You wish to undertake a PhD in France and you are not of French nationality? You will find below all the necessary information to help you to carry out your project.
 

How to apply ?

You can apply for a doctorate in the same way as a French national. However, if you do not have a Master's degree, you must be able to prove that you have an equivalent diploma or degree that has enabled you to acquire research training.

In addition, foreign candidates are also eligible for all the funding offered in our Find Funding section. If they do not receive funding from their government, foreign doctoral students can benefit from a doctoral contract or another work contract that supports their doctorate (e.g. CIFRE contract) like any other French national.

 

Administrative assistance / admission and registration procedures for foreign doctoral students at the beginning of their thesis

Foreign students can benefit from assistance with the application and registration process for a doctorate.

Help with settling in Lyon

The Euraxess service center at the University of Lyon is open to all and can also help you with the procedures for coming to France and settling in Lyon.
 

French language courses

French language courses are offered free of charge to doctoral students by certain higher education institutions and by the University of Lyon during the doctoral program. Participation in these courses can be validated as part of the training program required by the doctoral school.

We advise doctoral students whose mother tongue is not French to take these courses from the first year. Indeed, these courses will allow you to better integrate into your laboratory and your daily life. Moreover, they will allow you to follow other courses in French later on.
 

Writing your thesis

If you are not fluent in French, it is possible to conduct your research and write your thesis in English. In this case, a summary in French must accompany your manuscript. During the oral defense, your presentation must also include a summary in French.
 

The principles of co-supervision

The international co-supervision of a thesis aims to reinforce the international dimension of the Doctoral School, to encourage the mobility of doctoral students in different scientific and cultural areas, and to develop scientific cooperation between French and foreign research teams.

A cotutelle agreement must be established between the two universities to which the doctoral student will be attached. This agreement specifies the conditions for supervising the doctoral student, the periods of time spent alternating between the two research teams, and the procedures for setting up the defense jury. At the end of the defense, the institutions award either a joint doctoral degree or the doctoral degree of each of them.