Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne
Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne
A large public university in eastern suburban Paris, with national fees and a medical school at Henri-Mondor hospital.
- Students
- 42,000
- International
- 10%
- of students
- Tuition
- €2,902
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1970
About UPEC
The Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne (UPEC), historically Paris XII, was created in 1970 when the old University of Paris was split up. It brought together a law faculty founded in 1967 and the Créteil faculty of medicine, built in 1969 alongside the Henri-Mondor hospital. Today it describes itself as a multidisciplinary university with 14 faculties, schools and institutes, one observatory and 32 research laboratories, serving more than 42,000 students and offering over 500 programmes from the BUT technology degree to the doctorate.
Its main campus and headquarters are in Créteil, in the Val-de-Marne department south-east of Paris, reached by metro line 8 at Créteil-Université. Other sites stretch across Vitry-sur-Seine, Sénart, Fontainebleau, Torcy, Saint-Denis and the Cité Descartes. Alongside the classic faculties (law, health, sciences and technology, economics and management, arts and humanities, education and sport) UPEC runs two university institutes of technology, the IAE Paris-Est business school, the École d'urbanisme de Paris and an institute of political studies in Fontainebleau.
About 10% of students come from abroad, from more than 120 countries. UPEC suits students who want a public university near Paris with national-level fees, a strong health faculty and professional routes such as BUTs and work-study programmes. Most teaching is in French, but a handful of bachelor's and master's programmes are taught in English.
Connaissance - Action
“Knowledge - Action” — university motto
Why students choose UPEC
The Faculty of Health's Licence Sciences pour la Santé (LSPS) is a national pilot of France's reformed medical studies, preparing students for medicine and newer health careers.
The AEI International School teaches whole bachelor's degrees in English, such as Administration and International Trade (International Business or North America tracks).
Two IUTs (Créteil-Vitry and Sénart-Fontainebleau) offer three-year BUT technology degrees with a strong professional focus.
UPEC has been a full member of the Aurora European University alliance since October 2023 and partners with more than 400 institutions worldwide.
Admissions
Entry September 2027 (first year of licence or BUT)
Selectivity
UPEC publishes no overall admission rate. First-year places are allocated through Parcoursup (or the DAP for non-EU diplomas); each programme sets its own examination criteria, and selective routes such as BUTs rank applicants.
Typical entry requirements
| French baccalauréat or European Baccalaureate (including applicants living abroad) | Apply through Parcoursup; each programme lists the criteria it examines |
|---|---|
| EU/EEA secondary diploma | Exempt from the DAP; apply through Parcoursup. Required French level is set by each programme |
| Non-EU secondary diploma | Demande d'admission préalable (DAP): via Études en France in Campus France countries, the 'dossier blanc' through the French embassy elsewhere, or the 'dossier vert' if you already live in France; French level B2 to C1 depending on the programme |
| English language | Most programmes are taught in French and need B2 to C1 French (TCF, TEF, DELF B2, DALF or UPEC's own DUEF). UPEC lists English-taught degrees, including bachelor's degrees in Administration and International Trade and several master's; English requirements are set by each programme. |
Deadlines
- DAP / Études en France (first-year licence, non-EU diplomas) Non-binding Next deadline · In ~2 months15 December 2026
Opens 1 October 2026; the application is examined by the three universities you choose, which respond before 30 April 2027, and you must reply before 31 May 2027. The English page of Campus France prints the closing date as '15 December 2027', a typo: its French page for the same procedure gives 'Clôture des inscriptions 15 décembre 2026', and the page's own opening date (1 October 2026) and university-response deadline (30 April 2027) only fit 2026.
- 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, choices completed 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.
The Parcoursup 2027 calendar had not been published when checked; the 2026 session ran from 19 January to 12 March 2026 for choices and 1 April 2026 to complete files. Campus France has published the DAP timetable for 2027/28 entry.
How to apply
Holders or future holders of a French or European baccalaureate and EU/EEA applicants apply through Parcoursup, then complete online administrative registration once admitted. Non-EU applicants for the first year file a DAP: through the Études en France platform if they live in a Campus France country, through the French embassy with the 'dossier blanc' elsewhere, or with the 'dossier vert' sent to each chosen university if they already live in France. A French test (usually TCF TP) is part of the DAP file.
What admissions looks for
- A secondary diploma that gives access to higher education, with school results relevant to the chosen programme.
- Motivation and fit with the programme, as set out in each programme's Parcoursup examination criteria.
- For non-EU applicants, proof that you can follow teaching in French: B2 to C1 depending on the programme.
- For selective routes such as BUTs and the health licence, a strong academic file in the relevant subjects.
Tips for applying to UPEC
- 1 Non-EU applicants: file your DAP between 1 October and 15 December 2026, and book a TCF TP test early unless you already hold DELF B2 or DALF.
- 2 If you are a non-EU national, budget for the differentiated fee of 2,902 euros a year for a licence, and check UPEC's exemption list (French government scholarship holders, refugees, long-term EU residents, exchange students, and students tax-resident in France for two years are exempt; VLS-TS visa holders are not).
- 3 Want to study in English? Look at the AEI International School's bachelor's in Administration and International Trade.
- 4 Build a Dossier Social Étudiant between 15 January and 15 May if you want a CROUS residence room, and use UPEC's Studapart housing platform for private rooms.
- 5 Pay the CVEC (105 euros in 2026/27) before completing administrative registration.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
UPEC charges the full differentiated fees to new non-EU students. Exempt from the differentiated fees (paying national fees): exchange students, French government scholarship holders, refugees and assimilated, CPGE students, third-cycle health students, doctoral candidates, holders of a long-term EU resident card or certain family-member cards, and students tax-resident in France for at least two years; VLS-TS visa holders are not exempt. Under Decree 2026-385 of 19 May 2026 institutions may also grant waivers on request in individual cases (for example crisis-affected countries, disability or hardship), so ask UPEC. International students can look for aid through Campus Bourses, France Excellence scholarships (Eiffel for master's and doctorate, Major for top graduates of French lycées abroad), and CROUS grants once settled in France.
- 2,902 euros a year
- Differentiated fee, licence (non-EU, 2026-27)
- 3,950 euros a year
- Differentiated fee, master's (non-EU, 2026-27)
- 105 euros
- CVEC student life contribution (2026-27)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Licence Sciences pour la Santé (LSPS)
The Faculty of Health describes it as a national pilot of the reform of medical studies, leading to medicine and new health professions.
Administration and International Trade bachelor's (AEI International School)
A full three-year licence taught in English, with International Business and North America tracks.
Urban planning (École d'urbanisme de Paris)
UPEC's planning school, which joined the university in 1972, also runs an English-taught MSc in Urban Planning - European Cities.
BUT programmes (IUT de Créteil-Vitry and IUT Sénart-Fontainebleau)
Three-year professional technology degrees taught across UPEC's eastern Île-de-France campuses.
Law (Faculté de droit)
One of UPEC's founding faculties, now on the André Boulle campus in Créteil.
Research
- 32 research laboratories and the OSU-EFLUVE observatory of universe sciences.
- A new biomedical research building (BRB) on the Mondor campus brings together researchers, doctors and students working on chronic disease, vaccinology, environment and ageing.
- UPEC highlights vaccine development through the Vaccine Research Institute, leads one national laboratory of excellence (LabEx) and is involved in four others.
- A 'campus spatial' project brings together UPEC programmes and laboratories working on space studies.
Schools & faculties
- Faculté de droit
- Faculté de santé
- Faculté des sciences et technologie
- Faculté de sciences économiques et de gestion
- Faculté des lettres, langues et sciences humaines
- Faculté des sciences de l'éducation, sciences sociales et STAPS
- IAE Paris-Est
- École d'urbanisme de Paris
- AEI International School
- EPISEN
- IUT de Créteil-Vitry
- IUT Sénart-Fontainebleau
Student life
UPEC is a commuter university spread over many campuses, with the largest concentration in Créteil around the Centre campus, the Mail des Mèches (home to the Maison des langues et des relations internationales) and the André Boulle law campus. Student life centres on associations, sport, culture and student initiatives supported by the university's campus life service. International students are welcomed each September with International Welcome Days: in 2026 they ran from 3 to 24 September and supported close to 350 new arrivals.
- International Welcome Days each September, with a welcome desk, campus tour and introduction to Paris.
- Student associations, engagement projects and student initiatives supported by the campus life service.
- A Maison des langues et des relations internationales on the Mail des Mèches campus, and French-as-a-foreign-language courses leading to the DUEF.
- Full membership of the Aurora European University alliance, opening exchange and project opportunities.
Housing. UPEC has no guaranteed housing: students apply for CROUS residence rooms through the Dossier Social Étudiant (15 January to 15 May each year) or use the university's Studapart platform and housing office for private rooms, shared flats and homestays.
Location
Créteil is the prefecture of the Val-de-Marne, just south-east of Paris, and the main UPEC campus is a short walk from the Créteil-Université stop on metro line 8, which runs into central Paris. Other UPEC sites are in Vitry-sur-Seine, Saint-Denis, Sénart and Fontainebleau, so check where your programme is taught. Living costs are close to Paris levels; a student transit pass for the Paris region costs about 374 euros a year.
Nearest airport: Paris-Orly Airport (ORY)
Notable alumni
- ÉM Élisabeth MorenoFormer French minister for gender equality, diversity and equal opportunities (2020-2022); master's-level degree (maîtrise) in business law from Paris XII
- MF Martin FayuluCongolese opposition politician and 2018 presidential candidate; maîtrise in economics from Paris XII
- OB Olivier BrandicourtPhysician and pharmaceutical executive, chief executive of Sanofi from 2015 to 2019; maîtrise in biology from Paris XII
- YB Yannick BorelÉpée fencer, Olympic team champion (2016) and individual world champion (2018); STAPS licence from UPEC
- KN Khady Nani DraméSenegalese biologist working with AfricaRice; doctorate in ecophysiology (2005)
- PO Philippe OlivierFrench politician, Member of the European Parliament since 2019; studied law at Paris XII
Frequently asked questions
How much does UPEC cost for international students?
For 2026-27, non-EU/EEA/Swiss/Québec students starting a programme pay differentiated fees of 2,902 euros a year for a licence and 3,950 euros for a master's, unless they fall into an exempt category. EU/EEA and Swiss students pay the national fees of 178 euros (licence) or 255 euros (master's), plus the 105 euro CVEC.
How do I apply to UPEC from outside the EU?
For the first year of a licence, file a Demande d'admission préalable (DAP) between 1 October and 15 December 2026, through Études en France if you live in a Campus France country or through the French embassy otherwise. Holders of a French or European baccalaureate apply through Parcoursup instead.
Do I need to speak French to study at UPEC?
For most programmes, yes: UPEC asks for French at B2 to C1 depending on the programme, usually shown with the TCF TP, DELF B2 or DALF. A small number of degrees are taught in English, such as the AEI International School's bachelor's in Administration and International Trade.
What is UPEC's acceptance rate?
UPEC does not publish an overall acceptance rate. Admission to each programme is decided through Parcoursup or the DAP according to the criteria that programme sets.
Does UPEC offer student housing?
Not directly: students apply for CROUS residences via the Dossier Social Étudiant between 15 January and 15 May, or use UPEC's Studapart housing platform and housing office for private accommodation.
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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