List of Medical Schools in France

This article contains the complete compilation of all the medical schools in France as of the year 2023.

Table of Contents

Medical education in France is administered by the Unités de formation et de recherche de médecine(UFR). This training takes a minimum of 9 years after the baccalauréat and concludes with a thesis. Upon successful presentation of the thesis, the medical student is awarded a diplôme d’études spécialisées, based on specialty. High-achievers are awarded a diplôme d’études spécialisées complémentaire.

French medical training is one of the longest study paths in French higher education. It has to do with both theoretical and practical training, with a gradual deviation from theory at the beginning, to more practical aspects as training continues.

Even if only less than 20% of French medical students can go to the second year of medical school and have a high need of physicians, France is one of the countries in Europe and beyond with a lot of medical universities. Even if France is one of the world’s most popular study abroad destinations, access to medical studies for foreign students is limited and very competitive. Transfer students must pass the first-year medical exam. Regardless of their level of medical training, international students wishing to obtain a medical degree in France must pass the examination given at the end of the first year of medical study. Students who pass the exam may then transfer to their appropriate level in the curriculum.

Before listing the medical schools France possesses, let’s have a closer look at how doctors are trained in France.

Medical education in France is made up of three cycles that are provided by 34 universities. The cycles are:

First cycle (PCEM) — Two It has to do with general scientific training not delivered in hospitals. There is a competitive exam at the end of the first year. It is highly selective and charts the students towards research, clinical care, biology, etc. The number of students admitted is set by government regulation.
Second cycle (DCEM) — Four The first year is devoted to general medicine training. The three following years were dedicated to pathology and therapeutics. Courses are given in medical schools and hospitals.
Third cycle — Students reach the third cycle only after being certified, and then have to choose between two options:
“Résidanat” or general medicine third cycle: Two-year program of theoretical and practical training (rotations in hospitals and a training course with a general practitioner). After the training, the student receives a state diploma of general medicine doctor.
“Internat” or specialized medicine third cycle: Four- to five-year program which leads to a competitive exam in such fields as medicine specialties, surgery specialties, anesthesia, industrial medicine, public health, biology and psychiatry. This specialized studies program culminates with a state diploma of medical doctor or DES. DES holders can improve aspects of their specialty by taking Complementary Specialized Studies programs.