08 course preferences and offers made on the Post-Bac Admission portal (APB)

In 2014-15, 739,600 candidates used the Post-Bac Admission portal (ABP) to continue their studies, including 78% of students in the final year of secondary school ("Terminale"). On average, they entered 6.5 preferences. 83% of candidates received an offer through the normal procedure, of which nearly two-thirds received their first or second preference.

The Post-Bac Admissions portal is designed for students who wish to enrol on the first year of a course, after the Baccalaureate. Since 2014-15, students already in the first year after the Baccalaurate, who want to change their course in their institution or transfer to another institution, can use this portal if they are under 26 years of age.

In 2014-15, 739,580 candidates entered at least one preference for continuing higher education studies, of which 9% entered a single preference and 22% over ten preferences.

Around eight candidates in ten are students in the final year of secondary school, 13% are already in higher education in France and wish to change their course, the others have diverse profiles (not in education or in supplementary training, for example).

Candidates in the final year of secondary school entered 6.5 preferences on average. Candidates following a general Baccalaureate entered more preferences than candidates following a vocational Baccalaureate (on average 7.2 preferences compared to 4.6).

If we consider the first preference entered by candidates in the final year of secondary school (chart 08.01), over half of the future general Bac holders requested a first year at university (including a common first year for medical studies), 14% requested a CPGE (classes preparing for admission to Grande Ecoles), 14% an IUT (university technology institute) and 8% an STS (Advanced technician's section). Nearly half of future technological Bac holders requested an STS, 20% an IUT and 20% a first year at university. Finally, eight out of ten future vocational Bac holders wishing to continue in higher education requested an STS, 11% a university and 4% an IUT.

The preferences differ according to discipline. Only 46% of candidates for the scientific Baccalaureate wished to continue their studies at university and 6% at an STS. By contrast, 19% wished to enter CPGE, 14% IUT and 10% engineering school. 7 out of 10 future literary Bac graduates chose university as their first preference, but only 8% chose CPGE, 10% STS and 5% IUT. Bac holders following an economic and social path were more likely than literary candidates to enrol in an IUT (20%) and an STS (12%) and 51% of them wished to enter university.

Following the normal procedure, 88% of candidates in the final year of secondary school received an offer, of which 55% got their first choice. Among candidates in the final year of secondary school requesting a first year at university, 84% received their first choice. Obtaining the first preference is rarer in selective disciplines; only 39% of students requesting a DUT (university technology diploma) and 37% requesting an STS received their first choice.

62% of general Bac holders receiving an offer through the normal procedure obtained their first preference (chart 08.02), but this proportion falls to 35% if we consider those that requested CPGE. Although one in two technological Bac holders obtained their first choice, only 35% obtained their first preference for an IUT and 42% for an STS. Finally, only 36% of vocational Bac holders obtained their first preference, of which 32% requested an STS and 19% requested an IUT.

28% of vocational Bac holders with a "Pass" grade at Baccalaureate received an offer from their first choice (table 08.04) but 66% who got a "Distinction" (57% for "Merit") in the Baccalaureate got their number 1 choice. Likewise, 86% of technological Bac holders who got "Distinction" received their first choice.

At the end of the normal procedure, more than nine candidates in ten in the general section and over eight candidates in ten in the technological section had received an offer, compared to a little over six candidates in ten in the vocational section (chart 08.03). Candidates without an offer received at least one offer in the additional procedure.

Diane Marlat