Conditions for passing a semester/ year

• To pass a semester, the average grade from scientific/technical subjects (excluding sports and foreign languages, etc.) must be at least 10/20.
• Sports and foreign languages also need to be passed, but they are not included in the “scientific” average – the minimum passing grade is also 10/20.
• To pass the year, you must pass both semesters.

There are no courses that last an entire year or half a semester – every course is assigned to a single semester. Even if a course continues in the next semester, it changes its name and you have to pass it as two separate parts.

Is it easy to pass? At first glance, the system may seem pleasant (especially the weighted grading structure ), but it is important to know that:

• It is much harder to get a high grade – the grading system is structured so that 15/20 is considered a good grade, and 20/20 is practically impossible. Grades are scaled to fit a certain distribution.
• There are no two or three exam sessions – if you fail semester 1, the resits are only in June, together with the resits for semester 2. This happens because semester 2 begins immediately after the semester 1 exams.
• Not attending an exam (ET or parciel) means failing the entire year!

This means that: if you don’t attend an exam, you receive the status “défaillant”, which automatically equals failing the year. The only exceptions are medical certificates or extraordinary personal situations. This also means that being absent from a parciel does not result in a 0/20 grade that you could later balance out – you simply fail.

Stressful? Maybe a bit ;) For me, this system has both advantages and disadvantages.

For those who don’t know yet, I am part of the Campus France Poland Ambassadors, a project in which I help share information about studying in France. To get more tips from other students, check out Campus France Poland Ambassadors

For more information check: Parcoursup, L’Etudiant, Campus France