CHAPTER 6 · YOUR APPLICATION
Motivation letter,recommendations and CV.
French programmes expect a short, specific motivation letter (one page, sometimes up to 1,500 characters on the portal), two recommendation letters that give concrete examples, and a clean one- or two-page CV. Generic letters copied across programmes are the most common reason for weak applications.
Published by Althéa Consulting · Adviser: Harshita Kohli
Source review: · How to use our guides
A motivation letter that works
- 01
Open with your goal
One or two sentences on the role or field you are working towards.
- 02
Prove your preparation
Two or three specific examples from your studies, projects or work, with results.
- 03
Explain the programme fit
Name modules, specialisations, labs or partnerships that match your goal. Show you have read the curriculum.
- 04
Explain why France
Industry, language, culture or research links — concrete, not clichés.
- 05
Close with your plan
What you will do after graduating and how this programme gets you there.
Recommendation letters
- Two referees: ideally one professor and one manager, or two professors if you have no work experience.
- On letterhead, signed, with the referee's contact email.
- Specific examples (a project, a ranking, a responsibility) beat general praise.
- Some schools send referees an online form instead of accepting a letter — tell referees to expect it.
CV format for France
- One page for students, two pages maximum with experience.
- Order: profile line, education, experience, projects, skills, languages (with levels: A1–C2).
- Dates in month/year format; most recent first.
- A photo is common in France but not required.
- Use the Europass format only if the school asks for it.
- Save as PDF named FirstName-LastName-CV.pdf.
IN DEPTH · TAP A TOPIC TO OPEN
A motivation letter structure that works
- 01
Opening (2–3 lines)
The specific problem or field that drives you, not a quotation or a childhood story.
- 02
What you have done
Two or three concrete achievements from studies, projects or work, with numbers where possible.
- 03
Why this programme
Name courses, a specialisation, a lab, an internship model or a professor — things only this programme offers.
- 04
Why France
Industry, language, European exposure — specific to your field.
- 05
Your plan
The job you aim for in 3–5 years and how the programme gets you there.
French-style CV checklist
- One page for under five years of experience
- Photo is optional; if used, a professional one
- Education in reverse order with grades converted or explained
- Experience with results, not duties
- Languages with CEFR levels (e.g. English C1, French A2)
- Skills and tools relevant to the programme
- No date of birth, religion or family details needed
Getting good recommendation letters
Ask a professor who taught you in a relevant subject and, if you have work experience, your manager. Give them your CV, the programme description and two or three moments you want them to mention. Letters should be on letterhead, signed, with the recommender's email so the school can verify. Most French portals send an upload link directly to the recommender — give them the deadline a week early.
QUICK ANSWERS
Your questions, answered.
About one page (350–500 words) unless the platform sets a character limit. Be specific to each programme.
Keep your core story, but rewrite the programme-fit section for each application. Admissions teams notice generic letters.
Write it in the language of the programme. For an English-taught programme, English is right; a short line in French can show effort, but do not use machine translation for the whole letter.
We help you plan, structure and edit your own letter so it sounds like you and passes plagiarism and AI checks. Writing it for you would put your application at risk.
WHERE TO GO NEXT
Keep going: the pages that help next.
Each card says what you will find there. Looking for something else? See every page on the site.
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