World News
France promises to replace its university admissions platform in 2028 after weeks of protest
By Staff Writer | 27 October 2026
Ministers offered students changes to admissions, 15,000 more university places and inflation-linked grants. Student groups welcomed some of the measures but called for the protests to continue.
The French government said on Monday that it will replace Parcoursup, the national online platform that handles applications to universities and other higher education courses, in 2028. The Higher Education Minister, Philippe Baptiste, announced what he called a "substantial change" to the platform for the 2027 admissions round before its replacement the following year.
The concessions target the school grievances that helped start weeks of protest over school funding and the cost of living. Students have criticised Parcoursup for unclear selection criteria and unequal access to the courses they want. For the 2027 round, institutions will have to publish more detailed selection criteria and explain a rejection when an applicant asks for reasons. The government also promised 15,000 additional places in higher education, introduced across 2027 and 2028, and student grants linked to inflation from the start of the 2027 academic year.
Students want more
Representatives of two high school student groups met the Prime Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, on Monday before the ministers' news conference. Afterwards they welcomed some of the concessions but called for the protests to go on. Further demonstrations are planned for 31 October, and labour unions have called nationwide strikes and protests for 5 November.
The replacement system has still to be designed, and legal changes may be needed. Its 2028 date also falls after the end of President Emmanuel Macron's term. He cannot seek a third consecutive term at the presidential election, whose first round is due on 18 April 2027.
The government spokeswoman, Maud Bregeon, said in a radio interview that the demands would be answered, but only once calm returned.
There are demands that must be heard and answered. But to answer them, there is a prerequisite: a return to calm. We cannot have a functioning social dialogue in a climate of violence such as the one we experienced a week ago.
Maud Bregeon, French government spokeswoman
Macron in Marseille
Speaking in Marseille on Monday, Macron said the government would announce "strong measures" in response to the unrest, and that protest routes would be kept outside city centres. He described the demonstrations planned for the coming Saturday as "risky". He acknowledged that the authorities had "not anticipated at all" the scale of the protests of 17 October, when demonstrations descended into rioting and looting in several cities and protesters briefly stormed Marseille's city hall. About 2,400 people were arrested over that weekend.
Macron said he had instructed the government to "respond to the legitimate demands that lie at the root of this social movement". The Interior Minister, Laurent Nunez, said in a broadcast interview that he expected further disturbances on the evening of 31 October. "Halloween evening is traditionally always a bit lively," he said.
Last Saturday's nationwide demonstrations saw less violence than the week before. The authorities deployed 70,000 police officers across the country and estimated turnout at more than 400,000; organisers put it at nearly 800,000. Whether students accept a platform that will not change fully until 2028 will become clear on the streets at the end of the week.