University of Strasbourg
Université de Strasbourg
A research university on the French-German border with roots in 1538, 20 Nobel and Kavli prizes and 13,000 international students.
- Students
- 56,000
- International
- 23%
- of students
- Tuition
- €178
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1538
About Unistra
The University of Strasbourg traces its origins to the Protestant Gymnasium founded by the humanist Johannes Sturm on 22 March 1538, which became an Academy in 1566 and a university in 1621. After French annexation, revolution and German rule, when the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Universität built the Palais Universitaire and the Neustadt campus, the three post-1970 Strasbourg universities were merged again in 2009. Today it has about 56,000 students, 13,000 of them international, and 35 faculties, schools and institutes.
Its scientific record is unusually rich: the university counts 20 Nobel and Kavli prizes. Charles Frédéric Gerhardt, who first synthesised the basis of aspirin in 1853, taught chemistry here from 1855, Louis Pasteur was a professor in the Faculty of Sciences from 1849, and Wilhelm Röntgen taught physics here in the 1870s. Recent chemistry laureates Jean-Marie Lehn and Jean-Pierre Sauvage built a world centre of supramolecular chemistry in Strasbourg, and Jules Hoffmann won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine as a Strasbourg researcher.
Undergraduate licences are taught in French and admission follows the national systems: Parcoursup for French and EU applicants and Études en France or the DAP for most non-EU applicants. It suits students with good French who want a large, research-intensive university in a European capital city, with strong links to Germany and Switzerland through the Eucor European campus.
Why students choose Unistra
A long science tradition with 20 Nobel and Kavli prizes, including chemistry laureates Jean-Marie Lehn and Jean-Pierre Sauvage.
Low national fees: 178 euros a year for a licence for EU students; non-EU students pay the 2,902 euro differentiated fee unless they are exempt, and the decree of 19 May 2026 restricts the exemptions that shielded earlier intakes.
A Franco-German vocation and the Eucor European campus with universities across the Upper Rhine.
240 student associations, 90 sports activities, 23 libraries and 10 campuses, including the historic Neustadt site.
Admissions
Rentrée September 2027
Selectivity
French public universities do not publish an overall admit rate. Licence places are allocated through the national Parcoursup platform (or Études en France/DAP for non-EU applicants), with selectivity varying by programme.
Typical entry requirements
| Baccalauréat, European or International Baccalaureate, or an EU secondary diploma | Gives access to the first year of a licence; apply through Parcoursup |
|---|---|
| Secondary diploma from outside the EU | Must give access to higher education; residents of an Études en France country apply through that platform, others living outside the EU use the DAP (demande d'admission préalable) |
| English language | Licence programmes are taught in French, so applicants need to show sufficient French rather than English; the university runs extensive French-as-a-foreign-language courses. English requirements apply only to programmes taught in English, mainly at master's level. |
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 and may mention fee exemptions; applicants must choose by 31 May 2027, or silence counts as refusal.
- Parcoursup (French and EU applicants) Non-bindingMid-March 2027 (12 March in 2026)
In the 2026 cycle, wishes were entered from 19 January to 12 March and confirmed by 1 April, with offers from 2 June. For 2027 Campus France gives: wishes January-March 2027, confirmation April 2027, admission phase June-July 2027. Exact 2027 dates are not yet published.
The DAP dates for 2027-28 come from Campus France. The official Parcoursup 2027 calendar has not been published; the 2026 dates are shown for reference.
How to apply
French and EU applicants (and other international applicants with a French or European baccalaureate) apply for the first year of a licence through Parcoursup, preparing their national student number (INE). Non-EU applicants resident in an Études en France country apply through the Études en France platform, where a DAP file for first-year licence is examined by up to three universities. Some programmes use eCandidat.
What admissions looks for
- A secondary qualification that gives access to higher education in France or in your own country.
- A school record matching the expectations each licence sets out on Parcoursup.
- For non-EU applicants, a complete Études en France or DAP file and a sufficient level of French.
- Motivation for the chosen discipline, shown through the application file.
Tips for applying to Unistra
- 1 Non-EU applicants: check whether your country uses Études en France and submit the DAP file between 1 October and 15 December 2026.
- 2 Answer your offers by 31 May 2027: if you do not reply, the Études en France system treats it as a refusal.
- 3 Watch the fee rules closely: the decree of 19 May 2026 limits exemptions from differentiated fees, and Unistra says its information for new students will be completed progressively.
- 4 Book housing early: Crous residences give priority to students on grants, so also use Strasbourg aime ses étudiants, Caploji and LOJ'Toît.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
French government scholarship holders and exchange students are exempt from registration fees. Other non-EU students can request an individual exemption from differentiated fees from the university president, assessed mainly on financial need, family situation, disability and whether the home country is on the UN least-developed or World Bank fragile-country lists; the deadline for 2026-27 was 15 October 2026. The decree of 19 May 2026 tightens the rules for exemptions, with transitional protection for students already exempted.
- 178 euros a year
- Licence fee, EU and exempted students (2026-27)
- 2,902 euros a year
- Differentiated licence fee, non-EU (2026-27)
- 3,950 euros a year (255 euros standard)
- Differentiated master's fee, non-EU (2026-27)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Chemistry (Licence)
Taught in the city where Lehn and Sauvage built supramolecular chemistry, with the Chemistry of Complex Systems graduate school above it.
Law (Licence)
Robert Schuman and Jean-Claude Juncker both studied law in Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament.
Physics and quantum science
Research projects include Quantum Science and Nanomaterials and the Maison du Quantique Grand Est.
Theology (Protestant and Catholic)
The university has its own doctoral school of theology and religious sciences (ED 270), rooted in its origins as a Protestant gymnasium.
Research
- Jean-Marie Lehn (Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1987) and Jean-Pierre Sauvage (2016) made Strasbourg a centre of supramolecular chemistry.
- Jules Hoffmann, a Strasbourg faculty member and CNRS research director, shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries on innate immunity.
- Charles Frédéric Gerhardt, who achieved the first synthesis of acetylsalicylic acid (the basis of aspirin) in 1853, became professor of chemistry in Strasbourg in 1855, and Oskar Minkowski showed the pancreatic origin of diabetes here in 1889.
- 15 interdisciplinary thematic institutes (ITI) and 77 laboratories, with partners including CNRS, Inserm, Inria and INRAE; the university is a member of LERU.
Schools & faculties
- Arts, Letters and Languages
- Law, Economics, Management and Political and Social Sciences
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- Sciences, Technology and Health
Student life
Unistra spreads across 10 campuses, including the Neustadt, the German imperial quarter around the Palais Universitaire that is now part of Strasbourg's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Students can join about 240 associations, choose from 90 activities run by the sports service, and use 23 libraries, including the Studium learning centre. The university has a strong Franco-German identity and belongs to Eucor, the European campus of Upper Rhine universities. Crous residences offer low-rent furnished rooms with priority for grant holders.
- About 240 student associations and 90 sports activities.
- 23 libraries and 10 campuses.
- Eucor European campus with universities in Germany and Switzerland.
- Goethe studied law here in 1770-1771; his bust stands in front of the Palais Universitaire.
Housing. Crous residences offer furnished low-rent rooms and flats with priority for students on grants; the university points others to Strasbourg aime ses étudiants, Caploji and LOJ'Toît.
Location
Strasbourg is the largest city of the Grand Est region, with about 294,000 inhabitants (2023) and 876,000 in the metropolitan area, on the Rhine at the German border. It is the official seat of the European Parliament and hosts many other international institutions. Its historic centre, the Grande Île, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, extended in 2017 to the Neustadt where much of the university's history is set.
Nearest airport: Strasbourg Airport (SXB), in Entzheim about 10 km west-southwest of the city
Notable alumni
- JW Johann Wolfgang von GoetheGerman poet and writer; studied law at Strasbourg in 1770-1771
- AS Albert SchweitzerTheologian, physician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate; studied Protestant theology at Strasbourg from 1893
- RS Robert SchumanFrench statesman and a founding father of the European Union; law degree from Strasbourg
- JJ Jean-Claude JunckerPrime Minister of Luxembourg and President of the European Commission; master's in law from Strasbourg (1979)
- JL Jean-Marie LehnNobel Prize in Chemistry 1987 for supramolecular chemistry; studied and earned his PhD in Strasbourg
- JS Jean-Pierre SauvageNobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 for molecular machines; PhD from Université Louis-Pasteur, a predecessor of today's university
Frequently asked questions
How much does the University of Strasbourg cost for international students?
In 2026-27 a licence costs 178 euros a year for EU students and 2,902 euros for non-EU students paying the differentiated fee. Non-EU students who started in 2026-27 were exempted under transitional rules, but the decree of 19 May 2026 restricts exemptions, so 2027 entrants should budget for 2,902 euros unless they are granted an individual exemption.
How do I apply to the University of Strasbourg from outside the EU?
If your country uses Études en France, apply for the first year of a licence through a DAP file on that platform between 1 October and 15 December 2026. Universities answer by 30 April 2027.
Are bachelor's degrees at Strasbourg taught in English?
Licence programmes are taught in French, so you need a good level of French. English-taught programmes are mainly at master's level.
When is the Parcoursup deadline for 2027?
The 2027 calendar is not yet published. In 2026, wishes had to be entered by 12 March and confirmed by 1 April; Campus France expects wishes in January-March and confirmation in April 2027.
How many Nobel laureates are linked to the University of Strasbourg?
The university counts 20 Nobel and Kavli prizes, with recent laureates including Jean-Marie Lehn (1987), Jules Hoffmann (2011) and Jean-Pierre Sauvage (2016).
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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