Université Paris Nanterre

Paris Nanterre University (French: Université Paris Nanterre), formerly called “Paris X Nanterre” and more recently “Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense“, is located next to the buzzing business district “La Defense”. It is one of the most prestigious French universities, mainly in the areas of law, humanities, political science, social sciences and economics. It is one of the thirteen successor universities of the University of Paris. It is located in the western suburb of Nanterre, which is why the university is commonly referred to as Nanterre.

Nanterre was built in the 1960s on the outskirts of Paris as an extension of the Sorbonne. It was set up as an independent university in December 1970. Based on the American model, it was created as a campus (as opposed to the old French universities which were smaller and integrated with the city in which they were located).

The university boasts many famous alumni including former presidents like Nicholas Sarkozy and Emmanuel Macron or the famous French D.J. David Guetta.  

The university is divided into the following colleges and institutes:

• Langues et cultures étrangères (LCE)
• Littérature, langages, philosophie et arts du spectacle (PHILLIA)
• Sciences économiques, gestion, mathématiques et informatique (SEGMI)
• Droit et science politique (DSP)
• Sciences psychologiques et sciences de l’éducation (SPSE)
• Sciences sociales et administratives (SSA)
• Sciences et techniques des activités physiques et sportives (STAPS)
• Systèmes industriels et techniques de communication (SITEC)
• Institut universitaire de technologie (IUT) Ville d’Avray – Saint-Cloud
• Institut de préparation à l’administration générale (IPAG)
• Institut d’études judiciaires – Henri Motulsky (faculté de droit et science politique)
• Institut Confucius