BA French Studies with History

The University of London Institute in Paris offers a vital connection between Higher Education in the UK and the Francophone world, serving as a lively hub for academic exchange while offering students an enriching international experience in French Studies, International Politics, and Urban History and Culture.

Our central location on the Left Bank’s Esplanade des Invalides places the University of London Institute in Paris at the heart of the city’s historic centre and offers a prestigious and quintessentially Parisian setting for your studies. 

We provide an exceptional learning experience for our students, combining the benefits of a small welcoming institute with all of the advantages of a leading UK university with global reach. Studying at the University of London Institute in Paris will lead to the award of a University of London degree, an internationally-recognised qualification that will stand you in good stead for your future career.

Learn more about the Institute in Paris.

The degree lasts three years, as opposed to the usual four for a Modern Foreign Languages degree in a UK university. The course combines a range of compulsory and optional courses designed to consolidate competence in the five key French language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking conversationally and giving oral presentations) and to build students’ understanding of French history and culture using a broad range of critical and methodological perspectives.

Studying in Paris

The University of London's Institute in Paris offers a unique programme of study delivered over three years of residency in Paris. Not only will it offer you everyday exposure to French life and language, but it will also connect you with the context in which you are living. Supported by intensive teaching in small groups, with a majority of research-led courses delivered and assessed in French, it will also prepare you for graduate work in a range of disciplines including the humanities, international relations, law, education, translation, applied linguistics and communications.

The University of London Institute in Paris is at the heart of a metropolitan capital city which offers many resources such as libraries, museums, theatres and cinemas. Living and studying in Paris will not only allow you to apply course content in real life, but will also enable you to become a near-native speaker and show employers that you are mature and adaptable in an international environment.

Study resources and facilities

You will benefit from access to a wide range of study resources and facilities, including print and electronic information services, in a scholarly setting. The University of London Institute in Paris Library is the primary source of support and research material for students and staff, offering subject-specific resources and access to dozens of electronic databases via University of London’s Senate House Library and our partnership with Queen Mary University of London.

Through the University of London Institute in Paris Library, students can gain access to the American Library in Paris which is within walking distance. Postgraduate students may also have access to the Sciences Po Library if they wish.

While in London, make sure to visit Senate House Library. Students studying with the University of London can join the library free of charge. Membership includes a 10-book borrowing allowance, access to all reading rooms and study areas, and on-site access to Senate House Library digital resources.

Dr. Charlotte Legg 

Dr. Charlotte Legg is a senior lecturer in French Studies at the University of London Institute in Paris. Her research focuses on the settler colonies of the French and British empires in the 19th and 20th centuries. She is especially interested in how settlers influenced the dynamics of power in these empires, and how these dynamics shaped processes of identification across colonial populations. In her last book, The New White Race: Settler Colonialism and the Press in French Algeria, 1860-1914 (University of Nebraska Press, 2021), Dr. Legg examines the claims of settler journalists in Algeria, who presented the mixed European settler community as a ‘new white race’ forged from the interaction of ‘Latin’ peoples in the North African environment. Dr. Legg is currently working on a new project that looks at French views of British settler colonies in the late 19th century, with a focus on New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.  

Applications for our undergraduate courses must be submitted via UCAS. You should apply by 29 January 2025 to guarantee equal consideration, but applications remain open after this date.

However, past this deadline, we reserve the right to close our programmes on the application portal once we've reached capacity.

Find full details, including information on Clearing, on the UCAS website.

The course start date is in September each year.

How to apply

All candidates should apply through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions System).

Short-listed candidates are invited for a phone or online interview. When possible, interviews are held before the annual Applicant Open Day, otherwise known as "Journée de Rencontres", which normally takes place in April. This event gives applicants and their guests an opportunity to meet staff and current students as well as to find out more about the University of London Institute in Paris.

Applications should be made online at www.ucas.com

• Institution code name: ULIP
• Institution code: P26
• Course title: BA French Studies with History
• UCAS course code: RV10
• Duration: Three years, in Paris
• Mode of study: Full-time
• Point of entry: 1 (unless you are applying for a transfer into year 2)

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact us via our contact form.

What qualifications do you need?

For access to the BA French Studies with History degree, you will usually meet the following criteria:

A levels

• Typical offer: ABB
• Subjects: French required - with at least a B

IB Diploma

• Typical offer: 32 points
• Subjects: at least 6 points in French at Higher Level

Other UK qualifications

• Scottish qualifications: 5 Highers (AABBB) or 3 Advanced Highers (ABB) with at least a B in French.
• Welsh Baccalaureate grade A or B, with A or B in two A-Levels, including French
• Vocational and access qualifications can be accepted in combination with a French at A level or equivalent. Contact us.

Non-UK qualifications

• Irish Leaving Certificate: H1, H2, H2, H3, H3 at Higher level with at least H2 in French
• For qualifications from other countries, please contact us

English Language Proficiency

All applicants must show they meet a minimum academic English language standard for admission and to be successful on the course, to the indicated levels for the area of study. English requirements if education non conducted in English: IELTS 7 overall, including 6.5 in Writing and other subscores no lower than 5.5, or equivalent qualification.

The fees below relate to new students registering for the 2025-2026 session. On average, fees are subject to a five per cent year-on-year increase. 

Disclaimer: Currency conversion tool.

The University of London Institute in Paris charges an annual tuition fee for the BA in International Politics. This fee will vary depending on whether you are a resident of the UK or whether you are applying from outside the UK as an international student.

The UK government sets guidelines on who is eligible to pay the UK rate of fees. Details can be found on the UKCISA website.

Sales Tax

Please note: all student fees shown are net of any local VAT, Goods and Services Tax (GST) or any other sales tax payable by the student in their country of residence. Where the University is required to add VAT, GST or any other sales tax at the local statutory rate, this will be added to the fees shown during the payment process. For students resident in the UK, our fees are exempt from VAT.

Further information on Sales Tax.

Your payment provider may apply additional transaction fees (if in doubt, please check with them before making a payment).

Being a UK institution, UK students are eligible for student financial support from the Student Loans Company.

This means that if you are eligible for government funding you do not have to pay anything up front. Please visit our Finding funding section for further information on applying for government loans and university bursaries.

If you have any further questions, please contact us via our contact form where help will be on hand.

Sources of support

Applicants receive detailed guidance on UK and French sources of funding available to University of London Institute in Paris students. The Student Services team is on hand to provide guidance on how to apply.

Students can also consult Queen Mary’s Student Advice Guides which covers ways to finance their degree and can also receive specialist support on all financial and welfare issues through the Advice and Counselling Service.

"Nearly a quarter – 22 per cent – of companies whose employees took part in the survey were said to have insufficient languages capacity to meet their needs."

This quote from the Born Global report demonstrates how companies increasingly need to recruit graduates who are fluent in languages other than English.

Earning a French Studies degree with a specialised focus in History will not only enable you to communicate, present and defend your views clearly in another language, but it will also develop your critical thinking as well as analytical and cross-cultural understanding. Above all, living in a foreign country for three years will demonstrate to future employers your ability to be independent and adaptable.

Graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of sectors, including:

• marketing & communications
• governmental institutions (national and international)
• education
• law

The cost savings involved in completing your BA in French Studies with History in just three years can also make postgraduate studies in areas such as law, accountancy and international relations, more accessible.

Students can access a range of services and tools from Careers and Enterprise at Queen Mary University of London as well as benefit from the experience of the University of London's Careers Group.

Find out more about careers support.