Guides · Updated
Is your child preparing the French Baccalauréat from the United States or another country and considering higher education in France? Parcoursup is France's national platform for university admissions. The good news: it works perfectly well from abroad. Here is what you need to know.
How does Parcoursup work?
Parcoursup handles applications to almost all undergraduate programs in France: university bachelor’s degrees, preparatory classes (CPGE), BUT, post-high-school engineering and business schools, political science institutes (IEP), PASS and L.AS for medical studies, and more.
The timeline usually follows the same pattern every year: program discovery from December, registration and choosing programs from January to mid-March, completing the file until early April, then the admission phase from late May/early June to July. Exact dates are published each year on the official Parcoursup website.
Applying from abroad: what changes (and what does not)
Students who are preparing for or already hold the French Baccalauréat can apply through Parcoursup, including if they live abroad and take the Bac as independent candidates (candidats libres). Holders of a foreign diploma, such as the American High School Diploma, may also be eligible: the procedure depends on their nationality, their country of residence and the program they want (see the official Parcoursup FAQ for international students).
Everything is online. What requires more planning is the application file: Grade 11 and 12 report cards, the school’s recommendation form, a motivation statement for each program, and possibly elements from the American curriculum that strengthen the profile.
For a student in dual schooling, this is an asset: the file can highlight mastery of two languages, two cultures and two ways of working, which selective programs value highly.
Choosing specialty subjects: a key step
The specialty subjects chosen in Grade 11 and Grade 12 determine access to certain programs (for example, math for many science and economics tracks). At OFA Lycée, college guidance starts in Grade 10, in particular to plan these specialty choices around the student’s goals.
Combining Parcoursup, the Common App and UCAS
French-American students have a rare advantage: they can apply in parallel in France through Parcoursup, in the US and Canada through the Common Application, in the UK through UCAS, and to many European universities. The timelines differ: Early Decision and Early Action in the fall for US colleges, UCAS deadlines in winter, Parcoursup choices until mid-March. Planning should start in Grade 11.
- Building the Parcoursup file and motivation statements.
- Writing the personal statement for the Common App and UCAS.
- Preparing for standardized tests (SAT, TOEFL) and DELF/DALF certifications.
- Applications to CPGE, PASS/L.AS, grandes écoles and political science institutes.
- Recommendation letters written by teachers and interview preparation.
Support at OFA Lycée
Each OFA Lycée high school student is supported individually by a college counselor who knows both the French and the English-speaking systems. International college counseling is included in high school tuition.
Between 2022 and 2026, OFA Lycée alumni were admitted to more than 90 universities and schools, including Sciences Po, CentraleSupélec, ESSEC, EDHEC, ESCP, INSA Lyon, Sorbonne Université and many CPGE (Lycée Fénelon, Lycée Lakanal…) in France, as well as Northwestern University, Boston University and the University of Notre Dame in the US.