Frequently asked questions – Entrance exam for first-year students at Sciences Po Grenoble – UGA

Yes. In order to organize the competition under the best conditions, there is a registration fee. For the 2026 competition, the fee has been set by our Board of Directors at €110 for non-scholarship holders and €25 for scholarship holders. Payment is made directly on Parcoursup.

No specialty subject is favored or disadvantaged by our competitive exam. The two specialty subjects taken in the junior and senior years are weighted equally. Regardless of your choice of specialties, we are interested in your success in these subjects!

No, it is neither useful nor necessary to take private lessons in order to succeed. Success in our competitive examination depends above all on your academic record for eligibility and on careful reading and analysis of the documentary file for admission (in addition to your ability to convincingly present your background, your commitments, and your Education project).

There is no age limit to enter the contest.

No. Registration for the competition is done exclusively on Parcoursup. No additional steps are necessary.

Like Sciences Po Bordeaux and Sciences Po Paris, we prefer to organize our own entrance exam so that it is consistent with the School's general policy. One of the notable differences between our exam and the joint exam is that we accept applications without any age or seniority restrictions. Another difference is that we organize oral admission interviews, which we believe are essential for better understanding the profile and motivation of candidates. These oral interviews are not simply personality interviews. They are based on a discussion of a documentary file on a topic of general interest, which is made available in December prior to the entrance exam. Candidates can therefore prepare for the test well in advance and demonstrate their critical thinking skills on these documents during the interview.

We also believe that written exams, such as those used in the joint competitive examination, can introduce bias into the recruitment process, particularly in the case of modern language tests. This type of exam can also discourage some candidates from applying due to the cost of traveling to an exam center. Candidates for our competitive examination can take it from home, even if they do not live in France.

Finally, our eligibility algorithm values the individual effort of students in the school system, regardless of the average level of the classes they are in. The common entrance exam does not allow for this type of parameter setting.

We take the following ratings into account:

• The average of the grades obtained in the first and final years of high school in LVA (coefficient 2), LVB (coefficient 2), and history-geography (coefficient 4);
• The average final year grades in philosophy (coefficient 2);
• The average of the grades for the two specialized courses retained in the final year (coefficient 2 each) for high school graduates since 2021;
• The average score for the preliminary French exams (oral and written) for all candidates (coefficient 2);
• The overall average for the baccalaureate for candidates who already hold a baccalaureate (coefficient 4).

When one of your grades is missing in a subject, we apply the following rules:

• If a quarter's grade is missing in the subject, it is replaced by the average of your other grades in that subject.
• If more than one grade is missing in the subject, the average in that subject is replaced by:
• the average of your French baccalaureate grades (oral + written) if you are a recent graduate;
• your overall high school GPA if you already have a high school diploma.

For the grades of the preliminary French exams (oral and written) and the overall average of the baccalaureate for candidates who already have a baccalaureate, we keep the student's average.

For the other marks, we calculate the deviation from the class or group average and then convert this deviation into a mark between 0 and 20, where 0 is the largest negative deviation among the candidates and 20 is the largest positive deviation.

We then calculate the average of these grades, weighted using the following coefficients: History-Geography (4), LVA and LVB (2 each), Philosophy (2), specializations (2 each), French Baccalaureate (2), overall Baccalaureate average (4) for candidates who already have a Baccalaureate.

Finally, we award a bonus of +0.1 points to candidates from Cordées de la réussite(Success Teams).

For high-level athletes, eligibility is automatic if they have a high school GPA of 15/20 or higher.

No, there is no minimum level required. However, modern languages (LVA and LVB) count towards eligibility, with a coefficient of 2 each, and your English skills are also assessed during the oral exam.

To prepare well for the oral exam:

• Work thoroughly on the documentary file, available in December: mastery of this file is central to the evaluation.
• Practice analyzing, structuring, and arguing based on this file.
• Prepare a clear presentation of your motivation, your background, and how your project fits in with Sciences Po Grenoble. This presentation should last 2 minutes.
• The oral exam includes a conversation in English: practice answering simple questions about your background and motivations in this language.

Yes. Holders of a technological baccalaureate can apply. Each year, they represent a small number of applicants and an even smaller number of admissions. In the case of technological baccalaureate holders, the grade used for eligibility is their baccalaureate average.

Yes. Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA applies a system designed to guarantee a minimum percentage of scholarship recipients among eligible candidates, in accordance with the objectives set by the Rectorate. To this end, an adjustment is applied to the scores of scholarship candidates during the eligibility phase to ensure that the percentage set by the jury—based on the Rectorate's objectives—is achieved.

To ensure that our competition is open to everyone, regardless of their region of origin or means of transportation, admission interviews are conducted exclusively via videoconference. Eligible candidates must reserve an interview slot on the Parcoursup platform as soon as the eligibility results are published.

No. Applying with a Bac+1 or Bac+2 qualification does not result in any penalty. The only difference with this year's high school graduates is that for Bac+1 and above, we take into account the overall high school average when calculating the admission score. We do not take into account grades obtained at university or in preparatory classes after high school.

No. Teachers' assessments are not taken into account during the eligibility phase, which is based exclusively on algorithmic processing of grades. During the admission phase, the interview focuses mainly on the applicant's documentation, motivation, and analytical skills. However, the selection committee may consult the applicants' complete Parcoursup files (including assessments) if it deems this necessary for the evaluation process.

No. The jury will only ask you questions in English during the oral exam.