Application procedures - COMUE Université Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Application procedures

UBFC offers English-taught Master’s Degrees in a wide range of scientific research fields. Whether you come as an exchange student from one of our partner universities, or as an individual degree-seeking student, your application follows different procedures.

Below, you will find information regarding how to apply, which documents should be included when you are applying for a Master degree program and other important issues regarding your application.

We kindly urge you to read the application guides before you access the application portal eCandidat.

You are :

UBFC welcomes individual students that wish to enroll a graduating Master program as a full degree student, i.e. outside the student exchange programs. This differentiates you from an exchange student, who applies to study abroad with help from their home university, which has an agreement with UBFC.

> Application in 1st year (M1) and 2nd year (M2) for international students and application in 1st year (M1) for national students for Rare Book, CompuPhys, ARMAC (M1), GREEM (M2), IOT, BDEEM, QuanTEEM, P²Food, MP², E-PHOT (M1), PICS (M2)  => follow the eCandidat procedure below.

* Students with French nationality or international students holders of a French diploma enabling the access to a Master program.

eCandidat: 

1. Choose your program

Explore the list of English-taught Master’s Degrees and the key information for each program.

Check the specific admission requirements that applies to the desired Master’s program(s).

2. Check the application deadlines

For the 2024-2025 academic year :

International students National students*
MASTERS Opening dates  Closing dates  Opening dates  Closing dates 
BDEEM 15/03/2024 15/05/2024 26/02/2024 24/03/2024
ARMAC (= GREEM M1) 13/02/2024 14/05/2024
GREEM (M2) 01/02/2024 30/04/2024
Rare Book (M1) 26/02/2024 10/05/2024
Rare Book (M2) 01/03/2024 30/04/2024
IOT 01/03/2024 31/05/2024
CompuPhys 01/02/2024 14/06/2024
E-phoT (= PICS M1) 01/02/2024 19/06/2024
PICS (M2) 01/04/2024 01/06/2024
MP²
31/03/2024 29/05/2024 26/02/2024 24/03/2024
P²FOOD 24/03/2024 22/05/2024

* Students with French nationality or international students holders of a French diploma enabling the access to a Master program.

Please note that UBFC does not accept late applications, so make sure to submit your application(s) through the online application portal before the relevant application deadline of each Master.

3. Prepare the documents required for your application

You will, as a minimum, be required to attach the following documents to your application:

  • A scanned copy of your passport or identity card (check the expiration date on your passport: for a regular long stay visa (more than 90 days), the expiration date must be 15 months after the day you plan to leave your country of origin) ;
  • A CV ;
  • A letter of motivation ;
  • A scanned copy of your transcripts of records ;
  • A scanned copy of your diploma ;
  • A certificate proving your English level, if any ;
  • You can add any other document related to your study project to enhance your application (recommendation letter(s), professional experience certificates etc.).

All application documents are to be translated in French or English (sworn translations only). Translations of official diplomas and transcripts must be issued by your home university or certified by an authorized translator.

You must upload all the required documents when you send your application.

4. Directly apply on our application portal

Your application must be submitted online through our application portal. The application is divided into several phases during which you enter :

  • your personal information ;
  • your educational background ;
  • your desired Master’s program(s) ;
  • other relevant information.

A special attention must be paid to the right spelling of your last name, first name, date of birth and place of residence since all information given will be used to issue your letter of admission.

The “place of birth”, “date of birth”, must be filled in strict accordance with the passport information.

Complete your online application by submitting your documentation, by uploading it at your personal account.

Applicants for Master programs
MP² – P²FOOD
Applicants for Master programs
BDEEM – COMPUPHYS – GREEM – IOT – E-phoT – RARE BOOK
apply via the online application portal eCandidat

Tutorial

apply via the online application portal eCandidat

First steps on eCandidat platform

Tutorial

 

5. Wait for UBFC feedback

Once you have submitted your online application form and the required documents, your application goes through the following steps:

Minimum requirements
Admission services check that your application and the supporting documents meet the minimum requirements.

Academic evaluation

If your application meets the minimum requirements, it will proceed to the academic evaluation as described in the academic regulations of the programme in question.

Admission results

Following the academic assessment, you will receive the reply to your application(s). Check the email you have submitted in the application platform regularly so that you don’t miss the outcome of your application. It takes up to eight weeks after your file is submitted to the pedagogical committee to receive this email. If you are pre-selected, you will be given an online entrance examination which will be held remotely.

If your application is successful, you will receive by e-mail an official scanned acceptance letter to the e-mail address that you have written in your online application.

You have been accepted? Congratulations! Access now practical information.

Important : Candidates who have the nationality of countries OUTSIDE the European Union, European Economic Area and Swiss confederation AND who live in one of the following countries with a Campus France office:

Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vietnam.

If you receive an official notification of acceptance you must create an account on your country of residence’s Campus France website and complete their files from the tab “Je suis accepté” or “I am accepted” and apply for a visa. Download here the guide with the instructions for Campus France procedure to follow.

Best of success in your application!

UBFC welcomes incoming exchange students from partner universities around the world: European students under the Erasmus+ program and students from elsewhere under the UBFC exchange programs. In addition, there are many ways for UBFC students to spend time abroad.

Exchange student (non Erasmus+)

UBFC not only welcomes full-time students, but also provides an international experience to nominated students from partner universities all over the world.

As an exchange student you study at UBFC for some time and you stay enrolled at your home institution. At the end of your stay, you will receive a transcript of records and ECTS credits for followed classes.

In order to be accepted as an exchange student at UBFC, your home university must have an exchange agreement with UBFC. Your home university selects and nominates students for the exchange program.

Before joining us within an exchange program, please contact the international office or exchange coordinator at your home university to find out if there is an agreement between your home university and UBFC and to obtain information regarding selection procedure.

Browse all UBFC exchange programs (click on “voir les calques” on the left to see per master).

How to apply as an exchange student?

  1. Apply in your home university
  • Contact your home international office or exchange coordinator to make sure you are eligible to apply.
  • Go through the selection process at your home university and get the nomination for an academic exchange at UBFC. After acceptance, the program coordinator or the international office will contact the program coordinator at UBFC, adding the International Relations in copy (studentexchange@ubfc.fr), in order to send the application file, as well as the letter of official nomination.

The file is composed of :

  • Transcripts of records
  • CV
  • Copy of passport or national identity card (check the expiration date on your passport: for a regular long stay visa (more than 90 days), the expiration date must be 15 months after the day you plan to leave your country of origin)
  • Language certificate (min. B2 in English, a certificate issued by the partner university is accepted)
  • Letter of recommendation from one of the professors
  • Cover letter
  1. Wait for UBFC feedback

Once you’ve been nominated by your home university for a student exchange at UBFC, wait for a feedback from UBFC. When the International Office at UBFC receives your nomination, they will contact you and guide you on how to proceed with the exchange application.

Acceptance decisions are made by UBFC faculties on the basis of the application file and enclosures.

If you are accepted, UBFC International Relations will provide you with all the necessary information you may need to start the process:

  • Letter of admission
  • Visa procedures
  • Arrival guide

For any request regarding student mobility at UBFC, you can contact studentexchange@ubfc.fr

Tuition Fees: tuition fees are waived for exchange students at UBFC. They are to be paid at your home university only.

***

Exchange student Erasmus+

You are recognized as an Erasmus+ exchange student when you come to study at UBFC for a semester or an academic year under an Erasmus+ agreement between your home university and UBFC.

  1. Apply at your home university: contact the International Relations to ensure that an inter-institutional agreement exists with UBFC in your field of study and apply according to the selection procedure of your home university. Once selected, UBFC receives your nomination by email.
  2. UBFC is reviewing your nomination. You will be contacted by the UBFC International Relations in order to provide:
    • CV
    • Cover letter
    • Copy of the passport or national identity card (check the expiration date on your passport: for a regular long stay visa (more than 90 days), the expiration date must be 15 months after the day you plan to leave your country of origin)
    • Transcripts of records
    • Optional: language certificate and letter of recommendation

Acceptance decisions are made by UBFC faculties on the basis of the application file and attachments.

  1. After acceptance, UBFC International Relations will send you the list of courses of the master’s degree in which you wish to study and you will have to complete a learning agreement. UBFC will send you an admission letter.
  2. Check if you need a visa: citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation do not need a visa or a residence permit. If you are of another nationality, we advise you to contact the French embassy in your country of residence as you may need a visa or a residence permit depending on your situation. You can also inquire on the government website.
  3. Accommodation: you have different accommodation options depending on your study campus.
  4. Administrative registration: the International Relations will send you the steps to take to register administratively.

Tuition Fees: tuition fees are waived for exchange students at UBFC. They are to be paid at your home university only.

You can contact the Erasmus+ service for any questions: erasmus@ubfc.fr

UBFC, via strategic alliances with certain international academic partners, offers students in certain fields the opportunity to graduate with a double master’s degree – one from UBFC and one from the partner university. It gives them the opportunity to follow part of their program at a partner university and to benefit from a complementary education certified by a double degree.

UBFC student

Double degree students usually follow the first year of the master’s program at UBFC and the second year at one of our partner universities.

Once you are accepted within one of our master’s program offering a possibility for a double degree :

1. Contact the program director at UBFC. The program director and the teaching committee associated with the double degree will select the candidates.

2. Prepare your application with the following documents for the partner university:

  • Transcripts of records
  • CV
  • Copy of passport or national identity card (check the expiration date on your passport: for a regular long stay visa (more than 90 days), the expiration date must be 15 months after the day you plan to leave your country of origin)
  • Language certificate (min. B2 in English, a certificate issued by UBFC is accepted)
  • Letter of recommendation from one of the professors
  • Motivation letter

After acceptance, your file will be sent to the partner university along with an official nomination letter.

Note that acceptance of your application to UBFC does not guarantee admission to the double degree course. Indeed, the acceptance of the application file for the double degree is governed by a double acceptance: UBFC on the one hand, and the host university on the other.

UBFC International Relations will provide interested students with all the information they need for this application: studentexchange@ubfc.fr

Tuition fees

As a general rule, UBFC double degree students pay their tuition fees only at their home university.

***

Student from a partner university

1. Apply in your home university

  • Contact your home International Relations or the program coordinator to make sure you are eligible to apply.
  • Go through the selection process at your home university. After acceptance, the program coordinator or the international service will contact the program coordinator at UBFC, adding the International Relations in copy (studentexchange@ubfc.fr), in order to send the application file, as well as the official nomination letter.

 The file is composed of :

  • Transcripts of records
  • CV
  • Copy of passport or national identity card (check the expiration date on your passport: for a regular long stay visa (more than 90 days), the expiration date must be 15 months after the day you plan to leave your country of origin)
  • Language certificate (min. B2 in English, a certificate issued by the partner is accepted)
  • Letter of recommendation from one of the professors
  • Cover letter

2. Wait for UBFC feedback

Once you’ve been nominated by your home university for a double degree at UBFC, wait for a feedback from UBFC. When the International Office at UBFC receives your nomination, they will contact you and guide you on how to proceed with the double degree application.

Acceptance decisions are made by UBFC faculties on the basis of the application file and enclosures. Note that the ratification of your application file by your home university does not mean the automatic acceptance of your application by UBFC nor, consequently, the acceptance of your application file for the double degree.

A B2 level in English is strongly recommended to study in good conditions at UBFC.

If you are accepted, UBFC International Relations will provide you with all the necessary information you may need to start the process:

  • Letter of admission
  • Visa procedures
  • Arrival guide

For any request regarding student mobility at UBFC, you can contact studentexchange@ubfc.fr

Tuition fees

Students from a partner university enrolled in a double degree at UBFC pay the tuition fees only at their home university. However, the CVEC (Contribution Vie Etudiante et de Campus), which amounts 100€ in 2023-2024, remains due.