Université de Lorraine
A 60,000-student public university spread across Nancy, Metz and the Lorraine region, which graduates more engineers than any other French institution.
- Students
- 60,000
- International
- 17%
- of students
- Tuition
- €2,902
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 2012
About UL
The Université de Lorraine was created on 1 January 2012 by merging the three universities of Nancy (Henri Poincaré, Nancy 2 and the Lorraine National Polytechnic Institute) with Paul Verlaine University in Metz. Its roots go back much further: the university founded at Pont-à-Mousson in the 16th century moved to Nancy in 1768, and today's Faculty of Law, Economics and Management in Nancy traces its history to 1582.
With about 60,000 students, 7,100 staff and 60 research laboratories on 49 sites, UL is one of France's largest universities. It is organised into 24 faculties and institutes, 11 engineering schools, including Mines Nancy, ENSIC and Polytech Nancy, and 8 university institutes of technology (IUTs). The university describes itself as France's leading centre for engineering education and the French institution that graduates the most engineers.
About 10,000 international students attend, including 800 doctoral students, and the Franco-German institute ISFATES and the cross-border UniGR network reflect its position next to Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. Most bachelor's (licence) teaching is in French at French public fees, so UL suits students who want a broad choice of subjects, a direct route into engineering schools, or a Franco-German degree at modest cost.
Faire dialoguer les savoirs, c'est innover
“Innovation through the dialogue between knowledge fields” — university motto
Why students choose UL
Eleven engineering schools, among them Mines Nancy, ENSIC (chemistry), ENSEM (electrical and mechanical engineering), ENSAIA (agronomy and food) and TELECOM Nancy, make UL France's largest producer of engineering graduates.
Registration fees are set nationally: 178 euros a year for a licence for French and EU students, and 2,902 euros for non-EU students paying differentiated fees in 2026/27.
ISFATES, founded in 1978 by France and Germany, runs integrated Franco-German licence and master's programmes with joint degrees awarded with htw saar.
The university runs the student entrepreneurship hub PEEL and reports being first in France for student entrepreneurship.
Admissions
Entry September 2027 (first year of licence, BUT or engineering preparatory cycle)
Selectivity
UL publishes no overall admission rate. First-year places are allocated through Parcoursup, where a programme's answer of 'oui' or 'oui si' (admission with support) lets you register; selective programmes (filières sélectives) examine every application.
Typical entry requirements
| French baccalauréat or European Baccalaureate | Apply through Parcoursup; each programme publishes the criteria it examines (school results, motivation, skills) |
|---|---|
| EU/EEA/Swiss secondary diploma | Apply through Parcoursup with the diploma that gives access to higher education in the issuing country; good French is recommended |
| Non-EU secondary diploma | Demande d'admission préalable (DAP) via Études en France (Campus France countries) or the paper 'dossier blanc' through the French embassy, with up to three university choices |
| English language | Most licence programmes are taught in French. UL publishes a 2026/27 catalogue of programmes taught 100% in English (licences, master's, engineering degrees and Erasmus Mundus masters), with requirements set by each programme. |
Deadlines
- DAP / Études en France (first-year licence, non-EU) Non-binding Next deadline · In ~2 months15 December 2026
Opens 1 October 2026; your application is examined at the same time by the three universities you choose. Campus France's page prints the closing date as '15 December 2027'; that is a typo for 15 December 2026, since registrations open on 1 October 2026 for the 2027/28 academic year, so 2026 is used here.
- Parcoursup 2027 Non-bindingJanuary to March 2027 (exact dates not yet published)
Campus France's 2027/28 timetable: platform opens December 2026, registration January to March 2027, complete your list of choices April 2027, main admission phase June to July 2027. In 2026, choices closed on 12 March and files had to be completed by 1 April.
- eCandidat (later-year and other applications) Non-bindingFrom mid-March 2027 (opened 15 March in 2026)
For applicants changing programme or entering beyond the first year (MonMaster, from mid-February, for master's 1). The 2027 opening dates are not yet published; 2026 dates were 15 March (eCandidat) and 17 February (MonMaster).
The Parcoursup 2027 calendar had not been published at the time of checking; the 2026 session ran from 19 January to 12 March 2026 for choices and 1 April 2026 to complete files.
How to apply
French, EU/EEA and Swiss applicants and holders of a French or European baccalaureate apply through Parcoursup (up to 10 choices), then pay the CVEC and complete online administrative registration from July. Non-EU applicants resident in a Campus France country apply through Études en France (DAP for the first year of a licence); those in other countries use the DAP 'dossier blanc' via the French embassy's cultural service. Applicants for later years use eCandidat (from 15 March) or MonMaster for master's.
What admissions looks for
- A secondary diploma that gives access to higher education, and school results relevant to the chosen licence.
- Motivation and fit with the programme, as described in each Parcoursup programme page's examination criteria.
- For non-EU applicants, a sufficient level of French, usually shown by a language test in the DAP.
- For selective routes (BUT, engineering preparatory cycles), a strong academic file in the relevant subjects.
Tips for applying to UL
- 1 Non-EU applicants: file your DAP between 1 October and 15 December 2026 (Campus France misprints the closing year as 2027); it is the route into the first year of a licence and it is examined by all three universities you choose.
- 2 Budget for the visa: non-EU students must show at least 877.50 euros a month in resources, excluding fees.
- 3 Differentiated fees (2,902 euros for a licence) apply unless you fall under a national exemption; UL asks you to email its registration office with your nationality, faculty and degree to confirm which fee you will pay, and individual waiver requests go to its student social action committee (CASE).
- 4 Pay the CVEC (105 euros in 2026/27) first: its certificate number is required to complete registration.
- 5 If you live in Nancy or Metz on a budget, apply early for a CROUS residence room (9 to 15 square metres).
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
French government and CROUS social-criteria grant holders are fully exempt from registration fees, as are students under reciprocal exchange agreements. Institutions may also waive fees on request for students in difficulty, under rules changed by Decree 2026-385 of 19 May 2026 (students with a 2025/26 waiver keep the old rules until the end of their cycle); at UL such requests go through the student social action committee (CASE). UL relays Eiffel excellence scholarships (master's and PhD) and Erasmus+ international credit mobility grants.
- 105 euros
- CVEC (2026-27)
- 2,902 euros a year
- Differentiated fee, licence (non-EU)
- 877.50 euros a month
- Visa resources requirement
Academics
Academic calendar: Two semesters: September/October to January/February and January/February to May/June
Mines Nancy engineering degree
A generalist grande école engineering programme whose graduates include former ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet.
ENSIC chemical engineering
The national higher school of chemical industries, one of UL's 11 engineering schools.
ISFATES Franco-German degrees
Integrated licence and master's programmes with joint degrees from UL and htw saar, supported by the Franco-German University.
Law, Economics and Management (Nancy)
A faculty founded in 1582 at Pont-à-Mousson with about 4,800 students today.
BUT at the IUTs
Three-year professional technology bachelor's degrees taught at 8 IUTs across Lorraine.
Master in Cinema and Audiovisual (IECA)
The European Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual is one of France's few public university film schools.
Research
- 60 research laboratories, run with national bodies such as CNRS, INSERM, INRAE and Inria, including the LORIA computer science lab and the Institut Jean Lamour for materials science.
- The I-SITE Lorraine excellence initiative (Lorraine Université d'Excellence) organises research around six challenges, including materials, energy transition, digital trust and health engineering.
- Fields Medallists Laurent Schwartz and Jean-Pierre Serre taught at the university in Nancy, where Alexander Grothendieck wrote his doctorate.
Schools & faculties
- Arts, Lettres et Langues (UFR ALL Nancy and Metz)
- Faculté de Droit, Sciences économiques et Gestion de Nancy
- Faculté de Droit, Économie et Administration de Metz
- Santé & sport (medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, sport sciences)
- Sciences humaines et sociales
- Sciences et technologies
- Management & Innovation (IAE Nancy, IAE Metz)
- Mines Nancy
- ENSIC (École nationale supérieure des industries chimiques)
- Polytech Nancy
- TELECOM Nancy
- Instituts universitaires de technologie (8 IUTs)
Student life
Student life is split between two main cities, Nancy and Metz, with smaller sites in towns such as Épinal and Thionville. CROUS runs the university residences, whose rooms of 9 to 15 square metres are the cheapest option, and the university offers a buddy system, welcome desks and welcome events for international students. UL also runs cultural venues including a national theatre space, the Nancy Aquarium Museum and the Jean-Marie Pelt botanical garden, as well as a network of 25 libraries.
- Welcome desks and a buddy system pairing international students with local students.
- 25 university libraries, including the BU Sciences & Techniques in Nancy.
- PEEL, the Lorraine student entrepreneurship hub.
- Cultural venues run by the university, including the Aquarium Museum and the Jean-Marie Pelt botanical garden in Nancy.
Housing. Most students rent privately or live in CROUS residence rooms of 9 to 15 square metres, applied for online; housing is a condition of the visa, so start early.
Location
Lorraine sits in north-eastern France, bordering Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. Nancy is known for Place Stanislas and its Art Nouveau heritage; Metz, on the Moselle, is close to Luxembourg. Both have direct trains to Paris, and the region can also be reached via Luxembourg Airport by bus and train.
Nearest airport: Luxembourg Airport (LUX) or Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) via TGV
Notable alumni
- AG Alexander GrothendieckMathematician and Fields Medallist; wrote his doctoral thesis at the University of Nancy (1950-1953)
- JT Jean-Claude TrichetPresident of the European Central Bank 2003-2011; graduate of the École des Mines de Nancy
- FT Frans TimmermansFormer European Commission First Vice-President; LLM in European law and MA from Nancy 2 University (1985)
- SR Ségolène RoyalFrench politician and 2007 presidential candidate; licence in economics from Nancy 2 University
- NM Nicolas MathieuNovelist, Prix Goncourt 2018; undergraduate degree from Paul Verlaine University in Metz
- MC Martine ClozelScientist and co-founder of Actelion and Idorsia; studied at the University of Nancy
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Université de Lorraine cost?
For 2026/27, French and EU students pay 178 euros a year for a licence (255 euros for a master's), plus the 105 euro CVEC. Non-EU students who pay differentiated fees pay 2,902 euros a year for a licence and 3,950 euros for a master's, unless a national exemption or a UL waiver applies.
How do international students apply to the Université de Lorraine?
EU students and holders of a French or European baccalaureate use Parcoursup. Non-EU students applying to the first year of a licence file a DAP through Études en France, or the 'dossier blanc' via the French embassy, between 1 October and 15 December 2026.
Does the Université de Lorraine teach in English?
Most bachelor's teaching is in French, but UL publishes a catalogue of programmes taught 100% in English, mostly at master's and engineering level plus some licences and Erasmus Mundus masters.
Is the Université de Lorraine a good university?
It is in the 801-850 band of the QS World University Rankings 2027 and the 301-400 band of ARWU 2026, and it trains more engineers than any other French institution.
Where is the Université de Lorraine?
Its main campuses are in Nancy and Metz in north-eastern France, with further sites in towns such as Épinal, Thionville and Saint-Dié-des-Vosges.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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