French Baccalaureate

The baccalauréat (French pronunciation: ​[bakaloʁea]), often known in France colloquially as bac, is an academic qualification which French students take at the end of high school. It was introduced by Napoleon I in 1808. It is the main diploma required to pursue university studies. There is also the European Baccalaureate which students take at the end of the European School education. It confirms a rounded secondary education and gives access to a wide range of university education. It differs from English A-levels and Scottish Highers, but is similar to the North American high school diploma, in that it is earned comprehensively and cannot be obtained in single subjects.

Much like British A-levels or European Matura, the baccalauréat allows French and international students to obtain a standardised qualification, typically at the age of 18. This then qualifies holders to work in certain areas, or go on to tertiary education or acquire some other professional qualification or training.

The vast majority of students in their final year of secondary school take the exam. In theory, the students in lycée could choose not to sit for the baccalauréat at the end of the lycée, as it is by law an exam to qualify students for entrance into university. Unlike some U.S. high school diplomas, it is not a lycée completion exam.

The word bac is also used to refer to one of the end-of-year exams that students must pass in order to get their baccalauréat diploma: le bac de philo, for example, is the philosophy exam (which all students must take, regardless of their field of study).

Within France, there are three main types of baccalauréat:

For entrance to regular universities within France, however, there are some restrictions as to the type of baccalauréat that can be presented. In some cases, it may be possible to enter a French university without the bac by taking a special exam, the diploma for entrance to higher education.

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