Applying to ISIT

This page contains all the practical information you need about the admission procedures for ISIT’s Grande Ecole Program, be it via Parcoursup, through entrance examinations, or under a partnership agreement. 

Details of the admissions process for the ISIT-EFREI Bachelor’s program can be found on the EFREI website.

Enrolling in an executive education program

Want to enroll in one of our executive education programs?

  • Post-experience programs
  • Intercultural certificate
  • Short courses

Contact Nathalie Berardino, Director of ISIT Pro, at:

n.berardino@isit-paris.fr

Enrolling in ISIT’s undergraduate or Master’s programs

Details of the admissions procedure can be found below.

Applying for Year 1 of the Grande Ecole Program

Go to Parcoursup

Applying for Year 2, 3, 4 or 5

Applications for the 2023-24 academic year are currently open online.

The stages of the process are as follows:

  1. Create an account on our application platform (click on “Create an account”).
  2. Fill in the online application form
  3. Upload the required supporting documents (ID, grade transcripts, etc.) (Download list of required documents here)
  4. Pay the application fee online

Register

 

Important!

  • Students can apply only once per year.
  • Application fees are non-refundable. 

€180 by online credit/debit card payment

€250 by online credit/debit card payment for the Master’s in Conference Interpreting

Applicants who are recipients of a CROUS grant are exempted from application fees, provided they submit up-to-date proof of their grant.

  • Application forms must be completed by the stipulated deadline 

Please check the prerequisites for the course to which you are applying.

Note the supporting documents requested (list available on the Application platform) – N.B.. the evaluation form is to be completed only for applications under a partnership agreement (see below for procedure)

  • 1 test center in France: Arcueil
  • Tests may be taken remotely via our partner TestWe 

Admissions calendar and entrance tests

Admissions calendar 2023

For admission in Year 2, 3, 4 or 5

 

SessionDeadline for applications
for candidates sitting entrance examinations		Deadline for applications
for candidates from partner schools *		Date of admission tests (or eligibility tests for Conference Interpreting**)Results on our websiteTerm starting
Winter 19 February 20232 March 202318 February 202310 March 2023September 2023
Winter 2 (partner schools only)x29 March 2023x7 April 2023September 2023
Spring3 May 202325 May 202313 May202315 June 2023September 2023
Summer 114 June 20239 July 202322 June 202313 July 2023September 2023
Summer 2 20 August 20233 September 202331 August 20238 September 2023September 2023

 

*Only for candidates from schools that have a partnership agreement with ISIT – see above for procedure

** The eligibility tests for the Conference Interpreting program take place during the Winter 1, Spring and Summer 1 sessions only

IMPORTANT: If you need a visa to study in France, we recommend that you do not apply for the Summer 1 or Summer 2 sessions, as you will not have sufficient time to complete the administrative formalities to obtain your visa.

Admissions tests for the Grande Ecole Program

For admission in Year 2 or 3

Written examinations based on a set of documents (texts, photographs, illustrations, figures, graphs, etc.) on a given topic for each language in the applicant’s combination:

  • Test 1 – 4 hours:
    • English: summary
    • Other language: questions
    • Translations into French from each language in the applicant’s combination
  • Test 2 – 2 hours : essay in French on one of the topics covered in Test 1

For example: If I am applying to ISIT with French as my mother tongue and English and Spanish as my working languages.
I will receive two sets of documents, one in English and the other in Spanish. In Test 1, I will have to write a summary of the first set of documents in English, and answer questions on the second in Spanish. I will also have to translate a text from English into French and another from Spanish into French.
For Test 2, I will have to write an essay in French expressing my personal view on a topic raised by one of the two sets of documents.
Pour l’épreuve 2, je dois rédiger un texte exprimant un point de vue personnel sur le thème d’un des dossiers proposés, dans ma langue maternelle, le français.

 

See past papers and our tips in the “Getting ready to apply” section

Admission tests for Years 4 and 5

See past papers and our tips in the “Getting ready to apply” section

For details of the specific tests for the Master’s in Conference Interpreting, see below:

 

Eligibility

  • Comprehension of 2 speeches in French and 2 speeches in English: candidates listen, then answer multiple-choice questions to check their understanding.
  • General knowledge: 1 multiple-choice general knowledge test in French and another in English (on current political, economic and international affairs).

Admission – if the candidate is declared eligible

  • A series of interviews in multiple languages to test the candidate’s language skills, their general knowledge, particularly of the countries where their working languages are spoken, their curiosity and their mental agility.
  • Interpreting exercises: the candidate must reproduce in their A language a 3-minute speech given in each of their B and C languages. They must also reproduce in their B language a speech given in their A language.

Admission procedures

It is possible to join ISIT at any point from Year 1 to Year 5.

Admission in Year 1

Procedure

  • Students must submit an application form, cover letter and resume
  • Applications for the Grande Ecole program must be made via parcoursup.fr, in the section entitled “Formation des écoles de commerce et de management Bac + 5 – Programme Grandes Écoles – Management – Communication” / Région Ile-de-France.
  • Lawyer-Linguist program: applications must be made via Parcoursup, in the section entitled “Formation des écoles de commerce et de management Bac + 5 – JURISTE LINGUISTE” / Région Ile-de-France
  • ISIT-Efrei Bachelor’s program: applications must be made via Parcoursup, using the query “Bachelor ISIT EFREI”
  • For applicants outside of the European education system:  applications must be submitted directly to ISIT.

Admission in Years 2 to 5

Procedure

  • Admission in Years 2 and 3: written tests in multiple languages.
  • Admission in Years 4 and 5: written tests and oral interview in multiple languages.
  • Admission in Year 2 or 3 of the ISIT-Efrei Bachelor’s program: see Efrei website.
  • Candidates from schools with a partnership agreement with ISIT are not required to sit entrance examinations.

ISIT has signed partnership agreements with educational centers of excellence in France (classes préparatoires) and across the world. Students from these institutions can join ISIT’s Grande Ecole program without having to sit entrance tests.

Find out which lycées have partnership agreements with ISIT

Admission procedure for candidates from partner schools

This admission procedure is reserved solely for students from ISIT’s partner schools. Candidates are not required to sit entrance examinations, but must submit an evaluation form completed by the teaching and administrative staff of their school.

Admission in Year 2 or 3 under a partnership agreement

Check the prerequisites (in the “Getting ready to apply” tab)

ISIT’s partner schools

In France

In Austria

In China

 

Admission in Year 4 under a partnership agreement

Check the prerequisites (in the “Getting ready to apply” tab)

ISIT’s partner institutions

In France

In Spain 

In Italy 

In Slovenia : Université de Ljubljana

In Senegal

Admission in Year 5 under a partnership agreement

Check the prerequisites (see “Getting ready to apply” tab)

ISIT’s partner institutions

In France

In Spain

In Colombia

In Lebanon : Saint Joseph University, Beirut

 

In China

classroom with students in class

Tuition fees

Joining ISIT is an investment in your professional future, leading to the award of an internationally recognized Master’s degree. As a private education institution with public-service missions, ISIT is committed to preserving the social and geographical diversity of its student body.

Tuition fees: our main source of income

ISIT is a non-profit association, and tuition fees are the school’s main source of income. Fees are set each year at ISIT’s Annual General Meeting, and depend on the number of languages in a student’s combination.

Breakdown of income sources: Tuition fees: 78%; State subsidies: 7%; Apprenticeship tax: 7%; Professional training: 2%; Other: 6%.

  • A transparent pricing policy based on three principles: moderation, stability and clarity
  • The fees for each new cohort are announced in advance and remain unchanged for the duration of each student’s time at the school 
  • Each student pays a set fee for their three years of undergraduate study, and a set fee for the two years of their Master’s course.  
  • The aim is to enable all students to calculate, anticipate and manage their total financial outlay over the duration of their time at ISIT.

 

2023-2024 tuition fees for the Grande Ecole Program (for students with 3 languages including French*)

  • Years 1, 2 and 3: €9,250 per year, then €9,375 per year for Years 4 and 5 (Master’s program).
  • Year 4 (M1) and 5 (M2): €9,375 per year.
  • Lawyer-Linguist program: €5,555 per year for all five years of study.

*For candidates with 4 languages including French, add €1,200 € to the annual tuition fees.

*For candidates who wish to study a 4th language ab initio (Arabic, Chinese, French Sign Language, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, or Russian), add €1,200 to the annual tuition fees.

 

Practical information

  • The tuition fees for the Grande Ecole Program may be paid in 1 to 7 installments. 
  • Since the 2018-19 academic year, all students have been required to pay an annual contribution to student and campus life (€95 for 2022-23). This contribution must be paid directly to the CROUS. The CROUS will then issue proof of payment, which the student must forward to ISIT to complete their enrollment.
  • Visale: Visale is the new online service providing guarantor services for renters and landlords. Action Logement offers other assistance to help you find accommodation (advance payment of your security deposit, subsidized rent for students on a work-study program).

ISIT is here to help

To make our Grande Ecole accessible to all, in keeping with our public-service mission, we offer several forms of support to our students.

Tuition fees insurance

To help students protect themselves against unforeseen circumstances, ISIT offers tuition fees insurance at advantageous rates. This insurance enables students to cover their tuition fees in the event of:

  • Death
  • Economic issues, job loss or loss of revenue of their financial guarantor following a redundancy, illness or accident
  • An interruption of the student’s academic activities or repetition of an academic year due to student illness or accident

The basic cost of this insurance for 2021/2022 was €138. This sum is transferred in its entirety to the insurer and issuer of the contract, Gras Savoye.

For details of the cover provided, click here

ISIT grants

As part of its social policy, ISIT allocates grants from its own funds to a selection of the most deserving students. Although insufficient to cover the combined cost of tuition fees and student life, these grants can go some way to relieving the burden of these expenses. 

These internal grants are awarded based on financial need and/or merit. In 2022-2023, a total of €250,000 of grants were issued to around 130 students, each receiving a deduction of between €800 and €3200 on their tuition fees.

  • Grant applications are to be submitted during the admissions process.
  • The allocation of an ISIT grant will only be confirmed once a student has duly completed all the enrollment formalities.

Means-tested grants

 

As ISIT is formally recognized as a Grande Ecole, its European students are entitled to apply for a State-funded higher education grant.

The window for applications runs from 15 January to 31 May of each year on the CROUS website.

See video tutorial on how to apply for CROUS grants

 

For Conference Interpreting students, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Interpretation (SCIC) awards grants to interpreting students with language combinations it is interested in.

Emergency assistance

The Fonds national d’Aide d’Urgence (FNAU) offers students rapid and personalized financial aid. Students must apply to the CROUS of the Académie de Paris.

Support from local and regional authorities

Regional, departmental and municipal authorities often provide financial support to students from their areas. The form of this aid (grants, loans, emergency assistance, etc.) and the procedure for obtaining it vary considerably.

We recommend you contact the relevant authorities directly to find out about their procedures and deadlines.

Bank loans

Students may opt to take out a bank loan to finance their studies, with repayments starting only once they enter the world of work.

ISIT has negotiated preferential rates with banks to enable students to finance 100% of the cost of their studies. The three partner banks listed below offer ISIT students loans with an interest rate of 0.90%.

ISIT’s partner banks

  • Banque Populaire

Contacts, Arcueil branch: Laetitia De Carvalho  

Or Haykel Achite-Henni / +33 (0)1 71 33 87 56

  • Société Générale. Arcueil branch

Contact : Franck Berthier Dipita/+33 (0)1 49 85 62 81

Find out more about banking offers for 2022

  • Caisse d’Épargne Île-de-France

Contacts :

– Arnaud Millet / +33 (0)1 58 06 64 21

– Philippe Camilo / +33 (0)1 58 06 64 43

Find out more about banking offers for 2022

This bank works closely with our Junior Enterprise, JUNIOR ISIT.