Why study French and Francophone Studies at Edinburgh

Learn about our history, reputation and rankings, and find out what our students think of us.

History, reputation and rankings 

The University of Edinburgh offers one of the widest range of languages of any UK university.

French has been taught here since 1894, making it one of the first European languages to be offered at Edinburgh.

Today, it is one of nine European languages we teach to degree level, and we have a large team in the subject, including staff who combine teaching and research, language tutors, and PhD students.

We are unique in Scotland in offering students a full academic year abroad within the four-year honours programme, regardless of whether you spend the year studying or working.

Our French Theatre Society, Les Escogriffes, was formed in 1968, and we established the Centre de recherches francophone belges for the promotion of francophone Belgian studies in 1995.

We are ranked:

• third in the UK for Modern Languages in the QS World Rankings by Subject 2023

• seventh in the world for Modern Languages in the QS World Rankings by Subject 2023

• tenth in the world for Arts & Humanities in the QS World Rankings by Subject 2023

Browse the QS World Rankings by Subject 2023 on Top Universities

What our students say

I adore the academic breadth and depth of the French curriculum offered here at Edinburgh. The tutors’ and lecturers’ dynamic encouragement of independent thinking has enabled me to examine topics ranging from Montaigne’s scepticism to Modiano’s postmodern fiction through a critical lens. In particular, the structure of the programme consistently inspires me to explore French and Francophone literature through a plethora of contextual frameworks: philosophical, historical, political, and more.