French exam requirements, by faculty
Good knowledge of French (CECR B2 level) is usually required in order to study at the University of Geneva.
Some programs and faculties can have specific requirements or ask for no specific French level: those are listed under "Specific cases" below.
For every other program, the French exam is mandatory unless the candidate has an exemption. The exam is general and must be passed in order to study at the University of Geneva. You can view the exam conditions here.
Specific cases
- Bachelor of Arts: general and complementary exam, must be passed;
- Complementary Studies (Bachelor of Arts): general and complementary exam, must be passed;
- Exception: general and complementary exams are for information only for candidates applying for bachelor’s degree complements taught mostly in another language than French (German, English, Spanish, Italian, Russian).
- Bachelor’s degree: general exam, must be passed;
- Exception: general exam, for information only, for candidates who would not meet the required French level, but meet one of the two following criteria (in this case, it won’t be possible to change faculty later on):
- Bachelor’s degree: general exam, must be passed;
- Exception: no French exam if French is part of the chosen language combination.
- Diploma in French as a Foreign Language (DEFLE): general and complementary exam, must be passed;
- Exception: placement test, for information only, for candidates who are exempt from the French exam either on the basis of their nationality or their Swiss or Liechtensteiner secondary education diploma whose medium of instruction is not French.
