In this article
- The 2027 calendar: three submission milestones
- How your application is scored: 100 points
- The interview: 25 minutes, 50 points
- Who applies through this pathway, and who must use Parcoursup
- What the 4 November milestone changes for your strategy
Updated 24 October 2026.
Sciences Po has opened its international admissions for September 2027 entry. If you are finishing a non-French secondary school diploma, an IB, A-Levels, a European Baccalaureate or a national diploma abroad, this is the pathway that concerns you: one online application, no Parcoursup, and a rolling calendar that runs until 1 March 2027. The date that matters most right now is 4 November 2026: submit a complete file by then and you will have your admission decision in mid-January 2027, months before most UK and US universities answer.
The 2027 calendar: three submission milestones
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and your results date depends on when your complete file (references included) is submitted:
- Submit no later than 4 November 2026: admission results in mid-January 2027.
- Submit by 13 January 2027: results at the beginning of April 2027.
- Submit before 1 March 2027, the final deadline: results in early May 2027.
All deadlines refer to Paris time, 11:59pm. Interviews are scheduled in three windows: 8 to 18 December 2026, 8 to 19 March 2027 and 13 to 23 April 2027, depending on when you submit and on the marks your written application receives.
One warning that catches applicants every year: the deadline only counts if your file is complete, including both academic references. A file submitted on 4 November with a missing reference is treated as incomplete.
How your application is scored: 100 points
Sciences Po grades the whole admission out of 100 points, split evenly between the written application and the interview.
The written application is worth 50 points, built from three evaluations: your secondary school exam results (final exams, midterm exams and/or predicted grades, marked out of 20), your academic record (out of 20), and your motivations and written pieces (out of 10). The written part includes three motivation questions of 1,500 to 2,000 characters each, spaces included; the third one is not graded, but take it seriously, examiners still read it. Written work must be in the language(s) of instruction of the two programmes you apply for.
You also need two academic references, submitted through the platform, and a 150 euro application fee, non-refundable (applicants with refugee status can be exempted). Once submitted, your application can no longer be modified, by you or by Sciences Po, so the proofreading happens before you click, not after.
The interview: 25 minutes, 50 points
Candidates retained after the written evaluation sit a remote interview with two examiners, lasting around 25 minutes in three stages: a presentation of up to two minutes, a commentary and analysis of an image you pick from a choice of two (10 to 15 minutes), and a final discussion of your motivations and intellectual project. Failing to attend results in the rejection of your application. The image commentary is the stage that most rewards preparation: it tests how you build an argument out loud, not what you know about art.
Who applies through this pathway, and who must use Parcoursup
The international pathway is for candidates graduating from foreign secondary school systems. If you are preparing the French baccalaureate, even alongside another diploma, you must apply through Parcoursup, the French pathway. Abibac, Bachibac and Esabac students follow their school’s location: a French high school means Parcoursup, a school abroad means the international pathway. Either way, you can only apply once to the Undergraduate College per admissions cycle, so the choice of programme and campus deserves real thought.
Two dates sit alongside the main calendar. The Émile Boutmy scholarship, Sciences Po’s main financial aid programme for international students, must be requested inside your application file by 13 January 2027: no scholarship request is accepted after you submit. And the dual Bachelor degrees offered through the Sciences Po platform with Freie Universität Berlin, Hong Kong University, Keio University, ESCP and Luiss close on 1 March 2027, while dual degrees with French partner universities go through Parcoursup. If you finished secondary school between October 2025 and September 2026, ask the Admissions Office for a dispensation before applying.
Sciences Po also holds a virtual Undergraduate Open House Day on Saturday 28 November 2026, worth attending if you are still weighing campuses and minors. You can read more about the school itself in our Sciences Po guide.
What the 4 November milestone changes for your strategy
For a student applying to the UK, the US and continental Europe at the same time, the first Sciences Po milestone is a genuine strategic tool. Submit by 4 November 2026 and you hold a decision in mid-January 2027: before UCAS’s 13 January equal consideration deadline has even produced offers, and before any US regular decision results. An admission in hand that early changes how boldly you can build the rest of your list. The later milestones remain open, but rolling admissions reward early, polished files: the essays, the two references and the image commentary all take weeks to prepare properly, not days.
At Your Dream School, we have guided 1,000+ students since 2018, including 14 admitted to Sciences Po. Figures taken from our admissions database, 2019 to 2025 intakes. They are minimums: the 2017-2018 and 2025-2026 intakes are not yet consolidated. Our families rate us 5/5 on Google across 160+ Google reviews. If you are building a multi-country application list, our college counselling for international students and Bachelor admissions coaching cover the full strategy, from school list to interview rehearsals. Book a strategic call to map out your Sciences Po application before the 4 November milestone.
Sources: sciencespo.fr, consulted 24 October 2026.
Author
With a Bachelor's (LLB) from UCL and Assas, and the Grande Ecole program at HEC Paris, Adam co-founded Your Dream School in 2018. Since then the company has coached more than 1,000 students through university admissions and interview preparation for top global institutions.
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