French Universities

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Paris-Sud 11 University or University of Paris XI is a French university distributed among several campuses in the southern suburb of Paris. The main campus is located in Orsay.

It is one of the largest and most renowned French universities, particularly in the sciences. Paris-Sud is ranked 43rd in the 2009 edition of the Academic Ranking of World Universities and 18th in the field of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Furthermore the university was ranked 6th (2nd in Europe and 1st in France) in mathematics and 19th (4th in Europe and 1st in France) in physics, in the new Academic Ranking of World Universities 5 general subjects ranking. Furthermore, the University was ranked 36-39 wolrdwide in 2009 according to Global University Ranking. It was officially recognized as an independent academic institution in 1965, after some of the expanding inner-Paris particle and nuclear physics laboratories were transferred to Orsay, under the impulse of Irène Joliot-Curie. It hosts a great number of laboratories on its large (236 ha) campus. About 26,000 students are currently enrolled. Paris-Sud University comprises some 104 research units.

As for physics, some of those world-class top laboratories are in particle physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics, atomic physics and molecular physics, condensed matter physics, theoretical physics, electronics, and nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Pierre-Gilles de Gennes and Albert Fert, two Nobel Prizes of physics, were affiliated to Paris-Sud University as well. Paris-Sud University also comprises biology and chemistry laboratories, engineering and technology schools and has established partnerships with many of the surrounding technology centres, Grandes Ecoles and School of Law, Economics and Management.


Louis Pasteur University (Université Louis-Pasteur), also known as Strasbourg I or ULP was a large university in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. As of January 15, 2007, there were 18,847 students enrolled at the university, including around 3,000 foreign students. Research and teaching at ULP concentrates on the natural sciences, technology and medicine. On 1 January 2009, Louis Pasteur University became part of the refounded University of Strasbourg and lost its status as an independent university.

According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities, when it was an independent university, the ULP belonged to the first 100 rank (96th in 2006). The university was a member of the LERU (League of European Research Universities). It was named after the famous 19th-century French scientist Louis Pasteur.


The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is an internationally renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. It was the fourth university to be established in Scotland and is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious universities in Europe, having consistently being placed among leading universities in the world.

The university played an important role leading the city of Edinburgh to its reputation as a chief intellectual centre during the Age of Enlightenment, and helped give the city the nickname of the Athens of the north. Alumni of the university include some of the major figures of modern history.

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, an approximately 5 yearly audit of the research quality of British higher education establishments, the University of Edinburgh was placed 10th overall, a rise of 4 places from 14th in the 2001 RAE. The University was also placed 5th in the UK in terms of the power of its research departments. The Guardian University Guide 2011 ranked the University of Edinburgh as 15th in the UK overall. The Medical School has consistently ranked among the top in the UK.

The QS World University Rankings 2010 ranked the University of Edinburgh as the 22nd university in the world, while the Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked it as 40th overall and 6th in Europe. In 2010, the Academic Ranking of World Universities placed University of Edinburgh as 54th overall and 14th in Europe.