Université is the most common way to say “university” in French, and it's the one you'll encounter most often. But the world of French higher education is rich and varied, with a vocabulary to match!

As you dive deeper into French, especially if you're considering studying abroad, you'll find that not all institutions of higher learning are called a simple 'université.'

Let's explore the different terms the French use, from the general campus to the most prestigious schools in the country!

1. The standard 'university' – l'université

The most direct, common, and internationally understood word for 'university' in French is l'université.

Université is a feminine noun. You'll see it as l'université because it starts with a vowel, but when you need to use an indefinite article, it becomes une université. Remembering its gender is key for correct adjective agreement.

When talking about going to or being at the university, the standard preposition is à. Since université starts with a vowel, this combination is always à l'université. For example: Je vais à l'université (I'm going to the university) or Il est professeur à l'université (He is a professor at the university).

In everyday, informal conversation, French speakers very commonly use la fac as a synonym for l'université. La fac is short for la faculté (faculty or department), but its casual use often refers to the entire university campus or experience. For example, Tu vas à la fac demain ? (Are you going to uni tomorrow?).

It is crucial not to confuse l'université with une grande école. The French higher education system has a dual structure. While universities are open to all students with a high school diploma (le baccalauréat), les grandes écoles are elite, highly selective institutions that require students to pass competitive entrance exams. They are separate from the main university system.

💡 * Après le lycée, la plupart des étudiants vont à l'université.

Elle étudie la biologie à l'université de Lyon.

Les universités publiques en France sont presque gratuites.

Je dois retrouver mes amis à la bibliothèque de l'université.

Il a décidé de ne pas aller à la fac et de trouver un travail.

The informal 'university' or 'department' – la fac

The informal 'university' or 'department' – la fac

One of the most common informal terms you'll encounter in French higher education is la fac. This is the colloquial abbreviation for la faculté, which translates to 'the faculty,' but is used more broadly to mean 'the university' or 'a specific university department'.

While l'université is the formal word for 'university,' French students and young adults almost always use la fac in casual conversation. It's the go-to term when talking about campus life, classes, or simply the institution itself.

The term is flexible. It can refer to the university as a whole (e.g., la vie à la fac - 'life at uni') or a specific school within it, such as la fac de droit (the law school) or la fac de lettres (the humanities department).

Remember that la fac is strictly informal. You would use it when chatting with friends but would switch to the more formal l'université or la faculté on a resume, in official correspondence, or in a professional setting.

Properly using la fac is a key signifier that you're comfortable with everyday spoken French. It instantly makes you sound more like a native speaker discussing student life.

💡 * Je vais à la fac pour mon cours d'histoire.

Elle étudie à la fac de médecine de Lyon.

La bibliothèque de la fac est ouverte jusqu'à 22h.

C'est comment, la vie à la fac ?

The 'faculty' or 'college' – la faculté

In the context of French higher education, la faculté (often shortened to la fac) is a crucial term. It can refer to a specific 'faculty' or 'department' within a university, but is also commonly used as a general term for 'college' or 'university' itself.

The most precise meaning of la faculté is a major academic division, like the 'Faculty of Law' (la faculté de droit) or the 'Faculty of Medicine' (la faculté de médecine). This is similar to a 'college' within a larger university in the US system (e.g., the College of Arts and Sciences).

More colloquially, you'll almost always hear the shortened form la fac. French speakers use this as a general, informal way to say 'college' or 'university'. For example, someone might say, 'Je vais à la fac' which means 'I'm going to university'.

While l'université is the formal term for the entire institution, la fac is the everyday term students use. Think of l'université as the official name on the diploma, and la fac as the place you go every day.

It's important to remember that la faculté is a feminine noun. Therefore, you always use the feminine article la or une. For example: C'est une bonne fac (It's a good university).

💡 * Je suis étudiant à la faculté des lettres. (I am a student at the Faculty of Arts.)

Il va à la fac pour suivre ses cours de biologie. (He's going to the university to attend his biology classes.)

La fac de médecine est très sélective. (The medical school is very selective.)

Après le bac, beaucoup d'étudiants vont à la fac. (After the baccalaureate exam, many students go to university.)

The prestigious 'elite school' – la grande école

In France, a grande école is a prestigious higher education institution that operates outside the main public university framework. These are highly selective 'elite schools,' often compared to Ivy League universities in the US or Oxbridge in the UK, specializing in fields like business, engineering, and public administration.

Entry into a grande école is famously difficult. Prospective students typically complete two years of intensive preparatory classes, known as classes préparatoires (or prépas), after high school. They must then pass a highly competitive national entrance exam called a concours.

Graduates from grandes écoles are often fast-tracked into high-level positions in both the private and public sectors. The alumni network (réseau) is incredibly powerful, providing significant career advantages throughout one's professional life.

Unlike public universities (l'université), which generally have open enrollment for anyone with a baccalauréat (high school diploma), grandes écoles select only a small fraction of applicants. This exclusivity is a key part of their prestige and reputation.

💡 * Il rêve d'intégrer une grande école de commerce.

Après deux ans de prépa, elle a réussi le concours de Polytechnique.

Les diplômés des grandes écoles forment une élite en France.

Mon fils est à HEC, c'est une grande école très réputée.

The general 'school' (for higher education) – l'école

While l'école is the general French word for 'school' that you learn first, its meaning becomes more specific and nuanced when discussing higher education.

In the context of post-secondary studies, l'école often refers to a specialized and selective institution, distinct from a public university. These are frequently the prestigious Grandes Écoles, which focus on subjects like engineering, business, or public administration.

It's crucial not to confuse l'école with l'université. In France, universities are generally open to all students who have passed the baccalauréat (high school exit exam), whereas écoles typically require students to pass a competitive entrance exam called a concours.

You'll commonly hear French students specify the type of school they attend, such as an école d'ingénieur (engineering school) or an école de commerce (business school). This signals a specific, often prestigious, educational path.

In short, if a French person tells you they are 'à l'école' after high school, they likely mean they are attending one of these specialized institutions, not a general university. The term carries a connotation of selectivity and prestige.

💡 * Elle fait une école de commerce à Paris. (She's attending a business school in Paris.)

Mon frère est entré dans une grande école d'ingénieurs. (My brother got into a top engineering school.)

Après le bac, il hésite entre l'université et une école. (After his baccalaureate, he's hesitating between university and a specialized school.)

Les écoles d'art sont très sélectives en France. (Art schools are very selective in France.)

The formal 'higher education institution' – l'établissement d'enseignement supérieur

In French, the official and all-encompassing term for a 'higher education institution' is l'établissement d'enseignement supérieur. This is a formal, administrative phrase used to refer to any post-secondary institution, such as universities, colleges, and specialized schools (grandes écoles).

Let's look at the components to understand its meaning fully: établissement means 'establishment' or 'institution,' enseignement means 'teaching' or 'education,' and supérieur means 'higher.' Together, they literally translate to 'institution of higher education.'

You will almost exclusively encounter this term in official and administrative contexts. Think government websites, university application forms, legal documents, and news reports discussing educational policy. It is not a term used in casual conversation.

In everyday speech, people refer to specific types of institutions rather than using this umbrella term. For example, a student would say, Je vais à l'université (I go to university) or Je suis en grande école (I'm in a grande école). The full formal term is reserved for when you are speaking about the sector as a whole.

💡 * Pour vous inscrire, vous devez contacter l'établissement d'enseignement supérieur de votre choix.

La France compte de nombreux établissements d'enseignement supérieur prestigieux.

Un diplôme d'un établissement d'enseignement supérieur est requis pour ce poste.

Le ministère a publié une liste de tous les établissements d'enseignement supérieur accrédités.

The 'institute' – l'institut

The French word for 'institute' is l'institut. It is a masculine noun (un institut), so the l' is used because the word begins with a vowel. It generally refers to an organization established for a specific purpose, often related to research, education, or professional activities.

L'institut is frequently found in the names of prestigious educational and research bodies, such as l'Institut de France or l'Institut Pasteur. It conveys a sense of formality and specialization in a particular field.

Beyond academic or scientific contexts, the term is also used more broadly. A very common usage is un institut de beauté, which means 'a beauty salon'. It can also refer to a polling organization, as in un institut de sondage.

💡 * L'Institut Pasteur est célèbre pour ses recherches médicales.

Elle va à l'institut de beauté pour une manucure chaque mois.

Mon frère est inscrit dans un institut de formation professionnelle.

Les résultats de l'institut de sondage seront publiés demain.

The 'campus' – le campus

The “campus” – le campus

An easy one for English speakers! Le campus refers to the grounds and buildings of a university or college. It's a direct loanword from English, so the meaning is identical.

It's important to remember that campus is a masculine noun in French: le campus. This affects the articles and adjectives you use with it.

This term is used exactly like its English counterpart when discussing university life, locations, or facilities. The common phrase for “on campus” is sur le campus.

💡 * Le campus de la Sorbonne est situé au cœur de Paris. (The Sorbonne's campus is located in the heart of Paris.)

Beaucoup d'étudiants préfèrent vivre sur le campus. (Many students prefer to live on campus.)

Il y a une nouvelle cafétéria sur le campus. (There is a new cafeteria on campus.)

The Administrative 'Training and Research Unit' – l'UFR (Unité de Formation et de Recherche)

In the French university system, l'UFR is a common acronym that stands for Unité de Formation et de Recherche. The direct translation is 'Training and Research Unit'.

An UFR is the main administrative and academic division within a French university. It groups together related disciplines for both teaching and research purposes. Think of it as the equivalent of a 'faculty,' 'department,' or 'school' in an English-speaking university system (e.g., the Faculty of Arts, the School of Medicine).

The term UFR was officially introduced by a 1984 law on higher education to replace the older term faculté (faculty). The goal was to emphasize the dual mission of these units: formation (training/teaching) and recherche (research). While UFR is the official administrative term, in casual conversation, many people still use the word faculté or the informal shorthand la fac.

💡 * Je suis étudiant à l'UFR de Droit de l'Université Paris 1. (I am a student at the Law School of University Paris 1.)

Le secrétariat de l'UFR des Sciences est fermé le mercredi après-midi. (The administration office for the Faculty of Sciences is closed on Wednesday afternoons.)

Il faut déposer son dossier de candidature directement à l'UFR concernée. (You must submit your application file directly to the relevant department.)

Are there other ways to say 'university' in French?

Our list has covered the most common terms for 'university' in French, such as université and its common nickname la fac. But the world of French higher education is vast and includes other specific terms for different types of institutions.

You can also do an online search for “système d'enseignement supérieur en ___” followed by a specific Francophone country like Belgium, Switzerland, or Canada to see how terminology might differ.

You might encounter specialized terms like grande école or institut universitaire de technologie (IUT). Always check the context, as these refer to very specific types of institutions that are different from a standard university.

As you read, watch, and listen to French content, especially news reports or discussions about education, pay attention to which words are used. This will give you a better feel for the nuances of the French academic world.

If you want to learn more about the structure of higher education in France, the official Campus France website is an excellent and authoritative resource.

I hope this guide has been useful. To finish on an inspiring note, here is a quote from Victor Hugo that captures the spirit of higher learning: Savoir, penser, rêver. Tout est là. (To know, to think, to dream. That is all.)

'9 ways to say "university" in French'