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Exchange programme
The Master’s exchange programme is open to all students from partner universities who have obtained a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (at least three full years of higher education).
Students interested in doing an exchange in International Affairs at the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po (PSIA) must meet the minimum requirement in English (see section below Language Prerequisites)
Exchange students who are admitted to study international affairs have access to the majority of PSIA’s courses provided that they meet the academic prerequisites for some courses (International Economic Policy, Global Economy and International Energy Transitions - see section below “Academic Prerequisite”)
Master’s level exchange students can take courses in French, English or in both languages. The language proficiency required differs between programmes. For some programmes, applicants must have passed a French or English language test and send their certificate with the application. Some exemptions may apply.
Master’s programmes open to exchange students
PSIA welcomes exchange students arriving in September or January for a period of one or two semesters, according to Sciences Po regulations.
Exchange students have access to the following courses.
Courses managed by Sciences Po’s Academic Department:
- Sciences Po Common Core (in English or French) - please note the Sciences Po Common Core Courses for exchange students are worth 6 ECTS instead of 4 ECTS.
- Language courses
- Writing and Rhetoric Center
- Center for Entrepreneurship
Courses managed by PSIA:
- Master Core Courses for 1st year students only (in Fall, S1 and in the Spring S2 exclusively)
- Concentration Courses
- PSIA Special Feature Courses (see offer in each Master curriculum page)
As far as possible, PSIA provides access to our wide offer of courses. However, access to all courses is not guaranteed. Each semester, there will be some courses which will not be accessible to exchange students due to lack of space; moreover, the number of places available for exchange students in any particular course will also be limited. Students are encouraged to secure their home university’s recognition of a large selection of PSIA courses that it is willing to validate.
Students doing an academic exchange at PSIA can select courses in the following categories
| Category of Course | Maximum number of courses | Maximum number of credits (in ECTS) |
|---|---|---|
| Sciences Po Common Core | 2 | 12 |
| PSIA Master Core and/or Concentration and/or PSIA Special Features courses | 3 | 16-18 |
| Language Courses | 2 | 8 |
| Writing and Rhetoric Center Courses | 2 | 4 |
| Center for Entrepreneurship | 2 | 4 |
| Course registration cannot exceed 30 ECTS in total | 30 | |
Exchange students must have a C1 level of English to be registered at PSIA according to the list of admitted tests. Fluency in French is not required, but students must have a C1 level of French if they wish to follow courses taught in French offered at PSIA. Less than 25% of PSIA courses are taught in French.
To take courses from the Master in International Economic Policy, exchange students must have a Bachelor of Economics or very good results in micro- and macroeconomics courses at Bachelor’s level.
The courses offered in the Master in International Energy Transitions in the Spring semester are not open to students unless they took courses from this Master’s programme in the Autumn semester.
The dedicated courses and professional policy training of the one-year Master in Advanced Global Studies are not open to exchange students.
Learning agreements and Study credits
Neither Sciences Po nor PSIA are responsible for exchange students’ degree requirements from their home university. Students should always check their degree requirements with their home university before proceeding with their course registration at Sciences Po.
Exchange students have access to a list of courses being offered in the relevant semester a few weeks before they can register for their courses. It is important that exchange students use that time to prepare with their home university. As explained above, students are unlikely to have access to all of their preferred courses, so should identify multiple choices of courses that would meet their requirements.
Exchange students can register for courses comprising up to 30 ECTS credits per semester. The grading system is based on a scale of 0 to 20, with 10 being the threshold to pass and 20 being the highest possible grade.
Exchange students must respect e Sciences Po’s academic rules and regulations, including its mandatory attendance requirement. Please pay particular attention to the rules on exams and academic integrity. Further details for students.
Upon arrival, students will be required to submit their learning agreement to the International Affairs Office.
At the end of their semester (or year) at PSIA, a transcript with each exchange student’s results will be sent by Sciences Po to their home university.
Contact us
Address: 56, rue des Saints Pères, 75007 Paris
- You are an exchange student coming to Sciences Po, please contact: candidature.echange@sciencespo.fr
- You are going abroad (the 3rd year of your Bachelor or the semester off-campus of your Master), please contact: sejour.etranger@sciencespo.fr
For more information, please contact the International Affairs team
Welcome programme
Our Welcome Programme is an introductory week aimed to exchange students coming to study on our Paris-based campus.
