Ecole Supérieure Robert de Sorbon > FAQ

   
About Robert de Sorbon for the students not familiar with the French system of higher education.
 
Are you a French Institution Institution of Higher Education?

Y
es, the Ecole Supérieure Robert de Sorbon is authorized to operate under the article L731-1 and L731-6 of the code de l'éducation de la République Française. It is registered by the French Government under # 0862003720 with publication at the Journal officiel of the French Republic (# 1669 of # 39 - 136 année). It is authorized to grant degrees as per L 731-14. It has a SIRET and SIREN number and is tax (VAT) exempt as an "Etablissement d'Enseignement Supérieur". It is registered French not for profit, private institution of higher education. It is referenced by the Official Directory of Private Education, Formatissio Universités et Facultés, Directory of EducationBraintrasck University Index and DOCEOS.

 
We are proud to be mentioned in the Larousse Dictionary.

Is the VAE Law (Validation des Acquis de l'Expérience) procedure legal in France?
 
Absolutely, it is a Law been signed by the French "Premier Ministre" on January 17, 2002. and it regulates the VAE procedure. The VAE allows public universities to grant full degrees on experience, exactly similar to the "classic ones". They bear the same name and could not be discriminated.  We follow the same procedure than the ones generally used by the public universities.  It is our experience that many US and foreign universities universities now recognize VAE based degrees. 

Are you accredited? 
 
T
he Ecole Supérieure Robert de Sorbon is a legal French Private Institution of Higher Education following the "Code de l'Education de la République Francaise". It has the right to grant degrees as per article L-31-14 of the French code of education. The école supérieure Robert de Sorbon is not a US or Canadian accredited university, but a French registered private institution of higher education authorized to grant degrees (art L 731 of the French Code of Education). In the USA, your French degree should be, like all foreign ones, evaluated by a credentialing agency for university admissions, jobs or immigration. We will  provide you with names of many (9+) US Credential Evaluation Services that generally recognizes our French degrees as equivalent to US regionally accredited ones. 

Who are your professors and are they qualified?

Judge by yourself see their Ph.D. degrees and unique University teaching experience. Click to see the quality of the report of one of our VAE jury member.

Are your degrees accepted by other universities?

F
or the USA most of the time a credential evaluation by a US evaluator is necessary as for all foreign degrees.  Each university has its own recognitioon procedure, therefore no university can guarantee that its degrees will be accepted all over the world.  Please have look on the US-EU treaty of cooperation in higher education. A University Professor in a Public US university wrote:

"I received my diploma and I am happy...thank you, thank you the Dean of the university is satisfied, the administration is certain to pass well the accreditation... My evaluations were excellent, now there is the degree in French language. I will be able to change my title of "Visiting Professor" to "Associate Professor". I would like now to continue with you to obtain  a  doctorate..."


What documents should I provide for the VAE?

As said in our previous page  you should provide,:

a) Proof through third parties, certificate of employment, affidavit, articles, publication etc. of your work experience. A qualitative and quantitative job description should be included. The goal is to assess independently and fairly your career.

b) Copies of your degrees and transcripts of your previous studies (if any) from an acceptable universit
y.


Will I have transcripts for my studies?

No, we will not  "invent "courses and grades. VAE means "Validation des Acquis de l'Expérience", which is "Validation of knowledges through experience". Following a procedure defined by the Law, a jury of a French university may decide that the accumulation of knowledge through the work experience is equal or superior to the ones accumulated during studies at an accredited university. We follow scrupulously our regulations inspired by the VAE procedure and may issue: 
-Degree in French (By Law there is no mention of the VAE procedure).
-UNESCO--CEPES Diploma Supplement in English as agreed by the Conseil de l'Europe (EUROPASS).

May I see a copy of your diplomas?


Absolutely not ! We are somewhat offended when people ask for a "specimen of our diploma" for the following reasons:

1) You are not buying a diploma but a registered French institution of Higher Education may bestow upon you a degree according to the French code of education and its own internal procedure.

2) No genuine university, for security reasons will give you sample of their official documents. 

We must add that France Institutions of Higher education are notorious for their "below average looking diplomas" and do not organize ceremonies.- commencement.  The value of a degree is important, not the look of its diploma. Remember the phrase of the French poet Alfred de Musset (1810-1857) "Qu'importe le flacon du moment qu'on a l'ivresse"

Could I get two degrees from you at the same time?

Forget for a moment your own system of education and think "French". The VAE recognizes work experience associated or not with previous studies as equivalent to a certain educational level. Therefore it forbids  us to give two degrees at the same time. As we are a not for profit organization (loi de 1901) we recommend that you apply, according to the rules mentioned in our pages, to the highest degree possible. If you insist for two consecutive degrees, we will have to charge you twice.

Should I take additional courses to receive a French Diplôme?

It depends, but the VAE  authorizes to grant "Certificats" entirely based on experience.
From the "equivalence formula" located at www.sorbon.fr/diplomeengl.html you can foresee your possible educational level.


I need a letter of invitation to enter France, could I get one from your institution?

Absolutely not. We are a registered French university specialized in the VAE procedure not a way to circumvent French and European immigration laws.

Could I request a specific GPA or impose a specific name or level?

Certainly not ! Our "Jurys de VAE"  are  independent and sovereign. You may earn a  degree from a French Private Institution of Higher Education, you are not buying a piece of paper with no value. Please understand that we are in the French system of higher tducation with strict rules, different from your system. However, through our detailed UNESCO-CEPES Diploma Supplement in English, your French degree may be evaluated as equivalent to a US accredited one by US credential evaluators and by the countries of the Lisbon Treaty on higher education. 

If I am accepted and if I pay the Jury and diploma fees, am I sure to get the requested Diploma?

No. Like in all Universities, you are never assured of the results of an examination. However the admission committee will verify that you qualify for the VAE specially in determining that you have the sufficient  number of years of work experience for the applied degree. Then, our VAE jury will only appreciate the quality of the work experience. 
 

Could I have a backdated diploma?

No!  it is fraudulent to backdate a French degree!

Can I get my degree tomorrow? 


No (non!)  We are not a "Diploma Mill" and we follow a regulated evaluation procedure, which takes up to  3 months.  

Could I have a copy of my de Sorbon Diploma?

Unfortunately because of the French regulations and of the French University tradition, NO COPY OF THE ORIGINAL WILL BE ISSUED for any reason. However our registrar office may deliver an "attestation de succès" i.e. a letter confirming the degree, if needed.


When are you closed?

France is known to have a high productivity despite numerous holidays (35 hours/week, 5 week holidays)... Our institution follows also the traditional French University breaks. However contrary to many, we do not close our institution during the summer. Our main closing periods are: Christmas New Year, February Holidays, Easter-Pâues Recess, End of the Academic Year exams (May), Bastille Day 14 Th. of July, August 15, French Armistice day (November 11). 

What is your refund policy ?

The application fee is refundable, if you are not admitted into Robert de Sorbon you will be refunded less the credit card fees. After admission, the tuition is due and, like all university, tuition is not refundable.

Have you an Alumni Association?

Our Alumni come from 104+ countries. We are proud of their accomplishments. Some firms contribute financially to scholarships for students coming from the less developed countries. We have a dedicated Alumni page  at www.sorbon.fr/alumniengl.html

Have you a shop selling de Sorbon memorabilia (Cap, Stickers T-Shirts)?

Yes click here

 Boutique
(This is an artist tranformation of a traditional French Grocery store)
cap de sorbon


If you have more question please send us an E-mail

I want to apply now

Click here to fill directly your application form

The Robert de Sorbon students come from 104 Countries & Territories
 Mapemonde

URL of this document: http://www.cam.ac.uk/cambuniv/pubs/works/index.html