News
Letting institutions choose their english certification
The French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and Innovation is entrusting institutions to choose the English language tests that will certify their students’ English level as part of their undergraduate degrees.
At the start of the 2021 academic year, all students enrolled in a Bachelor's, BUT (University Bachelor of Technology) or BTS (Superior Technician's Certificate) degree will be required, as part of their degree, to sit an English-language certification. This certification must be "subject to external evaluation and recognized at the international level and by the business and academic world ".
This measure, formalized by Decree n°2020-398 of 3 April 2020 and the Order of 3 April 2020 published in the Journal officiel, fits into a specific economic context. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe mentioned the idea of choosing an English-language certification for students that determines the issuance of their diploma as early as 2018, in Roubaix, during his speech on international trade. The objective is to enable students to enhance their language skills and support their professional development.
Last May, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and Innovation cancelled the tender it had published for the implementation and issuance of this certification, which had been won by British company PeopleCert.
However, the certification requirement remains for students in Bachelor's, BTS and BUT programs at the start of the 2021 academic year, and is a condition for receiving their diplomas. From now on, it is the responsibility of institutions alone to choose and organize testing sessions for English-language certifications within the framework of all the undergraduate degrees that they offer.
According to our sources, a new call for tenders is being prepared for the BTS level.
For more than 40 years, the TOEIC® tests have been the benchmark for assessing English language skills. If you are an academic institution affected by this new requirement, please do not hesitate to send us via our contact form available here. Our ETS Global consultant will then contact you and suggest a solution to meet your organizational and pedagogical needs.