Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
Higher education centre in Paris 13e, France
The Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (Inalco) is a public institution of higher education and research in Paris, created in 1795. It teaches more than 100 languages and civilisations of Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Americas, together with the history, geography, institutions and political, economic and social life of the regions concerned. It has about 9,000 students and two sites in Paris: the Pôle des langues et civilisations at 65 rue des Grands Moulins (13th arrondissement) and the Maison de la recherche on rue de Lille (7th arrondissement).
Programmes run from the bachelor's degree (licence) to the doctorate, plus Inalco's own institutional diplomas. Professional tracks cover:
- International business
- International relations
- Intercultural communication and training
- Language teaching (didactics)
- Multilingual IT and natural language processing
Inalco also offers evening, Saturday and intensive language courses, MOOCs and summer schools. Teaching is in French, so applicants must prove their level of French. Exchange students can come for one or two semesters, and the Inal'FLE section teaches French as a foreign language from A1 to C1. Inalco has no housing service of its own, but places exchange students in partner residences (CIUP/CROUS) in Paris.
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Programmes
- Bachelor's degrees (licence) by language and world region, which may include a professional specialisation
- Institutional diplomas: certificates, introductory diplomas, language and civilisation diplomas, magistères
- À la carte courses: Language Passport and minors
- Preparation for the agrégation in Arabic and Chinese and for the JLPT
- Lifelong learning: MOOCs, evening, Saturday and intensive language courses
- Summer schools
Professional streams: international business, international relations, intercultural communication and training, language didactics and multilingual IT.
Graduate programmes
Inalco's master's degrees are regional programmes focused either on a research discipline or on a professional field, such as natural language processing and multilingual engineering, international relations, international trade or communication. Doctoral theses are prepared within Inalco's doctoral school. Research is carried out by 14 teams, half of them jointly supervised with the CNRS and IRD.
Admission
The application route depends on nationality, country of residence and previous qualifications:
- Applicants with a French or European baccalaureate, or studying at a French or European university, follow the same procedure as French students (MonMaster platform for master's degrees)
- Non-EU applicants living in a country covered by the Études en France procedure apply online on the Études en France platform
- Non-EU applicants living in France apply for the first year through the DAP "green file"; for later years of a bachelor's degree, applicants in France or in countries outside Études en France use Inalco's online form
Documents usually include passport, photo, typed cover letter, CV, school-leaving certificate and university transcripts with French translations, and a French language certificate. Exchange students are nominated by their partner university and are admitted once they receive Inalco's acceptance letter.
Language requirements
Courses at Inalco are taught in French. Minimum French levels (CEFR):
- Bachelor's degree: B1 (B2 in some departments; C1 in French and/or B2 in English for professional tracks)
- Master's degree: C1 (some professional tracks require C2 in French and/or C1 in English)
- Institutional diplomas: B1
Accepted certificates are DELF/DALF or the full TCF with all five tests. Applicants whose French is insufficient may be admitted on condition that they take courses at Inal'FLE. Exchange students need B1 for language and civilisation courses; Inal'FLE French courses accept full beginners.
Housing
Inalco has no accommodation service of its own. Exchange students can ask for a room in partner residences (CIUP/CROUS) in Paris, priced from €450 to €700 a month, but places are not guaranteed, especially in the autumn semester. Other options include the 79 CROUS residences in Paris, the Studapart housing platform (Inalco partnership) and low-rent shared flats with AFEV (€150 to €400) in exchange for 3 to 5 hours a week of volunteering.