The Best Universities for Economics in France (2026)

There are many reasons why someone might want to study Economics at a university in France. Here are just a few:

• France houses some of Europe's best Economic schools and universities with rigorous Masters Degrees, offering access to academic excellence and a degree that is respected internationally.
• The country is known for combining theoretical foundations with innovative applications in Economics. French institutions ensure courses are up-to-date with the latest economic theories, quantitative methods, and their real-world applications.
• Many programmes offer an interdisciplinary approach by incorporating elements from political science, sociology, and finance providing a more holistic view of economics.
• Studying in France allows immersion into French culture for students, which can be deeply enriching both personally professionally.

The following tables gives the 10 best French universities for Economics, according to global and local university rankings. It can show you which French universities are amongst the best in the world and help you compare institutions on an international level.

This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education, QS and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Each ranking system uses its own methodology, with different factors having more or less influence on a university's result.

For more information on using international rankings as a postgraduate, see our guide.

The Times Higher Education rankings are strong in academic focus and diverse teaching metrics, but do not include employer-specific metrics. Additionally, the rankings may not include all specialist institutions.

The QS World University Rankings are designed to meet the needs of prospective students, with more weight given to student-centric metrics such as staff/student ratio, international recruitment and employer opinion. The rankings are balanced between qualitative and quantitative data, but give less weight to research than some other rankings.

The ARWU rankings reflect the presence of elite academics and the future academic success of graduates. However, they do not directly assess the quality of education at a university or take into account other aspects of university performance.

You may also like...