History
From its very creation in the 1960s, University Paris Nanterre has dedicated itself to being a new type of institution of higher education. Today University Paris Nanterre has 34,000 students in undergraduate, postgraduate and professional continuing education with more than 20% of the student body from a foreign country.
Research
There are over 1,000 research professors and researchers in all disciplines of social and human sciences (law, economics, management, arts, humanities and languages, philosophy, linguistics, information and communication sciences, psychology and education, history, archaeology, anthropology, sociology, geography) as well as in sports sciences and physical education, mathematics, computer science and engineering.
Housing services
Student housing is possible in different university residence halls.
Library services
The SCD Documentation Centre includes 16 libraries. The University Library is divided into large reading rooms dedicated to specific disciplines: Law and Political Science, Social Sciences, Human Sciences, Economics, Languages and Literature. The library is open to the public and measures a spacious 9,000 sq. metres. It also has a video library, press reading room and a comic book section.
Campus life
The Nanterre campus reflects the University’s forward-looking policy with respect to sports and cultural activities, environmental commitment and solidarity actions. In addition to its main campus in Nanterre, the University also has satellite sites in nearby Saint-Cloud and La Défense.
Sports facilities
The campus is home to exceptional sports and cultural facilities:
- Olympic-size swimming pool
- University sports centre which includes a sports hall, top-level training rooms and spacious outside grounds (athletics track, tennis courts, beach volleyball, etc.
- Performing Arts Theatre and Auditorium with 500 seats
- Multidisciplinary Exhibition Hall
- Student canteen
- University library
- International Library for Contemporary History and Culture
Student clubs
- The Campus Cultural department (SGACAC) is responsible for promoting, developing and coordinating all activities devoted to artistic and cultural activities both on and off the university campus (artistic workshops, artist-in-residence programmes, shows and festivals related to cinema, photography, dance, theatre, music and plastic arts), especially in partnership with local cultural organisations.
- The Campus Cultural department is also in charge of coordinating student activity associations and promoting an active campus life.
University Paris Nanterre Overview
University Paris Nanterre Rankings
Study Portals Meta Ranking
Top 20.3% France
Top 19.3% Worldwide
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
QS World University Rankings
1201
By TopUniversities
Dropped 200 places compared to 2025
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend QS World University Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 1201 | 1001 | 1201 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
World University Rankings
1501
By Times Higher Education
The university hasn’t moved up or down in the rankings over the past year.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend World University Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 1201 | - | 1501 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
University Paris Nanterre Campus Locations
#1 Main Campus
France Country
Paris City
University Paris Nanterre Student Reviews & Awards
4.2
Based on 11 reviews
- 5 Star 4 Reviews
- 4 Star 5 Reviews
- 3 Star 2 Reviews
- 2 Star 0 Reviews
- 1 Star 0 Reviews
Nanterre University review
My University is a campus which is not verry common in Paris. Thus, the college life is very profuse and joyful. The teaching is very sharp and interesting. My study experience even though it was hard because i had two bachelors to study was very stimulating and full of new experiences.
biculturalism
Nanterre campus is the biggest I’ve ever been, which makes it easier to socialize with strangers. It offers a lot of cursus options; whether you want to study in the science domain or arts and languages, you have a big variety of choice. On the other hand, the administration system has to be reviewed; it is very confusing.
Nantere's University
It's a great university even through there is a lot of issues with the administration.
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