University of Montpellier
Université de Montpellier
Home to the world's oldest medical faculty still in operation, now a science, health and law university on the Mediterranean.
- Students
- 54,210
- International
- 18%
- of students
- Tuition
- €2,902
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1220
About UM
The University of Montpellier dates its founding to 1220, when Cardinal Conrad of Urach gave the first statutes to its medical school, and a papal bull of 1289 combined the city's schools into a university. Its Faculty of Medicine is described by the university as the oldest medical faculty in activity in the world. Split into three universities in 1970, it was re-formed in 2015 by merging Montpellier 1 and Montpellier 2, while Paul Valéry University (humanities) stayed separate.
Today UM has 54,210 students, more than 10,000 of them international from over 150 countries, 5,197 staff including 2,797 teachers and researchers, and 17 faculties, schools and institutes: law and political science, economics, education, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, sciences, sport sciences, a business school (IAE), three IUTs, Polytech Montpellier and the national chemistry school ENSCM. Its 81 research units work closely with national research bodies such as CNRS, INRAE, Inserm, CIRAD and IRD, with particular strength in environment, agriculture, health and chemistry.
Licences are mostly taught in French and admission runs through Parcoursup and, for non-EU applicants, Études en France; some bachelor's and many master's tracks are fully in English. It suits students aiming at health, life sciences, environment or law who want a large research university in a sunny, student-heavy city near the sea.
Why students choose UM
Study medicine, pharmacy or dentistry at the faculty where Rabelais took his medical studies, described by UM as the oldest medical faculty still operating.
Strength in environment, agriculture and health, with 81 research units linked to CNRS, INRAE, Inserm, CIRAD, IRD, Inria and Ifremer.
IDIL, a graduate programme of 13 English-taught master's tracks with two six-month lab internships and a research mentor from the first year.
More than 10,000 international students from over 150 countries, a Welcome Desk for visas, housing and insurance, and French-as-a-foreign-language courses.
Admissions
Rentrée September 2027
Selectivity
French public universities do not publish an overall admit rate. First-year admission (licence, BUT, PASS and others) is through Parcoursup, where each programme publishes its general criteria, specific expectations and capacity; UM also publishes public reports on how Parcoursup applications were examined.
Typical entry requirements
| Baccalauréat or equivalent | Apply for the first year of a licence, BUT or PASS through Parcoursup; each programme publishes its expectations and capacity |
|---|---|
| Non-EU secondary diploma | Residents of an Études en France country apply through that platform (DAP for first-year licence); programmes taught in English do not require French |
| English language | Most licences are taught in French. UM also offers programmes 100% taught in English, from licence to PhD, which the university says require no prior knowledge of French; English requirements are set by each programme. |
Deadlines
- Études en France / DAP, first-year licence (non-EU) Non-binding Next deadline · In ~2 months15 December 2026
Opens 1 October 2026. Universities answer by 30 April 2027; applicants must choose by 31 May 2027.
- Parcoursup (French and EU applicants) Non-bindingMid-March 2027 (12 March in 2026)
For 2026-27 entry, wishes were entered from 19 January to 12 March 2026 and confirmed by 1 April, with offers from 2 June. Campus France gives January-March 2027 for wishes and April 2027 for confirmation; exact dates are not yet published.
The DAP dates for 2027-28 come from Campus France; the Parcoursup 2027 calendar has not been published, so the 2026 dates are given for reference. UM's open day is on Saturday 27 February 2027 (ENSCM on 6 February 2027).
How to apply
Candidates for the first year of higher education (licence 1, DEUST 1, BUT 1, PASS) apply through Parcoursup. Non-EU applicants living in an Études en France country submit a DAP file through Études en France, examined by up to three universities. Some faculties and institutes (IAE, IPAG, IUTs) run their own procedures for later years.
What admissions looks for
- A school record that matches the specific expectations each programme publishes on Parcoursup.
- For selective programmes, strong grades in the relevant subjects, ranked against the programme's capacity.
- For non-EU applicants, a complete Études en France file and French (or English for English-taught programmes) at the required level.
- Motivation and coherence of the study plan, shown through the Parcoursup file.
Tips for applying to UM
- 1 Read the general criteria and specific expectations for your programme, which UM publishes along with capacities and past examination reports.
- 2 Non-EU applicants: budget for differentiated fees. From 2026 UM applies 2,902 euros a year for a licence, as exemptions are now tightly limited.
- 3 Visit on the open day, Saturday 27 February 2027, before confirming your Parcoursup wishes.
- 4 If your French is not yet strong, look at UM's programmes taught 100% in English.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
Until 2026 UM exempted non-EU students from differentiated fees, but after the decree of 19 May 2026 it applies them from the 2026-27 year. Students on French grants and wards of the state are exempt by right, Lebanese students living in Lebanon get an exceptional full exemption for 2026, and non-EU students continuing in the same programme, long-term residents, refugees and those with French tax residence for over two years pay national fees. Limited individual exemptions may be requested after enrolment.
- 178 euros a year
- Licence fee, EU students (2026-27)
- 2,902 euros a year
- Differentiated licence fee, non-EU (2026-27)
- 3,950 euros a year
- Differentiated master's fee, non-EU (2026-27)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Medicine (PASS and health studies)
Taught by the faculty UM describes as the world's oldest medical faculty in activity, whose history includes Rabelais and Chaptal.
IDIL graduate programme (master's)
13 English-taught master's tracks from bio-health to political science, with two six-month research internships.
Chemistry (ENSCM and Faculty of Sciences)
A national engineering school of chemistry sits inside the university.
Law and Political Science
A law school tradition going back to Placentinus in the 12th century; Petrarch studied law in Montpellier.
CHARM-EU master's in Global Challenges for Sustainability
An English-taught master's of the CHARM-EU European university alliance.
Research
- 81 research units, 9 doctoral schools and about 7,800 scientific publications in 2022.
- Close partnerships with CNRS, INRAE, Inserm, CIRAD, IRD, Inria and Ifremer, making Montpellier a hub for environment, agriculture and health research.
- Water research anchored by Hydrosciences Montpellier and a UNESCO water centre, which made Montpellier an international capital of water research.
- Mathematician Alexander Grothendieck, Fields Medal 1966, studied and later taught at Montpellier.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Law and Political Science
- Faculty of Economics
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Dentistry
- Faculty of Pharmacy
- Faculty of Sciences
- Faculty of Sport Sciences (STAPS)
- Institute of Business Administration (IAE)
- Institute for the Preparation for General Administration (IPAG)
- Polytech Montpellier
- ENSCM (National School of Chemistry of Montpellier)
Student life
UM is spread across several sites in Montpellier, almost all linked by tram line 1: law and the historic Faculty of Medicine in the city centre, economics, management and IPAG on the Richter campus in the south, pharmacy in Boutonnet, and the 30-hectare Triolet campus in the north for sciences, the IAE, ENSCM and Polytech, plus IUTs in Béziers, Nîmes and Sète. The university runs a Welcome Desk for international students, French-as-a-foreign-language courses and many student associations, and belongs to the CHARM-EU European university alliance. The historic Jardin des plantes, France's oldest botanical garden (1593), sits in the centre.
- Historic Faculty of Medicine building in the city centre, with an anatomy museum.
- Jardin des plantes de Montpellier, France's oldest botanical garden, founded in 1593.
- Member of the CHARM-EU European university alliance.
- Welcome Desk for international students covering visas, housing and insurance.
Location
Montpellier is a city of about 310,000 people (843,000 in the metropolitan area) near the Mediterranean in the Occitania region, the prefecture of the Hérault department and the third-largest French city near the Mediterranean coast after Marseille and Nice. UM describes it as a well-known, lively and cosmopolitan student city between the sea and the mountains.
Nearest airport: Montpellier-Méditerranée Airport (MPL), about 7 km east-southeast of the city
Notable alumni
- P PetrarchItalian poet and scholar, often seen as the founder of Renaissance humanism; studied law at Montpellier (1316-1320)
- FR François RabelaisRenaissance writer of Gargantua and Pantagruel; studied medicine and took his licence at Montpellier
- AG Alexander GrothendieckFields Medal-winning mathematician; began his mathematics studies at Montpellier and later taught there
- SZ Sahle-Work ZewdeFirst woman President of Ethiopia; studied natural science at Montpellier
- TH Taha HusseinEgyptian writer and intellectual; studied at Montpellier and earned an MA there before the Sorbonne
- AZ Albert ZafyPresident of Madagascar (1993-1996); studied at the University of Montpellier
Frequently asked questions
How much does the University of Montpellier cost for international students?
In 2026-27 a licence costs 178 euros a year for EU students and 2,902 euros for most non-EU students, as UM now applies differentiated fees following the 19 May 2026 decree. Grant holders and some other groups are exempt.
Is the Montpellier medical school really the oldest in the world?
The university describes its Faculty of Medicine, created in the 12th century, as the oldest medical faculty in activity in the world; its first statutes date from 1220.
How do I apply to the University of Montpellier?
For the first year, through Parcoursup if you are in the French or EU system, or through Études en France (DAP, 1 October-15 December 2026) if you live in a participating non-EU country.
Does the University of Montpellier teach in English?
Yes, some licences and many master's and PhD programmes are taught 100% in English and require no French, including the 13 master's tracks of the IDIL graduate programme. Most licences remain in French.
Is Paul Valéry University part of the University of Montpellier?
No. When Montpellier 1 and Montpellier 2 merged in 2015 to form today's University of Montpellier, Paul Valéry University (arts, humanities and social sciences) remained a separate institution.
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.
Explore nearby in the world top 100
Universities ranked close to UM in the QS World University Rankings 2027.