Université de Tours

About Université de Tours

Université de Tours is an operating public university within the French higher-education system. The Ministry of Higher Education’s institutional directory classifies it as a public établissement public à caractère scientifique, culturel et professionnel, or EPSCP, and describes it as a multidisciplinary university with health education. Its official history dates the present institution to 1970, when existing faculties and university colleges in Tours were brought together following the division of the former Orléans-Tours university structure. The university is not a single-site residential campus. Its teaching and services are distributed across Tours, with additional provision in Blois. Its academic structure includes eight teaching and research faculties, two university institutes of technology, Polytech Tours engineering school and IAE Tours Val de Loire management school. This creates a broad institutional range extending from arts, languages and social sciences to science, engineering, management, medicine, pharmacy and dentistry. Prospective students should assess the university at program level. Teaching location, admissions procedure, language expectations, professional placement requirements and timetable can differ substantially between a licence, a selective master, an IUT program, an engineering course and a health qualification. The university’s current course catalogue and program pages are therefore more useful for decision-making than institution-wide generalizations. Official 2026–2027 enrolment, fee and student guides demonstrate continued operation, with no evidence found of closure, merger, loss of independent status or suspension of student intake.

Admission depends on the qualification and applicant category; there is no single university-wide application. For 2026 entry, new French baccalaureate holders entering the first year of many undergraduate programs accepted an offer through Parcoursup before completing administrative enrolment at Université de Tours. Selective undergraduate routes, IUT programs, engineering studies and health pathways may have additional criteria or dedicated procedures. First-year master admission is selective and limited by each program’s capacity. Applicants normally use the national Mon Master process where applicable, while some later-year, continuing-education or program-specific applications use the university’s eCandidat system. Doctoral applicants need an appropriate research background, a viable project and acceptance within the relevant doctoral-school and research-unit framework. Applicants should follow the page for the exact course because requirements and campaign dates are not interchangeable. International degree-seeking applicants follow different procedures according to nationality, country of residence and entry level. Those covered by the Études en France system generally apply through Campus France; other candidates may use a preliminary-admission procedure, Parcoursup, Mon Master or eCandidat as directed. French proficiency is material because most programs are taught in French. The university’s French-language center offers DUEF preparation through B2 and C1, but completion of a language course should not be treated as automatic admission to a degree. After academic acceptance, students must complete administrative registration and provide the required documents and CVEC certificate. Dates published for 2026–2027 should not be assumed for later intakes.

The academic portfolio follows the main French and European degree structure. A national licence normally takes six semesters, while a national master comprises four semesters after a qualification representing 180 ECTS. Doctoral study is available through five doctoral schools. The university also offers three-year Bachelor Universitaire de Technologie programs through its IUTs, engineering education through Polytech Tours, management education through IAE Tours Val de Loire and regulated health pathways. Licence subjects span arts, languages and literature, law, economics, history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, geography, chemistry, physics, computing, mathematics, earth and environmental sciences, and life sciences. Options include selected double licences and some interdisciplinary or international pathways. At licence level, the university describes a modular semester structure combining two subject modules with an opening or disciplinary-strengthening module and a transversal-skills module. Exact combinations and progression rules depend on the course. Masters combine academic specialization with research and professional preparation. The university states that its masters draw on 35 research units and are offered across disciplinary fields in Tours and Blois. Entry to the first master year is selective and subject to capacity set for each program. A master may lead directly to employment or provide preparation for doctoral research. French is the normal language across much of the catalogue. The university identifies only a limited number of programs taught in English, so international applicants should verify the language of every course and any required French certification rather than assuming English-medium availability. Program pages should also be checked for internships, laboratory work, clinical components, apprenticeship formats and campus location.

Key Highlights

• Public French EPSCP and independent university
• Created as the present university in 1970
• Multidisciplinary provision including health and engineering
• Teaching and services spread across Tours and Blois

Student Life & Environment

Student life is distributed among the university’s sites and the surrounding cities. The 2026–2027 international guide brings together information on university libraries, digital services, student health, disability support, sport, culture, associations and practical arrival procedures. Access and opening arrangements can vary by site, so students should identify the services closest to their faculty or school. Housing is not automatically provided with admission. The university directs students to CROUS Orléans-Tours, private rentals and other housing channels. Its current housing page says CROUS offers furnished rooms, studios and larger furnished apartments in 12 university residences around Tours, near different university sites. It also states that both scholarship and non-scholarship students may apply. For entry in 2026, the page instructed applicants to complete the Dossier Social Étudiant between 15 January and 15 May; future applicants should verify the new cycle’s dates rather than reuse that timetable. University sport includes courses, workshops, events and competition opportunities, while cultural participation is supported through university programming and the optional Passeport Culturel Étudiant. Student health and social-support services can assist with medical, psychological or financial difficulties, although availability may involve appointments. Prospective students should budget and search for accommodation early because the university explicitly describes the local rental market as increasingly tight.

Location & Surroundings

The university’s principal setting is Tours, in France’s Centre-Val de Loire region, with additional teaching in Blois. Rather than occupying one self-contained campus, faculties, schools, libraries and services are located across several urban sites. This makes the location of a specific program an important practical consideration: commuting patterns and nearby housing can differ between central Tours, other parts of the Tours metropolitan area and Blois. Tours offers the daily infrastructure of a regional city, while Blois provides a smaller second study setting. The university’s 2026–2027 welcome material presents information on local public transport, cycling, arrival formalities and life in both places. Students should use the address shown on their program page before selecting accommodation and should not assume that every university facility is within walking distance. The distributed model can provide direct access to city services, cultural venues and transport, but it also places more responsibility on students to plan travel between teaching, administration, sport and housing. International students in particular should distinguish the university’s central administrative address from the actual location of their classes.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For 2026–2027, Université de Tours lists standard national registration charges of €178 for a licence, licence professionnelle or BUT, €255 for a master, €630 for an engineering qualification and €398 for a doctorate or HDR. Several health and specialist qualifications have separate rates. These are registration charges, not a comprehensive cost of attendance, and optional university services may cost extra. Eligible scholarship students may receive statutory exemptions from certain charges. The 2026–2027 Contribution de vie étudiante et de campus is €105. Most students and apprentices must obtain a CVEC payment or exemption certificate before registration, while the university identifies continuing-education trainees as exempt from this process. Accommodation, food, transport, insurance, visa-related costs and personal expenses are separate. No fixed room-and-board amount is published in the supplied database record, so applicants should build an individual budget using current CROUS and private-market prices. Non-EU students should confirm their exact fee category directly with the university. France’s differentiated-fee rules and Université de Tours exemption policy were changing for the 2026 intake, so the standard national rates must not automatically be applied to every international applicant. Career support is provided through the Maison de l’Orientation et de l’Insertion Professionnelle. Its services include individual guidance, CV and cover-letter advice, interview preparation, workshops, employer events and support with internships and student jobs. The Rpro platform carries internship, student-job and employment listings and provides access to employer and alumni information. These services are useful resources, but they do not guarantee a placement or employment outcome.