Exams to study in France: Language proficiency & GMAT scores to study in France

Content Curator | Updated On - Sep 6, 2024

France recently emerged as one of the popular destinations to study abroad among Indian students. Apart from French taught courses, there are several French universities that offer courses entirely in English. Before planning to study such courses, you must be aware of exams to study in France. The commonly accepted English tests by the majority of French universities are TOEFL, IELTS, PTE and TOEIC.

However, you may be required to demonstrate your proficiency in French if you are planning to study UG level courses. TEF, DALF, DELF are some of the French language tests that you can submit to study French taught courses in France.

Those applying to masters in France may be asked to submit GRE or GMAT scores as per the course requirements. GRE is typically accepted for STEM designated courses, while the GMAT is required for MBA or other business related master’s degrees across top b schools.

English Proficiency Exams to Study in France

The English test scores are typically valid for 2 years till the application deadline of the specific course. Given below are the minimum acceptable English test scores across top universities in France:

University	IELTS	TOEFL IBT	PTE	TOEIC	Cambridge English Exams	Duolingo
HEC Paris	7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each section	100	72	NA	185 with a minimum of 176 in each part	135
INSEAD Paris	7.5	105	72	NA	NA	NA
Ecole Polytechnique	6.5	90	NA	NA	176 Grade B	NA
ESSEC Business School	6.5-7.0	95-100	NA	850	175	105
SKEMA Business School	6.0	71	NA	810	NA	105
CentraleSupélac	6.5	90	60	850	NA	NA
SciencesPo Paris	6.5	100	NA	NA	C level	130

Study in France with IELTS

The IELTS score is acceptable across all the universities in France with a minimum score of between 6.5-7.0 in top universities like HEC Paris and INSEAD. Indian students are required to pay a fee of 17,000 INR to appear in the IELTS exam.

Study in France without IELTS

Those failing to meet the minimum IELTS requirements can look for universities that also admit students without IELTS tests. Some of the French universities that admits students without IELTS scores are given below:

American Business School	NEOMA Business School	SKEMA Business School
ISC Paris	EBS Paris	ESC Rennes Business School
IESA International	Paris Business School	Toulouse Business School

TOEFL

TOEFL is one of the commonly acceptable English tests in France other than IELTS. The minimum TOEFL score in France ranges between 90 - 100 in most universities. You must pay a fee of 16,900 INR to appear in the TOEFL exam.

PTE

Some French universities also accept PTE scores along with IELTS and TOEFL tests for English proficiency. The cost of the PTE exam fee varies depending on location and ranges between 13,500 to 17,000 INR for Indian students.

TOEIC

The TOEIC exam is majorly popular in France but is accepted across a handful of universities in the country. You need a minimum score between 800-850 to clear the TOEIC English test for French universities. The test is conducted by the Education Testing Service also known as ETS. TOEIC is much cheaper than other tests with a fee of 7,138 INR or 85 USD.

French Proficiency Exams to Study in France

You can submit any of the following tests to study French taught courses in France across top universities:

University	DELF	DALF	Minimum TCF score required	Minimum TEF scores required
PSL University Paris	B2	C1	NA	NA
Sorbonne University	B2	C1	NA	NA
University of Strasbourg	B1	NA	NA	NA
Science Po Paris	B2	C1, C2	400-500	NA
University of Bordeaux	B1	NA	NA	NA

DELF

The Diplôme d'études en langue française or DELF is a French proficiency test conducted by the French Ministry of Education. The test has a validity of 2 years or even lifetime depending on level. Indian students can expect to spend around 8,620 to 10,200 INR as registration fee for DELF test.

DALF

DALF is an advanced level French language diploma which includes C1 and C2 level. The cost of appearing in the test is 11,300 INR for Indian students.

TCF

Test de Connaissance du Français is specifically to test French proficiency skills of non-native speakers. This test is conducted by the France Education International and it is valid for up to 2 years. Appearing in the TCF exam requires a fee of 21,476 INR.

TEF

TEF is yet another French language test conducted by the CCI Paris Ile-de-France. Just like TCF, the test is valid for up to 2 years. The fee for the TEF test ranges from 15,000 to 25,000 INR for Indian students depending on the number of exams.

Subject Specific Exam to Study in France

Apart from the language test, you may also be required to submit standardized tests to demonstrate your skills in a particular subject. Most of the engineering and science courses require GRE test scores while top Business schools in France accept GMAT scores especially for MBA programs. The minimum scores accepted in GMAT test across top French Business are as follows;

University	Average GMAT Score
HEC Paris	690
INSEAD Paris	700 or above
TBS business school	500
Grenoble Ecole de Management	550-700
EDHEC Business School	640-700
Audencia Nantes Business School	400-800

Exams to Study in France: Important Dates

Following are the important dates and deadlines and application period for exams to study in France:

Exams	Application Deadline	Exam Date
IELTS	1 month before the exam date	Applicants can book their test
TOEFL	1 week before the exam date	On Sundays and Saturdays throughout the year
GRE	60 days before the test	September to October 2024
GMAT	3 months before the test date	Multiple Dates throughout the year

Majority of French universities follow a holistic approach while evaluating a candidate's application. This means, an individual is not only assessed based on academic record but also other factors such as professional achievements, work experience and test scores. Admission seeking applicants are encouraged to submit high test scores to receive priority consideration for admissions in top French universities.