CROSSBORDER ACCREDITATION: RECOGNITION OF A FOREIGN DEGREE IN FRANCE

« ADMISSION PAR L’ETAT »

The CTI’s missions include the evaluation of engineering degree programmes at master’s level abroad. The procedures may take two different forms that may be combined in a single process:

  • Recognition of the degree in France (“admission par l’Etat“), which gives graduates from the relevant programmes the title of graduate & professional engineer “ingénieur diplômé” in France. The R&O References & Guidelines apply to these programmes in the same way as to the French engineering schools, although some criteria may be relaxed to take into account the different national contexts.
  • Evaluation procedure with the aim to award the EUR-ACE® label at master’s level.

For an application for the recognition of a degree in France (“admission par l’Etat”), a diplomatic process needs to be initiated between the two countries after the admissibility (see below) has been confirmed. For a EUR-ACE® Label application alone, CTI informs the local agency and/or authorities.

Download more information on an application for “Admission par l’Etat” in PDF format.

The CTI works in various countries in Europe and around the world, including Belgium, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, Switzerland, Tunisia and Vietnam. Each year thousands of graduates from foreign Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are awarded a degree that is recognized in France. New applications are submitted every year, in particular by foreign French-speaking institutions and/or institutions with strong links to French schools.

As is the case for French engineering schools, the accreditation process includes a site visit to the institution by an expert panel, a published evaluation report and a recommendation for accreditation, the content and duration of which are debated and voted on at the plenary session of the CTI.

The admissibility of first applications

Prior to a first evaluation process of a foreign institution, there is an admissibility phase in order to check that the scope of the application and a few major criteria are in line with the CTI’s missions.

Two Admissibility Committee meetings are organized in 2023-2024. The application deadlines are: October 21st 2023 & April 1st 2024.

Download the Admissibility file; it gives you access to :

  • Word and Excel documents to fill in
  • Information on fees for evaluation procedures abroad

The application for admissibility may be sent to the CTI as soon as the programme is functioning for a few years and the first class of students has graduated. If the application is declared admissible, it will be included in an upcoming CTI’s annual evaluation campaign.

For any request and further information: