For a very strong student hesitating between a prépa and university, Paris double degrees (doubles licences) have become a third route: two bachelor's degrees in three years, small cohorts, a pace close to the prépa, and admission rates sometimes lower than those of the top prépas. Yet "double degree at the Sorbonne" covers three different universities, and the figures vary widely from one to the next.
Law and political science double degrees: Paris 1 and Assas
Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Paris-Panthéon-Assas each offer a double degree in law and political science, with several thousand applications on Parcoursup, the national admissions platform, for a few dozen places.
| Programme (Parcoursup 2025) | Places | Applications | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne: law / political science | 60 | 6,655 | 6% |
| Paris-Panthéon-Assas: political science / law | 35 | 4,023 | 7% |
| Paris 1: Collège de droit de la Sorbonne | 50 | 2,246 | 5% |
| Paris 1: law / economics | 60 | 2,718 | 11% |
| Assas: law / economics and management | 35 | 2,241 | 6% |
| Assas: law / history | 35 | 1,865 | 9% |
The admission rate is the share of applicants who received an offer at some point in the process. At 6 or 7%, these double degrees compare with the most sought-after prépas, and they require a first-rate record in every subject.
Sorbonne Université's science double programmes
Sorbonne Université, which brings together humanities, medicine and sciences, offers several double programmes combining sciences with another discipline, in small cohorts.
| Programme (Parcoursup 2025) | Places | Applications | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics degree, intensive SPRINT track | 16 | 691 | 8% |
| Sciences / law double degree (with Assas) | 32 | 1,265 | 18% |
| Sciences / philosophy double degree | 24 | 1,042 | 21% |
| Literature / computer science double degree | 16 | 1,328 | 16% |
| Maths, physics, mechanics gateway year | 155 | 8,038 | 25% |
| Maths, computer science gateway year | 200 | 8,360 | 18% |
The gateway years (portails) require the maths and physics-chemistry specialisms for the maths-physics-mechanics track.
A maths-physics double degree at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne Université presents four science double degrees, electronics-maths, computer science-maths, maths-mechanics and maths-physics, as a demanding, fast-paced programme with two disciplines on an equal footing. They do not appear under their own name among the 2025 Parcoursup choices. Our assumption, to be checked with the faculty of science: students enter them after a first year in the corresponding gateway, for instance maths, physics, mechanics.
Figures from the 2025 Parcoursup round. Places, applications and admission rates taken from the Higher Education Ministry's open data (dataset "fr-esr-parcoursup", 2025 session), checked on 3 October 2026. The 2026 figures appear in the same dataset.
Double degree or prépa
A double degree keeps university as its horizon: two bachelor's degrees, then a master's, with the option of entering some grandes écoles through parallel admissions. The prépa aims at the competitive exams. The choice depends on the plan: a student who wants law and political science without giving up either finds in a double degree what no prépa offers; a student aiming for an engineering school is better served by a prépa. For comparison, see CPES at Henri-IV and Which prépa with which grades.
We make these choices with families at Carmine: comparing programmes, ordering choices, preparing cover letters. For the maths of the science double programmes, I prepare students in private lessons.