Sciences Po Admissions 2026-27: Deadlines, Fees and Admission requirement

Sciences Po Application Deadlines for Indian Students

Sciences Po runs a single primary intake each September, with applications opening the prior autumn through the admission.sciencespo.fr portal. The 2027 intake exact deadlines publish when applications open in late October 2026, per the official Sciences Po International Admissions. The table below carries indicative dates anchored to the September 2026 cycle pattern.

Sciences Po’s primary intake for Indian students is September 2027, where most bachelor and master programs open.

Planning note: Bookmark the admission.sciencespo.fr portal in late September 2026. The Sciences Po system locks at 11:59pm Paris time on the published deadline, with no late submissions accepted for any reason.

Sciences Po Eligibility for Indian Students

Sciences Po sorts Indian applicants by entry level. Bachelor admissions need a complete foreign secondary diploma. Master admissions need a non-French bachelor or 180 ECTS equivalent. English-taught programs require a C1 score on a recognised test, and French-taught content requires DELF B2 or higher.

• UG general entry: Indian Class XII (CBSE, ISC, IB, Cambridge) with a strong humanities and social-science record.
• PG general entry: Bachelor degree (3 or 4 years) from a recognised Indian institution, 180 ECTS equivalent or higher.
• English minimum: IELTS 7.0, TOEFL iBT 100, Cambridge CAE/CPE at C1, or Duolingo equivalent.
• French minimum: DELF B2 or above for any French-taught coursework or graduation track.
• PhD entry: Master research dissertation graded "Very good" or equivalent.

Sciences Po IELTS Waiver for Indian Students

Sciences Po does not waive the English test on nationality. Indian applicants do qualify, however, if they completed at least two consecutive years of a bachelor degree fully taught in English, certified by the institution. Indian students holding the International Baccalaureate (English A1 or A2) or GCE A-Levels with three subjects from official boards also qualify. Indian Class XII alone, even from an English-medium school, does not trigger the waiver.

Test reports must be dated within two years of the application deadline. For the September 2027 intake, IELTS or TOEFL scores from January 2025 onwards stay valid.

Sciences Po PG Popular Programs 

Sciences Po runs around 30 master programs across eight graduate schools: the School of Public Affairs, Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), Law School, Urban School, School of Management and Impact, School of Journalism, School of Research, and the Paris Climate School. Base tuition for non-EU master entrants is €20,640 per year (around ₹22.09 Lakhs). One-year fixed-fee programs such as the Master in Advanced Global Studies sit higher at €24,000 per year (around ₹25.69 Lakhs). The full per-program tuition list lives on the course-wise fees breakdown.

Note: Program-specific entry requirements, fees, and intake availability may differ from the institution-wide minimums shown above. Always confirm on the official Sciences Po page for your chosen program before applying.

Sciences Po Popular UG and Bachelor Programs  

Sciences Po’s bachelor degree is a multidisciplinary three-year program delivered across seven campuses, each with a regional focus. Paris hosts the general track, while satellite campuses cover Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, and Franco-German studies. Non-EU UG tuition is fixed at €14,900 per year (around ₹15.95 Lakhs).

Sciences Po PhD Admissions for Indian Researchers

Sciences Po offers PhDs in five disciplines through the School of Research: law, economics, history, political science, and sociology. Indian master graduates apply through the international procedure, with two admission sessions running each year.

Sciences Po PhD Eligibility for Indian Candidates

Candidates need a research-track master degree (bac+5 or 180 ECTS at master level) with a thesis graded "Very good" or equivalent. The Sociology department requires applicants to secure a thesis supervisor’s written agreement before submitting. Other departments encourage but do not mandate prior supervisor contact.

Sciences Po PhD Application Steps

Applicants identify a host research laboratory, prepare a 10 to 15 page research proposal, and attach two academic references. Submissions go through admission.sciencespo.fr, with the same €150 application fee (around ₹16,056). The doctoral committee reviews files across two sessions, typically January and April.

Insider note: Indian PhD applicants gain by emailing two or three potential supervisors at the host laboratory at least four months before the session opens, sharing a one-page research summary and a CV.

Sciences Po Application Process Step-by-Step

The Sciences Po online application asks for academic transcripts, motivation letter, references, and language test scores. The portal accepts only PDF uploads up to 2 MB each. Indian applicants typically need six to eight weeks from start to submission.

1. Create an account on the admission.sciencespo.fr portal once it opens in late October 2026.
2. Choose between the international procedure (non-French bachelor) and the relevant entry level (UG, master, or PhD).
3. Upload official academic transcripts (Class XII or bachelor degree) in English or with certified translations.
4. Submit the program-specific motivation letter, written in the program’s language of instruction.
5. Attach two academic references for master applicants, three for PhD applicants, uploaded via the portal.
6. Attach IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge, or Duolingo score reports valid within the prior two years.
7. Pay the application fee of €150 (around ₹16,056) via card payment on the admission.sciencespo.fr portal before submission.
8. Submit before 11:59pm Paris time on the program deadline. Late files are not reviewed under any circumstance.

Sciences Po Admission Decisions Timeline

Sciences Po notifies Indian applicants through the portal account around two to four months after the program deadline. Offers stay conditional until final transcripts and language scores are received and verified.

• Bachelor decisions: Issued late April to May 2027 for the September 2027 intake.
• Master decisions: Issued from late February through May 2027, depending on the program’s submission deadline.
• PhD decisions: Issued 6 to 8 weeks after each session closes.
• Acceptance window: Indian admitted students typically have four weeks to confirm via deposit payment.
• Deferral policy: One-year deferral can be requested for documented reasons such as visa delays or medical issues.

Sciences Po Documents Required for Indian Applicants

Sciences Po accepts uploads only through the admission portal. Documents must be certified copies of originals, and non-English or non-French papers need certified translations attached.

• Passport: Valid for at least 18 months past the September 2027 intake.
• Academic transcripts: All Class XII or bachelor mark sheets, year-wise.
• Degree certificate: Class XII pass certificate or provisional bachelor degree.
• Motivation letter: Program-specific, in the language of instruction.
• Academic references: Two for master applicants, three for PhD, on institutional letterhead.
• CV: Reverse-chronological, two pages maximum.
• English test report: IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge, or Duolingo certificate.
• Financial proof: Bank statement covering one year of tuition plus living costs, prepared for the visa file.
• Passport-size photographs: Recent, matching ICAO standards for the visa file.

Sciences Po Acceptance Rate for Indian Students

Sciences Po does not publish an official institutional acceptance rate. Estimates from third-party admissions trackers place selectivity at around 10 to 15 percent, based on competitive-intake patterns across the bachelor and master pools. PSIA and the School of Public Affairs are the most selective entry routes for Indian applicants.

What Lifts Sciences Po Indian Applications

Indian files that advance usually carry a 90 percent or higher Class XII for bachelor entry, or a first-class bachelor degree (around 8.0 CGPA equivalent) for master entry, a polished motivation letter, and clear thematic fit with the program’s research clusters. Sciences Po sits in a strong QS Social Sciences ranking band globally.

What Drops Sciences Po Indian Applications

Generic motivation letters, weak references, and IELTS scores below 7.0 are the most common reasons Indian files do not advance. Late or incomplete submissions trigger auto-rejection without further review.

Insider note: Show sustained interest in the specific program, citing two or three Sciences Po courses, faculty, or research clusters by name. Generic interest in "international affairs" or "policy" rarely converts at this selectivity level.

Sciences Po France Student Visa for Indian Students

Admitted Indian students need a VLS-TS long-stay student visa for any Sciences Po program over 90 days. India is covered by the Études en France (EEF) procedure, so the Campus France file must close before the visa appointment at VFS. The visa fee is €50 (around ₹5,352) plus the Campus France procedure fee of ₹18,500.

Financial proof requires €615 per month for 12 months (around ₹7.90 Lakhs) in available funds, alongside paid or unpaid tuition cover. Most Indian consulates now recommend €800 to €1,000 per month (around ₹85,632 to ₹1.07 Lakhs) for Paris-based programs to reduce "insufficient funds" refusals. After arrival, the VLS-TS must be validated online within 90 days at the French Interior Ministry portal.

2026 update: Campus France India processing windows have tightened in May to July each year due to Schengen-zone consular volume. Indian Sciences Po admits should book the VFS appointment within five working days of receiving the admission letter.