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Graduate Admissions: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Applicant's profile
No, you cannot. Admission is only valid for the first year of the Master’s programme, for a duration of two years.
Yes, unless you graduated with a Master’s degree from Sciences Po less than 2 years ago. In this case, you may get in touch directly with the head of the Master's programme you are interested in. However, this rule does not apply if you only hold a Bachelor from Sciences Po, and not a Master.
You may apply during the academic year in which you will obtain your undergraduate diploma (bachelor's degree or equivalent) which will make you eligible for the chosen Master's programme. Should you be selected, your admission will be confirmed at the time of your administrative registration and once you have obtained your degree.
You will be able to provide a copy of your diploma up to the end of September.
There is no age limit for applying to a Master's Programme. If you already have several years of work experience, please check our One-year master's programmes and our Executive Education.
You may apply if you can prove that you have an undergraduate diploma (180 ECTS credits) or an accreditation of prior experiential learning ("VAE" in French) equivalent to 180 ECTS credits from a French higher education institution.
Please note: We do not provide accreditation of prior experiential learning.
You have several options:
- Our Master's programmes;
- Our One-year Master's programmes, if you can demonstrate 1 to 5 years of post-graduate professional experience, depending on the programme;
- Our Executive Education programmes.
Admission process
No. It is the nationality of your undergraduate diploma that will be taken into account.
No, the selection process for a one-year master’s programme only involves the assessment of an online application.
If you are enrolled in a half French, half foreign course of study (awarding an undergraduate degree that is both French and non-French), you must apply through the appropriate procedure, depending on your specific situation :
- You have already obtained both degrees: You may choose to apply through either the Domestic procedure or the International procedure;
- You have already obtained your French degree and the foreign one is still in progress: Apply through the Domestic admission procedure;
- You have already obtained your foreign degree and the French one is still in progress: Apply through the International admission procedure;
- Both degrees are still in progress: Apply through the domestic procedure if a majority of credits have been validated in the French system and/or the majority of your transcripts have grades expressed in the French grading system
Yes, you can apply if one of the two averages obtained in your double Bachelor's degree meet our prerequisite. We recommend that you enter the higher average first.
However please note that an average grade meeting our prerequisites does not in itself guarantee your admissibility nor admission.
You may apply if you have already obtained, or will obtain by the end of the current academic year, a Bachelor's degree or 180 ECTS credits.
Applicants applying under the status of 180 ECTS must have completed a progressive course of study of at least three years providing a Bachelor level (licence/bac+3) equivalence, and have accumulated a minimum of 180 ECTS credits.
We do not apply a "first come, first served" policy. Our rolling admissions system allows us to select the best applicants throughout the year, whether at the beginning or towards the end of the admissions campaign.
You have been involved in an exchange programme at Sciences Po, either at undergraduate or graduate level: You must apply through the procedure related to the nationality (French/non-French) of your undergraduate degree.
Please find our eligibility criteria on the dedicated webpage
Choose a programme
Yes, you can apply for a master's programme (excluding one-year programmes) and a dual degree programme at the same time.
You will have to position the dual degree as your first choice, and the Masters' programme as your second (but if admitted to both programmes, you will be able to choose in which you want to enroll).
Please note: If you apply to a Master’s programme and a dual degree programme with different deadlines, you must submit your application by the earliest deadline.
Sciences Po students should only submit an application if they wish to apply to a dual degree programme. Do not select any Master's programme as a second choice. You will be prompted to choose your Master's programme through your student platform at the invitation of the Academic Affairs office, as explained in several newsletters you will receive.
No, you cannot apply for two Master's programmes.
However, you can apply for one Master's programme and for one dual degree programme, in which case you will have to position the dual degree programme as your first choice, and the Masters' programme as your second (this is only a technical constraint; Should you be admitted in both programmes, you will be able to choose the one you want to attend).
No, you cannot apply to two dual degree programmes.
However, you can apply to one dual degree programme and to one Master's programme, in which case you will have to position the dual degree programme as your first choice, and the Masters' programme as your second (this is only a technical constraint; Should you be admitted in both programmes, you will be able to choose the one you want to attend).
If deadlines for these two programmes differ, you must consider the first to come to term.
Sciences Po students should only submit an application if they wish to apply to a dual degree programme. Do not select any Master's programme as a second choice. You will be prompted to choose your Master's programme through your student platform at the invitation of the Academic Affairs office, as explained in several newsletters you have or will receive.
Yes, you can apply to a dual degree from one Sciences Po school and to a Master's degree from another Sciences Po school. We recommend that you clearly explain your motivations for each of the two programmes, in order to convince the assessors of the relevance of your choices.
No, you may not. You have to choose between applying to an initial education programme (Master and/or dual degree) or applying to a one-year Master's programme. These are two different courses.
No, you can apply for one one-year master’s programme.
They are unique programmes in partnership with an affiliated university characterized by specific enrolment requirements and diplomas. These programmes are only open to students from Sciences Po and from partner universities. Please review the eligibility criteria and the specificities of each programme.
In order to apply for one of these programmes, you must select the “Partnership Programme” procedure in the online application to view the accurate list of programmes available.
No, the one-year master's programmes are full-time courses.
Please note that Sciences Po Executive Education offers courses for professionals that are compatible with a full-time job.
Sciences Po offers the possibility of an apprenticeship within certain Master's programmes.
During their apprenticeship, students receive a salary from their company. They are exempt from tuition fees, which are paid by the company. The work-study schedule is specific to each Master's programme.
For more information on apprenticeship, click here.
No. The number of applications to each programme varies every year, but we hold to our criteria of excellence and the standards remain high for all Master’s programmes.
It is common for applicants to be selected for the Master's programme and rejected for the dual degree. However, generally speaking, if your application is rejected for a Master's programme, it is very unlikely that it will be selected for a dual degree, since Sciences Po's selection criteria are the same in both cases.
No, they are considered as Sciences Po Master’s programmes. Therefore, when applying to one of them, you may also select a dual degree programme, but not another Sciences Po Master’s programme.
Financial information
If you do not have a credit card, you can use someone else's card or ask for Sciences Po's bank details and make a transfer. Before making a transfer, please contact us.
We will send you an email as soon as we receive the transfer. Once the payment is registered, you will see it on your dashboard.
Please note: Paying the fee does not automatically submit your application. Once the payment is registered, you must manually submit your application by clicking "Submit application".
No, the application fee is not refundable.
Candidates can apply for grants from many different organisations.
Eligible candidates wishing to apply for the Emile Boutmy scholarship must indicate so in the "Financial Information" section of the Sciences Po application form and provide the required documents by the specific deadline.
Applications for a scholarship will only be considered if the entire application file is properly submitted with all supporting documents by the scholarship deadline.
Sciences Po offers scholarships to certain students, in the form of tuition fee discounts ranging from 10% to over 50%. For more information, please contact the academic advisor of the programme you are interested in.
Yes, if eligible, you can apply for both. However, in the event that you are granted both scholarships, you would have to give up the Boutmy scholarship for the Eiffel scholarship.
Please refer to the information on tuition fees at Sciences Po.
Eligible applicants wishing to be presented by Sciences Po to Campus France for the Eiffel scholarship must indicate so in the "financial information" section of their Sciences Po application form and attach all the required documents by the deadline for the scholarship.
Applications for a scholarship will only be considered if the entire application file is properly submitted with all supporting documents by the scholarship deadline.
Campus France does not grant any Eiffel Scholarship for dual degree programmes. Some exceptions may exist, please check the Eiffel scholarship webpage.
For any question regarding the Eiffel Scholarship, please contact eiffel.scholarship@sciencespo.fr
Create your account
No, the online application is composed of several sections. Entries for each field may be saved by clicking on the « save changes » button at the bottom of the page. This allows you to save your information as you are completing your application. It will be saved until the next connection. You can thus complete your application in several steps.
Once you have completed every section, attached every requested document (including recommendations), and paid the application fee, do not forget to submit your application. Paying the application fee does not trigger an automatic submission.
Language requirements
The answer varies according to the test/certificate taken. We invite you to read the section dedicated to the validity of tests/certificates on our language requirements page.
We do not take into account the native language criteria. Please check if you fall into one of the exemptions categories. Otherwise, you will need to provide us with a relevant test result.
The language tests required are different for each programme.
References
In this case, please contact us.
We do not accept reference letters sent by email.
The referees need to fill in the online form. However, in the event that your referees cannot complete the online referee form, and subject to this stipulation only, they may contact us.
You may send up to five academic references. Even if, depending on the programme you chose, only one or two are mandatory. You may also send up to three professional references.
You can add referees as long as your application has not been submitted. You can also delete referees as long as they have not validated their references.
In your application form, go into the academic background section and click on the check box which appears on the right of the referee from whom a reference is pending. A pop up box will appear with the question :"Are you sure you want to suppress this reference?" If so, please accept. You will then be able to add a new referee.
Make sure you inform your referee ahead of your request, as an automatic notification email will be sent once you provide their contact information.
Once you have entered the contact details of your professional or academic referees in your application form, an e-mail will be sent inviting them to complete the recommendation form, which will then be automatically attached to your online application.
We therefore recommend that you make arrangements with your referees beforehand and make sure that they will be able to respond to your request. Bear in mind that your referees receive many such requests.
Make sure your referees know when the reference is due and in which language they must write it. If they don't use the required language, your application will be considered incomplete and will not be processed.
If you are applying to a dual degree programme with a non-French partner university, the references must be written in English.
Be sure your referees know that the reference must be completed online. It is your responsibility to make sure your referees have received the email asking them to complete the reference form.
If they have not received it, please contact us.
No, your application must be complete, references included, by the programme or scholarship deadline. It is your responsibility to make sure your referees have completed their forms before submitting your application.
No, applicants are not allowed to view their references. They are strictly confidential and will only be read by those responsible for assessing your application.
For Sciences Po Master's programmes: Reference forms must be completed either in French or English.
For dual degree programmes, they must be written in English.
If you apply to both a master's programme and a dual degree programme, they must be written in English ((excluding dual degrees with a French partner university).
Check the prerequisites and supporting material by programme.
Personal statement
You must write your motivation letter directly online, in the space provided in the application form. Therefore, if it is already written in a different document, you will have to copy and paste it in the dedicated space of your online application and within the limit of 1000 words.
For Master's programmes and dual degree programmes, check here the language in which your motivation letter is expected.
For one-year Master's programmes, please write your motivation letter in English.
Upload the requested material
Master's programmes: you must write your resume in French or English, depending on the language of instruction of the selected programme. If you are applying to two programmes, one of which is taught in French and the other in English, your resume must be attached in English.
One-year programmes: you must write your resume in English.
Dual degree programmes: you must write your resume in English (except for the dual degree with Paris Cité)
If you apply to two programmes, one in French, one in English, the resume must be in English.
You must provide all transcripts from each year of higher education, including exchange programmes.
If your transcript is not in English or French, please add a translation into English or French (unless you are applying to a dual degree programme with a non-French partner university, in which case the translation can only be into English). You can do the translation yourself.
If you are in the third year of your Bachelor degree and cannot provide a transcript for the current year, please make sure to add a proof of registration.
In the Academic background section, you are required to enter your exact grade average for each university degree (Bachelor and Master level if adequate) in the dedicated box.
If your degree is still in progress, please enter the average obtained to this date.
No conversion is required. Write down your average as is, using the grading scale of your university. If your average is stated on your transcript, please specify in the comment of the attachment where on the document it can be found.
You must attach your transcripts in their original language. If your transcript is not in English or French, please add a translation into English or French (you can do the translation yourself). For candidates applying for a dual degree programme, the transcripts must be translated in English (except for the dual degrees with a French partner university).
Check the required supporting documents for the international graduate admission.
Check the required supporting documents for the domestic graduate admission
In that case, you can enter September 1st of the current year.
No, please never send any original document by mail. You must attach all the required documents (in PDF 2Mo max) directly to your online application along with their translation if necessary.
However, please note that, upon admission, the registrar may require to check the original documents in person.
Check the required supporting documents for the international graduate admission.
Check the required supporting documents for the domestic graduate admission
Admission decision
Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application through their personal dashboard and by e-mail.
You will receive a decision for each programme separately.
For your first choice (dual degree), you will be notified 2 to 3 months after the deadline of the programme.
For your second choice (regular Master) the decision will be released at the beginning of June (domestic procedure) or at a date that depends on the validation of your complete application file (international procedure).
Newly admitted
Once you have accepted our offer of admission, you may download an enrollment certificate through the student services centre in your online student space. This document will help you with your visa process.
If you need to know the exact start and end dates of the programme, please check our university calendar or contact our Student Services centre.
The academic year at Sciences Po begins between the end of August and mid-September, depending on the programmes. Only exchange students may begin in January (second semester).
For some programmes, mandatory orientation sessions are scheduled before classes start; We recommend that you contact your academic advisor for more information.
Once you have received our offer of admission, you will get your username (student ID) and a temporary password that will allow you to sign in to your student account and accept the offer. Should you have not received your ID by mid-June, please contact us.
No need to wait to check the Students website for information on your next steps, orientation programmes and more.
If you need information on your registration (tuition fees, health insurance, student card...) or scholarships and financial aid, student welfare and support as well as housing and residence permits please contact the Student services center through their online contact form.
The Admissions office only answers questions regarding admissions and ongoing applications (newly admitted students must refer to the Student Services Centre).
For any question related to your programme (choice of courses, gap year, internships, etc.), please contact the academic advisor of the programme.
If you are an exchange student, please contact the International Affairs Office.
If you are a new student and you have trouble accessing your student account, please contact the Helpdesk at sos@sciencespo.fr.
If you have special needs, please check the Accessibility page.
Once you have received our offer of admission, you will get your username (student ID) and a temporary password that will allow you to sign in to your student account and accept the offer.
Please note: If you applied to two programmes, you will receive your login details after you have received the admission decisions for both programmes.
Should you have not received your ID by mid-June, please contact us.
Visit our Students website to learn more about your first administrative steps (access your online account, register, choice of classes, check the calendars, and all useful information).
No, deferrals are not granted for dual degree programmes.
No, it is not possible to transfer to a different graduate programme (Master's programme, one-year Master's programme or dual degree programme).
For Master's programmes and one-year Master's programmes : You may request a one-year deferral of your enrolment. You must make the request online, through the dedicated section of your student space (where you are asked to choose between accepting our offer of admission, turning it down or requesting a deferral). This request will be assessed based on the reasons brought to our attention and can either be accepted or rejected by the academic advisor of your programme at Sciences Po.
For dual degree programmes: No deferral can be granted.
The request for deferral is free of tuition fees. If a part of the tuition fees has already been paid before the confirmation of the deferral, the refund request must be addressed to the administrative registration and tuition fees office at inscription.administrative@sciencespo.fr
Unsuccessful candidates
Sciences Po does not provide for a waiting list for graduate admission. The decisions of the selection committees are final and cannot be appealed.
Yes, you may apply again next year, through the same procedure or through a different one, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria.
No. If you have not been admitted, you cannot apply for another programme during the same academic year. However, you may apply again for the next academic year.
- International graduate procedure : Information for unsuccessful candidates
- Domestic graduate procedure : Information for unsucessful applicants
Fees & Financial Aid
Limited financial resources are not a barrier to receiving a Sciences Po education.
Nearly one in three students receives a full-fee scholarship.
