What access Ukrainians have to pre-schools, school, language courses, vocational education for adults and what are the conditions for admission in France?

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France provides persons under the age of 18 who enjoy temporary protection with access to the education system under the same conditions as its citizens.

As of 21.03.2022, the following information is available on the access of Ukrainians to educational institutions in France.

The minimum documents required to exercise the right to education in France:

family book (if possible);
medical record (if possible);
a document confirming your place of residence in France;
passport/identity document.

Access to pre-schools

Children under the age of 3 can be enrolled in nursery schools located near your home. They are listed on the website: https://monenfant.fr/. You can also contact the preschool directly or the municipality of your place of residence to get your child enrolled as soon as possible.

Access to schools

In France, public schooling is free and school attendance is compulsory for children aged 3 to 16.

Schooling is divided into the following levels:

From the age of 3 (sometimes 2) to 6, a child is admitted to kindergarten (l'école maternelle), which is organised into 3 levels: junior, middle and senior.

Primary school accepts children from 6 to 11 years old. It has 5 levels: CP (preparatory class), CE1 (elementary year 1), CE2 (elementary year 2), CM1 (intermediate year 1) and CM2 (intermediate year 2).

College (secondary school) accepts all students after primary school. It is organised into four levels: 6th (sixth), 5th (fifth), 4th (fourth) and 3rd (third) grades.

The lycée (secondary school) accepts students who, after college, pursue general, technological or vocational training.

You can learn more about the education system in France in the presentation.

To enroll your child

to a kindergarten or primary school, you need to contact the city hall at your place of residence, which will issue you a certificate for referral to the relevant educational institution, which, in turn, you need to contact the director of this institution;
to a college or lyceum, you can apply directly to the relevant educational institution or to the department of the National Education Service at your place of residence.

Access to higher education

You can apply for admission to a French university. To do so, send your full name, nationality and a brief description of your situation to [email protected]. Once you have completed the application form, the institution will reach out to you to offer you an education suitable for your situation through registration for the current academic year. You will also be guided on how to register for the next academic year.

You can also contact the educational institutions you are interested in and ask about the admission and study procedures.

Access to language courses

Offline opportunities:

To attend a language course, you can contact the nearest French Immigration and Integration Office training centre. After taking a language test, you will be able to attend classes.
You can also attend the seminars "Open School for Parents to Raise Children's Achievement", which are held in selected schools in France. To find the nearest location for these classes, please click here.

Online opportunities:

The course "Living in France" (language levels A1, A2, B1) is available via the links provided;
Work in France course (professional French lessons for people with A2-B1 level (general course on job search, job interview and daily life at work, and five courses specialised in specific professional fields);
French First Steps app (AppStore/Google Play) for beginners.

Source: information on the official website of the French Ministry of Public Education and Youth.