Parcoursup: the rapid rise of a primary school teacher degree that is nearly ten times oversubscribed, according to franceinfo

A new university degree aimed at preparing future primary school teachers is drawing strong interest on Parcoursup, France’s higher-education admissions platform. The program, called “professorat des écoles,” consists of three years of multidisciplinary study at university and is designed to lead students toward the competitive exam required to become a primary school teacher. First admission decisions are set to begin appearing on Tuesday evening from 7 p.m. on Parcoursup, as the main admission phase opens for the nearly one million applicants registered this year.

The new degree has quickly become one of the most sought-after programs on the platform. Around 87,000 candidates selected it, making it the eighth most requested license on Parcoursup, ahead of subjects such as history, political science, and sociology. The program will welcome its first students in September, but its early popularity already highlights a strong appetite for teacher training pathways that are more clearly structured and directly tied to a professional goal.

At Grenoble Alpes University, where the faculty of H3S oversees part of the program, the numbers illustrate the scale of demand. The university offers 300 places for nearly 2,800 applicants, according to Florian Barrière, who heads the faculty of Humanities, Health, Sport and Societies. He said the level of interest is not surprising, noting that teaching, especially in primary education, continues to attract candidates despite the challenges of the profession. The program’s clear three-year path to the competitive exam appears to be a major factor in its appeal.

According to Barrière, the new degree makes the route to becoming a teacher easier to understand and more reassuring for students. Instead of a longer and less direct academic path, the course offers a defined objective from the start: to prepare for and pass the exam for primary school teaching. He said this shorter and more concrete route may help students feel more secure about their future. Another attraction is the fact that the master’s stage after the exam is paid, which further strengthens the program’s appeal.

Universities also say the multidisciplinary nature of the curriculum is a strong selling point. Students enrolled in the program will study the full range of subjects taught in primary school, with a particular focus on French and mathematics, but also history, science, and introductory reflection on the teaching profession itself. This broad approach is intended to prepare candidates both academically and professionally for the realities of classroom teaching.

The launch of this new license reflects broader efforts to attract future teachers and make teacher training more accessible, structured, and appealing to young people. As admission results begin to arrive on Parcoursup, the program’s success suggests that many applicants are looking for a clearer, more practical path into the education profession.