Q & A

Subject: I am trying to find an equivalence of a French baccalaureate for Americans.

Question: I got a humdinger of a question and I don't know if you'll be able to help me or not. I'm 21 years old and I've been living in southern France for 2 years now. I speak French fluently and am getting ready to enter into the Universities en première année. I would like to know if you know anyone with this kind of experience or if you yourself know anything about this process. More specifically, I am trying to find an equivalence of a French baccalaureate for Americans. I have read that it could possibly mean a high school diploma plus AP courses, but I have found no one with personal experience that could tell me something more concrete. Thank you and great site!

Answer:

As I understand it there is no equivalence of French diplomas for Americans ones, because there is no agreement between the governments of France and America on this issue. That is what the man that deals with non-French diplomas told me at the Rectorat in Strasbourg. I know this because a few months ago I tried to find out what my Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems equivalence is in France. All I was able to get was a paper saying that I have four years of American higher education.
It is up to your university, employer or whomever to decide for himself or herself if they will take your diploma at face value. So my suggestion is to go to your local Rectorat with your American high school diploma get a certificate that states you have 12 years of American lower education then take that to your university as see if they will accept that as a French BAC. Maybe they will accept it at face value and you can start you education in France. Good luck!

Related Link:
http://www.americansinfrance.net/DailyLife/Diplomas.cfm