Lyon, France
12 University of Bordeaux Bordeaux, France
13 University of Montpellier Montpellier, France
14 Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University Paris, France
15 École Polytechnique Paris, France
16 MINES ParisTech Paris, France
17 Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 Lyon, France
18 Ecole des Ponts ParisTech Champs sur Marne, France
19 Paris Dauphine University Paris, France
20 Paul Sabatier University Toulouse, France
21 Grenoble Institute of Technology Grenoble, France
22 University of Nantes Nantes, France
23 ENS Paris-Saclay Essonne, France
24 AgroParisTech Paris, France
25 University of Lille Lille, France
26 ESPCI Paris – PSL Paris, France
27 University of Lorraine Nancy, France
28 National Institute of Applied Sciences of Lyon Villeurbanne, France
29 Paris-East Créteil University Creteil, France
30 University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Versailles, France
31 EURECOM Alpes Maritimes, France
32 IMT Atlantique Brest, France
33 Southern Brittany University Lorient, France
34 Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University Paris, France
35 University of Burgundy Dijon, France
36 Télécom Paris Paris, France
37 Toulouse Institute of Technology Toulouse, France
38 University of Rennes 1 Rennes, France
39 University of Clermont Auvergne Clermont Ferrand, France
40 Côte d’Azur University Nice, France
41 Paul Valéry University Montpellier 3 Montpellier, France
42 CentraleSupélec, Paris-Saclay University Metz, France
43 University of Angers Angers, France
44 University of Orléans Orleans, France
45 University of Tours Tours, France
46 New Sorbonne University – Paris III Paris, France
47 University of Poitiers Poitiers, France
48 Lumière University Lyon 2 Lyon, France
49 Paris Nanterre University Nanterre, France
50 Polytechnic University of Hauts-de-France Valenciennes, France
51 University of Technology of Compiègne Compiegne, France
52 University of Technology of Troyes Troyes, France
53 Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 Lyon, France
54 Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology Paris, France
55 University of Toulouse-Jean Jaurès Toulouse, France
56 Chimie ParisTech Paris, France
57 Central School of Lyon Lyon, France
58 University of Caen Normandy Caen, France
59 Cergy-Pontoise University Cergy Pontoise, France
60 University of Upper Alsace Mulhouse, France
61 University of Pau and the Adour Region Pau, France
62 University of Franche-Comté Besancon, France
63 University of Rouen Normandy Rouen, France
64 Savoy Mont Blanc University Annecy, France
65 University of Toulon Toulon, France
66 University of Limoges Limoges, France
67 University of Western Brittany Brest, France
68 University of Picardy Jules Verne Amiens, France
69 Avignon University Avignon, France
70 La Rochelle University La Rochelle, France
71 Le Mans University Le Mans, France
72 Centrale Lille Villeneuve d’Ascq, France
73 School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences Paris, France
74 University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne Reims, France
75 Jean Monnet University Saint Etienne, France
76 University of Perpignan – Domitian Perpignan, France
77 Sorbonne Paris North University Paris, France
78 French National School of Civil Aviation Toulouse, France
79 University of Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée Marne la Vallee, France
80 Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis Paris, France
81 Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space Toulouse, France
82 National Institute of Oriental Languages ​​and Civilizations Paris, France
83 Montpellier SupAgro Montpellier, France
84 Rennes 2 University Rennes, France
85 EHESP School of Public Health Rennes, France
86 University of Évry Val d’Essonne Evry Courcouronnes, France
87 Artois University Arras, France
88 University of the Littoral Opal Coast Dunkirk, France
89 French National Library and Information Science School Villeurbanne, France
90 University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard Belfort, France
91 Le Havre Normandy University Le Havre, France
92 INSA Toulouse Toulouse, France
93 National Veterinary School of Alfort Maisons Alfort, France
94 TBS Education Toulouse, France
95 Telecom SudParis Evry Courcouronnes, France
96 University of Corsica Pasquale Paoli Corsica, France
97 Agrocampus Ouest Rennes, France
98 National Institute for Applied Sciences, Rouen Rouen, France
99 National Graduate School of Engineering and Research Center Caen, France
100 IMT Nord Europe Lille, France
101 ENSAE ParisTech Palaiseau, France
102 INSA Rennes Rennes, France
103 Bordeaux INP Bordeaux, France
104 École Nationale Supérieure de l’Electronique et de ses Applications Cergy Pontoise, France
105 IMT Mines Alès Ales, France
106 National Veterinary School of Toulouse Toulouse, France
107 ENSTA Bretagne Brest, France
108 Bordeaux Montaigne University Pessac, France
109 Brest National School of Engineering Plouzane, France
110 Centrale Marseille Marseille, France
111 University of Nîmes Nimes, France
112 INSA Strasbourg Strasbourg, France
113 IMT Mines Albi Albi, France
114 ISAE-ENSMA Chasseneuil du Poitou, France
115 National Graduate School of Textile Engineering Roubaix, France
116 École Nationale Vétérinaire, Agroalimentaire et de l’alimentation de Nantes-Atlantique Nantes, France
117 National School of Engineers of Tarbes Tarbes, France
118 École nationale d’ingénieurs de Saint-Étienne Saint Etienne, France
119 Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier Montpellier, France
120 ISAE‑Supméca Saint Ouen sur Seine, France
121 L’Institut Agro Dijon Dijon, France
122 National School of Statistics and Information Analysis Bruz, France
123 Bordeaux Sciences Agro Bordeaux, France
124 VetAgro Sup Lyon, France
125 National Graduate School of Agronomy, Toulouse Auzeville Tolosane, France
126 ESTIA Institute of Technology Bidart, France
127 Engineering School of the City of Paris Paris, France
128 Graduate School of Civil, Environmental and Urban Engineering Vaulx en Velin, France
129 National University Institute Jean-Francois Champollion Albi, France
130 National School of Geographic Sciences Paris, France
131 CESI Graduate School of Engineering Paris, France
132 Institute of Intercultural Management and Communication Paris, France
133 École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Lille Lille, France
134 ENS Rennes Rennes, France
135 National School of Computer Science for Industry and Business Evry Courcouronnes, France
136 SIGMA Clermont Aubiere, France
137 École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes Rennes, France
138 École de Management Léonard de Vinci Courbevoie, France
139 National Institute and School of Applied Sciences of Centre Loire Valley Blois, France
140 ESITC Caen Caen, France
141 École nationale de la météorologie Toulouse, France
142 National School of Architecture of Nancy Nancy, France
143 ENSTA Paris Palaiseau, France
144 L’Ecole Supérieure Européenne de Management Saint Jacques, France
145 Institut Supérieur du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publics Marseille, France
146 Mines Saint-Étienne Saint Etienne, France