Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1

About Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1

Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 is an autonomous public university within France’s national higher-education system. The Ministry of Higher Education identifies it as an EPSCP, a public scientific, cultural, and professional institution, with the official UAI identifier 0691774D. The ministry’s register records 1971 as its establishment year, following the decree of December 1970 that created the institution. The university’s defining academic areas are science, technology, health, and sport, supplemented by engineering, teacher education, actuarial science, management, and other professionally oriented studies. This specialization makes Lyon 1 materially different from a broad multidisciplinary university offering the full range of humanities, arts, law, and social sciences under one institution. Prospective students should verify that their intended subject is actually housed at Lyon 1 rather than at another university in the Lyon system. Lyon 1 is geographically distributed. Its main groupings include LyonTech-la Doua in Villeurbanne, Lyon Santé-Est in Lyon’s eighth arrondissement, Lyon Sud-Charles Mérieux in Oullins-Pierre-Bénite, and a Bourg-en-Bresse site. Individual schools and programs may operate at additional locations. Campus assignment can therefore affect commuting, housing choices, clinical access, and daily student experience. In 2026 the institution introduced Lyon 1 Université as a public-facing brand. Official records and current admissions pages continue to identify the legal institution as Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, with no evidence that it has closed or ceased independent operation.

Admission depends on the applicant’s level, nationality, country of residence, prior enrollment, and chosen program. First-year undergraduate applicants commonly use Parcoursup, France’s national pre-enrollment platform. First-year master’s applications generally use Mon Master, while eCandidat is used for a number of other entry points, including certain later undergraduate or second-year master’s applications. Each program may set its own prerequisites, supporting documents, selection process, and campaign dates, so applicants must follow the current catalogue and the procedure assigned to their profile. International applicants outside exchange agreements face additional routing. Candidates residing in a country covered by Études en France may need to complete the Campus France process alongside the relevant university or national application route. The university warns that the list of programs open to international applications is updated annually and that some programs may be closed in a particular campaign. For programs taught in French, Lyon 1 generally requires international candidates to document at least B2 French through an accepted qualification such as an eligible TCF, DELF B2, or qualifying TEF result. Exemptions and alternative evidence depend on the applicant’s situation. This should not be interpreted as a single university-wide English-test policy. Regulated health programs and doctoral study use specialized rules. Doctoral candidates must identify a suitable research environment and doctoral school and address supervision and funding. Applicants should rely on the live 2026–2027 procedure pages because platform dates and eligible programs can change between cycles.

Lyon 1’s official offering covers study from undergraduate education through doctoral research. Its principal subject groupings are science and technology, health, and sciences and techniques of physical and sporting activities. The catalogue also encompasses engineering, teacher education, actuarial science, management, and professionally oriented qualifications. Students should use the live course catalogue to identify the precise degree, track, teaching site, language, entry level, and application channel, because a broad subject label can contain several distinct pathways. At undergraduate level, the university offers licences and other French higher-education qualifications, including professionally focused routes. Master’s study is organized by disciplinary mentions and more specialized parcours. The official catalogue notes efforts to connect master’s and doctoral training through thematic graduate initiatives. Some programs may also use work-study, distance, or continuing-education formats, but availability must be checked on the individual program record for the relevant academic year. Doctoral education is organized through 13 doctoral schools serving life sciences, exact sciences, and selected human and social-science fields. Lyon 1 reports approximately 1,700 doctoral candidates and about 360 thesis defenses annually. Entry normally follows a national master’s degree or recognized equivalent and requires an appropriate research setting, doctoral-school affiliation, supervision, and attention to funding. Health education follows regulated French pathways and may involve clinical settings and campus-specific progression rules. Applicants interested in medicine or another regulated health profession should consult the dedicated program pages rather than assume that the general bachelor’s or master’s process applies. Across all levels, the official catalogue is the appropriate source for current prerequisites and curriculum details.

Key Highlights

• Public French university with EPSCP status and UAI identifier 0691774D
• Established in 1971 following a December 1970 creation decree
• Academic focus spans science, technology, health, sport, engineering, education, actuarial science, and management
• Teaching is distributed across Lyon, Villeurbanne, Oullins-Pierre-Bénite, Bourg-en-Bresse, and specialized sites

Student Life & Environment

Student life varies by campus because Lyon 1 is spread across several academic and health sites. The university’s student-services portal brings together practical information on health care, financial and social assistance, food support, disability arrangements, tutoring, cultural activities, sport, student associations, and project funding. The university health service offers services such as medical consultations, nursing support, screening, and stress-management activities. CROUS restaurants and cafeterias operate at or near several Lyon 1 locations, including LyonTech-la Doua, Villeurbanne Gratte-Ciel, Lyon Santé-Est, Gerland, and Lyon Sud. Available facilities differ by site, so students should check the location attached to their program before planning meals, study routines, or extracurricular participation. Campus libraries and other learning spaces are likewise distributed across science, health, education, and specialist sites. Lyon 1 does not operate a dedicated student-housing service or guarantee university accommodation. Its housing information points students toward CROUS options, Lokaviz listings, a partner housing platform, private rentals, and guarantee or rental-assistance schemes. Students seeking a CROUS scholarship or residence place generally need to complete the Dossier Social Étudiant within the published annual campaign. An international-student welcome office supports enrolled international students with university and sociocultural integration. Prospective international students should distinguish this support from admissions, visa, housing, and administrative-registration procedures, which use separate services and platforms.

Location & Surroundings

The university is associated with Lyon, but many students study in Villeurbanne or at another site in the metropolitan area. LyonTech-la Doua lies in northern Villeurbanne close to Lyon and is served by tram lines T1 and T4 and local buses. It is a principal location for science and technology activity. Lyon Santé-Est combines the Rockefeller and La Buire areas in Lyon’s eighth arrondissement. These facilities sit near major hospitals and are accessible through the Grange Blanche and Laënnec public-transport stops. Lyon Sud-Charles Mérieux is in Oullins-Pierre-Bénite beside the Lyon Sud hospital complex. The Bourg-en-Bresse location hosts activities including parts of the IUT, teacher education, and midwifery-related study. This multi-site structure is the main practical consideration when choosing accommodation. A home convenient for central Lyon may not produce the shortest journey to La Doua, Lyon Sud, or Bourg-en-Bresse. Applicants should confirm the program’s actual teaching location before signing a lease. Health pathways can also involve more than one teaching or clinical setting, while certain programs operate at specialized sites beyond the three main metropolitan campuses.

Costs & Career Outcomes

Fees depend on citizenship or residency category, degree type, and exemption status. For 2026–2027, Lyon 1 states that newly enrolling non-European students who do not fall within a regulatory or institutional exemption category may be charged differentiated tuition of €2,902 for a bachelor’s degree and €3,950 for a master’s degree. The page lists several categories not subject to these differentiated fees, including qualifying European, EEA, Swiss, protected-status, and long-term-resident cases; doctoral students are also listed outside this differentiated-fee regime. Lyon 1 may grant full or partial exemptions within the applicable regulatory quota. A previous exemption does not automatically continue, although the university describes transitional protection for certain students already enrolled in 2025–2026 who remain in the same study cycle and corresponding program. Students admitted through Études en France before the May 2026 regulatory change are covered by specific transitional provisions. Because liability is individual, applicants should obtain a determination from the university rather than budget from nationality alone. Standard national fees, the CVEC, housing, food, transport, insurance, and program-specific costs should be budgeted separately where applicable. For career preparation, the university’s SOIE service provides individual guidance, application workshops, internship-search support, and information about recruitment and employment. Students can use Lyon 1’s Career Center for internship, work-study, and job opportunities, while the MonStage system supports internship-agreement administration. Career outcomes will differ substantially between research, engineering, health, sport, education, and other professional pathways, so applicants should consult program-level outcome information when available.