Undergraduate Admissions for applicants from the French secondary schools: Special dispensations

As a general rule, candidates are only eligible to apply to enter Sciences Po in the first year of the Undergraduate College if they are currently enrolled in study for a general or technological French Baccalaureate or an equivalent foreign diploma of secondary education. They must be preparing to sit these assessments for the first time, in the course of the academic year underway.

However, if you have already obtained your Baccalaureate or equivalent in the 12 months prior to submitting your application, you may, as an exception, request a special dispensation to submit your application for the Undergraduate College. This request will not necessarily be granted and you will need to meet each of the following conditions:

• You have not been enrolled at another institution of higher education during all or part of the year following the obtention of your Baccalaureate. This includes institutions offering preparatory classes for the Sciences Po admissions procedure.
• You will need to demonstrate that, over the course of the year in question, your time was entirely to devoted to the completion of a project or placement (e.g a community project, humanitarian or voluntary work, military service, professional or cultural activities, etc), or that were unable to submit an application due to health reasons.
• You must submit your dispensation request by 15 February 2021 at the latest.

Your dispensation request should be addressed by email to the Admissions Department with the subject line, “2021 Dispensation, Parcoursup admissions pathway”.

In this request, you must explain your circumstances and justify your reasons for not applying during your last year of secondary school. You should attach proof of your activities in the year following the obtention of your Baccalaureate or foreign equivalent. You could, for example, send us a copy of your work or internship contract, certificate of your voluntary work, etc. Without these proofs, your dispensation request will not be examined.

Please note: the proofs must be valid for the entirety of the academic year and should specify the number of hours worked per week.

Requests will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and applicants should under no circumstances assume that their dispensation will be granted. Dispensations are only granted for the current academic year.