Rankings: The 60 best universities in France for 2025/2026
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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 2026 | THE Ranking 2026 | ARWU Ranking 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universit辿 PSL | 28 | 48 | 34 |
| cole Polytechnique | 41 | 68 | 201 |
| Universit辿 Paris-Saclay | 70 | 68 | 13 |
| Sorbonne University | 72 | 76 | 43 |
| ENS de Lyon | 205 | 301 | 301 |
| Universit辿 Paris 1 Panth辿on-Sorbonne | 257 | 801 | – |
| Universit辿 Paris Cit辿 | 300 | 190 | 60 |
| Universit辿 Grenoble Alpes | 321 | 351 | 151 |
| Sciences Po | 367 | 601 | – |
| INSA Lyon | 406 | 801 | – |
| University of Strasbourg | 420 | – | 101 |
| Aix-Marseille University | 428 | – | 151 |
| University of Montpellier | 430 | 401 | 151 |
| University of Bordeaux | 494 | 401 | 201 |
| Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University | 587 | 601 | 201 |
| Universit辿 Paul Sabatier | 587 | – | 301 |
| University of Lille | 654 | 601 | 401 |
| Universit辿 C担te dAzur | 688 | 601 | 401 |
| Universit辿 de Rennes 1 | 711 | 601 | 401 |
| Universit辿 de Lorraine | 751 | – | 201 |
| Marie and Louis Pasteur University | 851 | 801 | – |
| Universit辿 de Nantes | 851 | 601 | 501 |
| CY Cergy Paris University | 951 | 1001 | – |
| University of Western Brittany | 1001 | 801 | – |
| Universit辿 Lumi竪re Lyon 2 | 1001 | – | – |
| University Paris 2 Panth辿on-Assas | 1001 | – | – |
| Universit辿 Sorbonne Paris Nord | 1001 | – | – |
| Toulouse 1 Capitole University | 1001 | – | 401 |
| University of Caen Normandy | 1201 | – | – |
| University Toulouse - Jean Jaur竪s | 1201 | – | – |
| Universit辿 Paul-Val辿ry Montpellier 3 | 1201 | – | – |
| University Paris Nanterre | 1201 | 1501 | – |
| Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University | 1201 | 1501 | – |
| University of Poitiers | 1201 | 1201 | 801 |
| University of Limoges | 1201 | – | – |
| cole Centrale de Lyon | – | 801 | – |
| University of Angers | – | 1001 | – |
| University of Tours | – | 1001 | – |
| University of Orl辿ans | – | 1201 | – |
| University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne | – | 1201 | – |
| University of Rouen Normandy | – | 1201 | – |
| University of Technology of Compi竪gne | – | 1201 | – |
| INSA Strasbourg | – | 1501 | – |
| Universit辿 Polytechnique Hauts-de-France | – | 1501 | – |
| Universit辿 Sorbonne Nouvelle | – | 1501 | – |
| La Rochelle Universit辿 | – | 1501 | – |
| University of Pau and Pays de lAdour | – | 1501 | – |
| University of Technology of Troyes | – | 1501 | – |
| Arts et M辿tiers | – | 801 | – |
| ENTPE | – | 601 | – |
| Ecole des Mines de Saint-tienne | – | 601 | – |
| Centrale Nantes | – | 601 | – |
| Institut Agro | – | 401 | – |
| Universit辿 de Picardie Jules Verne | – | – | 901 |
| Universit辿 Savoie Mont Blanc | – | 1001 | 801 |
| Universit辿 de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines | – | – | 801 |
| INSA Toulouse | – | – | 801 |
| University of Clermont Auvergne | – | 1001 | 701 |
| University Paris-Est Cr辿teil Val de Marne (UPEC) | – | – | 701 |
| Universit辿 Bourgogne Europe | – | 1001 | 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 universitys 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
