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Politics and International Studies (POLIS)

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Long reserved for French speakers, the Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA degree is now accessible to English speakers thanks to the POLIS program. Aimed at an international audience, this program welcomes foreign students who have been educated outside France and who wish to pursue an ambitious and interdisciplinary intellectual path designed to train the decision-makers of tomorrow.

Discover the POLIS program during our online open house!

Because we are committed to welcoming students from all over the world, we are offering an online presentation of the institute and the POLIS program.

This presentation will take place on Saturday, February 7, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. (GMT+1) on Zoom.

Sign up

Presentation

Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA is an independent graduate school that is part of the University of Grenoble Alpes (UGA), one of the top 100 universities in the Shanghai ranking and the best French university outside Paris. 

 

The POLIS international program contributes to strengthen cultural diversity at Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA by recruiting international students who would not be able to follow the general curriculum because they do not have the necessary French language skills or cultural knowledge of France and its history. It is therefore aimed at students who are not French nationals and who have an intermediate/advanced level of English (minimum B2 – see below). 

 

Admission is by competitive examination, like all programs at the institute.

 

Like the general program for French-speaking students of French nationality, the POLIS program combines courses and methodology lectures, a full year spent studying abroad, an emphasis on acquiring social science methods, the Grand Oral exam, an introductory research seminar, the link between teaching and research, and access to student associations.

 

The POLIS program is characteristic Education a political Education : multidisciplinary (political science, law, economics, management, history, sociology, and languages), with a strong international focus and a strong social sciences research component.


The program content is tailored to this new audience while meeting the requirements of the Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA degree. 

 

Discover testimonials from former students below:

 

Organization of studies at Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA

The Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA degree is obtained in five years. 

 

The studies consist of two stages:

  • Undergraduate: 3 years

  • Second stage: 2 years

     

The POLIS program is an undergraduate program that does not lead to a degree on its own.

It demonstrates the institution's desire to facilitate access for international students to the Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA degree by offering an undergraduate program taught entirely in English.

In the event that POLIS students wish to pursue their graduate studies in another institution, a certificate confirming that the undergraduate program has been successfully completed may be issued.

 

It is necessary to have completed the first and second stages in order to obtain the institute's diploma.

 

Consult the academic regulations by clicking here.

A unique program

As in the general program for French-speaking students of French nationality, the POLIS program combines courses and lectures on methodology, a full year spent studying abroad, an emphasis on acquiring social science methods, the Grand Oral exam, an introductory research seminar, the link between teaching and research, and access tostudent associations.

 

 

 However, other elements are specific to the POLIS program: 

 

  • The scope of the new program (comparative politics, international issues viewed from the perspective of different disciplines, international relations, regional areas, and regional integration) does not require knowledge of France similar to that possessed by students after obtaining their high school diploma. However, from the first year onwards, a course on France (France: State, Institutions, Society) will enable them to gradually acquire this knowledge. 

 

  • All classes are taught in English. However, students can take specialized courses taught in French if they wish and if their French language skills are sufficient (B2+).

 

  •  Similarly, a significant amount of French (FLE - French as a Foreign Language ; two 2-hour sessions per week) is included in the first and third years to enablestudents to learn French and acquire a sufficient level (B2) to subsequently access our graduate programs (taught in French, with the exception of one, which can be taken in English). 

 

  • Depending on the students' level, the mandatory academic year abroad could take place in a French-speaking country in order to practice the language. 

 

  • A specific workshop:the Policy Lab. This will involve designing solutions to public policy problems, working closely with stakeholders in the field (local authorities and other public administrations, NGOs, agencies, etc.) in an interactive manner. The exercise is intended to stimulate students' creativity while exposing them to key societal issues. The emphasis is on using the most appropriate method to solve the problem.

Syllabus

The syllabus changes every year.

For an overview of the courses offered this year, please refer to the Method of Knowledge Assessment (Modalités de Contrôle de Connaissance - MCC). This document details the types of courses, their titles, and their weighting.

The POLIS cohort is not large, but classes are held either with large cohorts of French students from Sciences Po Grenoble-UGA, or with the large cohort of international exchange students from around the world.

Consult the MCCs

Entrance exam

The competition is open to candidates from foreign secondary schools who hold or are in the process of obtaining a foreign secondary school diploma (equivalent to the French baccalaureate) and who have a sufficient level of English. The international competitive entrance examination takes place in two phases: an eligibility phase followed by an admission phase.

  1. 1. Be preparing for or have obtained a high school diploma from a non-French institution.
    Please note: this undergraduate program is not open to continuing education students.

     

  2. 2. Advanced or independent English level (B2+):
    - TOEFL 95
    - IELTS 6.5
    - TOEIC "listening and reading" (945) & "speaking and writing" (360)
    - Cambridge certificate 179 minimum
    - Duolingo test (total minimum 125 - "listening, reading, speaking and writing" (110 mandatory)

 

  1. In addition: a good knowledge of French is appreciated but not required.

 

 

  1. 1. Your high school diploma (ONLY if already obtained)

     

  2. 2. Your official transcript for the last two years of high school (1 PDF) - with a certified translation in English or French

    Optional: official university transcript (if applicable) - with certified translation in English or French

     

  3. 3. Your resume written in English (1 page)

 

  1. 4. A cover letter including your background, reasons for applying, extracurricular activities and commitments, and any other relevant information (maximum 300 words).

 

  1. 5. Your official English language proficiency certificate (see accepted tests and required levels above).

 

The essay, which was required in previous years, is no longer required in the application.

 

You can download the complete calendar by clicking here.

 

Phase 1. Eligibility
Online application submission: from January 12, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. to March 17, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (GMT+1).

Eligibility is determined based on the application file, based on the information provided by candidates on the Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA competition platform.

 

Creating the file:

Create your online Candidate Account (access the platform by clicking here).

Submit the required documents from your Candidate Area.

Application fee: €110, payable online by credit card only (non-refundable application fee). 

 

File evaluation: 

A jury composed of a teacher and a teacher-researcher from Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA reviews the candidates' applications and assigns them a score.

This review is based in particular on:

  • The academic skills, level of English, grades obtained, methodological skills, know-how, and interpersonal skills of the candidate, assessed on the basis of the documents provided on the Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA competition platform.
  • The candidate's motivation and the consistency of the Education project, which must be entered on the Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA competition platform, with Education Po Grenoble - UGA Education offer.
  • The candidate's commitments, activities, interests, and extracurricular achievements of all kinds, as reported on the Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA admissions platform, in order to assess the candidate's level of independence.

 

The results of the first phase will be published on April 1, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (GMT+1).
Eligible candidates will then be invited to an interview.

 

Phase 2. Admission: remote interviews. 
Admission interviews will take place between April 13, 2026, and April 24, 2026.

The admission test consists of a 15-minute oral interview focusing on the candidate's background, plans, and motivation, as well as a short text in English (maximum 10 pages) that candidates must read in advance. The interview is conducted in English and remotely via videoconference.

 

The number of places on this course is set by order of the Director. There are 15 places.

 

Students admitted under the Refugees Welcome program are automatically eligible for the international undergraduate program without their admission counting toward the number of places available in the competitive admissions process. 

 
Results: April 27, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. (GMT+1).

 

Candidates admitted to the Grenoble Institute of Political Studies after completing the two tests are required to register administratively within the required time frame, otherwise they risk losing their admission.

 

Please note: Students admitted to Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA cannot defer their admission to the following year.

Tuition fees

Since 2016, Sciences Po Grenoble – UGA has been working to make its tuition fees more equitable. The decision taken by our Board of Directors on December 9, 2025 continues the process of making our programs more accessible. Tuition fees are defined as follows: 

For students whose parents declare their income within the European Economic Area, tuition fees are adjusted according to household income.
Annual fees will range from €0 to €6,300.

You can find details on this webpage.

For students whose parents declare their income outside the European Economic Area, tuition fees are fixed at €6,300 per year.


The only other university cost is the CVEC (Contribution Vie Étudiante et de Campus - Student and Campus Life Contribution - €105 per year).  

These tuition fees are largely subsidized by the French government, since the actual cost per studentstudying at an elite university is €17,260 (figures for 2020-2022, https://fr.statista.com/).


Transportation, sports and cultural activities, meals at the university restaurant, and many other things are subsidized by the French government. Professors very rarely ask students to buy textbooks.
 

Please note: in the event of non-payment of tuition fees, the student is not permitted to attend classes or take exams.

Contact

Morgane TIBERTI-MAMAN 

International Programs Coordinator
contact-internationalprogram@sciencespo-grenoble.fr

+33 4 76 82 61 01 (by appointment)

International Relations Office - Office #13