Aix-Marseille University

Aix-Marseille University (AMU) is France's largest university by enrollment — over 80,000 students — and is ranked QS #321 globally (2025). Formed by the merger of three universities in 2012, AMU spans campuses in Aix-en-Provence and Marseille across four main faculties: science and technology, medicine, law and political science, and arts and humanities. AMU is a comprehensive research institution with particular strengths in astrophysics (home to the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille — a major CNRS partner), marine biology, public health, and Mediterranean law.

For non-EU international students, AMU charges €2,770–3,770/year. English-taught master's programs include astrophysics, international law, economics, and public health. Marseille — France's second largest city and major Mediterranean port — is significantly more affordable than Paris (35–45% lower living costs) and is undergoing a major urban and economic transformation. The Aix-en-Provence campus (30 minutes from Marseille) is based in one of Provence's most beautiful historic cities, with a particularly strong law and economics tradition.