A College of Law (Collège de droit), sometimes called Law school (École de droit) or Law academy (Académie de droit), is in France a selective school inside each French university or faculty of law for its best students which deliver a specific diploma of the university.
In France, universities are not allowed to choose which students are allowed to their undergraduate degree. Panthéon-Assas University created then in 2008 a special school for selecting its best students. Several universities rapidly followed this model[1][2] It permitted to French universities to select students despite the legal global prohibition.[3][4]
Media soon called these schools "ways of excellence"[5] inside each university for "brilliant students"[6] or "grandes écoles inside universities"[7]
Panthéon-Assas University created in 2008 a special school for selecting its best students among the 2300 ones it legally has to accept in first year[8] in order to give them special courses and a special degree: the College of Law. In 2011, the Paris Law School was created when the first class of the College of Law had its degree. To be admitted, you have to obtain "Summa Cum Laude" in Baccalauréat, or "Magna Cum Laude" with an entrance test.[9]
Assas Law School (École de droit d'Assas), is a school from Panthéon-Assas University delivering a graduate degree, after the College of Law (Collège de droit) delivering an undergraduate degree. The Collège de droit was the first college of law created by a French University in 2008.
The Collège de droit is a three-year degree, the École de droit a two-year degree. The exchange experience cannot be completed in the same time but has to be done in addition to these courses.
Panthéon-Assas University being considered as the top faculty of law [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] in France, media focused particularly on it and called even more this law college and school "way of excellence"[19]
Created by University of Montpellier in 2009, two-year degree.
Created by University of Paris-Sud in 2009, four-year degree, plus a year abroad.
Created by Toulouse 1 University Capitole in 2010, three-year degree.
Created by University of La Réunion in 2010, two-year degree.
Created by Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 in 2010, two-year degree, delivers the "D.U. Professionnels du droit" diploma.
Created by Aix-Marseille University in 2011, it is a four-year degree, exchange experience included.
Created by Paris Descartes University in 2012, two-year degree.
Created by University of Rennes 1 in 2016, three-year degree.
Created by University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne in 2017, three-year degree, delivers the "D.U. Collège de Droit de la Sorbonne" diploma.
With this diploma, Paris 1 aims to focus on excellence and on a multidisciplinary approach to law, with philosophy, history, international law, sociologoy, finance or economy teaching, and to train lawyers able to go beyond a pure legal perspective.[20]
Applicants wishing to join the diploma in first year are selected following a process based on their academic records and an oral exam. An alternative procedure also exists for students already studying in first year of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne "classic" Law Licence, allowing them, if selected, to join the diploma directly in second year.