Recognised qualifications (RNCP)

Listing on the RNCP, State accreditation, Grade de Licence or Grade de Master: three recognitions that are often confused, and that Excelia Business School's qualifications combine. Here is what each one guarantees.

Level 6, level 7: what the RNCP scale says

A level 6 qualification corresponds to three years of study after the baccalaureate, a level 7 qualification to five years. These levels are those of the RNCP (France's National Register of Professional Certifications): the official register of certifications recognised by the State, kept by France compétences, which checks that the skills taught meet genuine needs of the labour market.

If the figures you have read elsewhere seem to contradict each other, that is normal: the scale changed in 2019. The decree of 8 January replaced the classification inherited from 1969, which only covered qualifications from the Éducation nationale, with eight levels based on the knowledge and skills acquired. Two very concrete consequences follow: levels are now written in Arabic numerals, where the old scale used Roman numerals, and the same number no longer designates the same number of years of study. Here is the correspondence.

  • Level 3: CAP, formerly level V
  • Level 4: baccalaureate, formerly level IV
  • Level 5: BTS or BUT, i.e. a Bac+2, formerly level III
  • Level 6: Bac+3, formerly level II
  • Level 7: Bac+5, Master's and MBA, formerly level I
  • Level 8: doctorate and DBA

Listing is never permanent: it is valid for a limited period, up to five years, before being renewed, which guarantees that a qualification stays in step with the occupations it prepares people for. Every record is public and can be consulted in France compétences' register. Since the national framework is aligned with the European qualifications framework, the level of a qualification awarded by Excelia Business School is also legible outside France. A dedicated page details exactly what an RNCP certification is.

Excelia Business School's qualifications listed on the RNCP

Excelia Business School's programmes are listed on the RNCP: at level 6 for the Bachelor in Business and the BBA International, at level 7 for the Master in Management (Programme Grande École) and the Master of Science (MSc) programmes. A Bac+3 on one hand, a Bac+5 on the other, and in both cases a certification recognised by the State.

Listed at level 6, the Bachelor in Business trains operational profiles in business, administration and management. The BBA International, also listed at level 6, gives the course a strongly international dimension, for those who see themselves in multicultural environments.

At level 7, the Master in Management is Excelia Business School's programme of excellence in management, the one that leads to management roles and then to executive roles. Our Master of Science (MSc) programmes, also listed at level 7, provide a specialisation: it is then the chosen field that shapes the course.

Record numbers and official qualification titles change with each renewal; rather than reproducing them here, we refer you to each programme's page and to France compétences' register, which are authoritative. And if you are at the stage of comparing these four paths, the simplest option remains to request the brochure for the programme that interests you: it covers the detail, year by year.

RNCP, State-accredited qualification, grade: three complementary recognitions

Listing on the RNCP, State accreditation and the university grade are three distinct recognitions, and Excelia Business School's qualifications combine them. To the question "is this business school state-recognised?", the answer lies in these three elements, none of which replaces the others.

State accreditation, the grade and the RNCP, one by one

Let's take them one by one. State accreditation is granted by the Ministry of Higher Education, which oversees the academic quality of the programme. The grade, awarded by this same ministry, places the qualification within the licence-master-doctorat framework: this is what counts when you continue your studies. Listing on the RNCP, finally, attests that the skills acquired correspond to identified occupations.

The four qualifications presented above combine all three. The Bachelor in Business and the BBA International are State-accredited and lead to a Grade de Licence; the Master in Management is State-accredited and leads to a Grade de Master, and the Master of Science (MSc) programmes, state-recognised, also lead to this grade.

Two further guarantees, and what they change in practice

Two elements complete this picture. The Excelia group, to which the school belongs, is a private higher education institution of general interest (EESPIG), a not-for-profit model, with no shareholders to pay. And where the French system is not known, it is the quadruple accreditation that takes over.

The proof: our EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA and EFMD Master accreditations are held by fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide.

In concrete terms, this combination is visible at three points:

  • when an employer reads your qualification, in France as abroad, where its level is immediately identifiable
  • when you continue your studies, the grade giving access to the programmes that require it
  • when you are looking for a company, the RNCP listing making the qualification legible to those that recruit on a work-study basis

Frequently asked questions about recognised qualifications

What level of study does an RNCP level 6 qualification correspond to?

A level 6 qualification corresponds to a Bac+3, i.e. three years of study after the baccalaureate. It sits between level 5, that of the BTS, and level 7, that of the Bac+5.

RNCP level 3 or level III: what does this correspond to?

These are two different things: in the scale in force since 2019, level 3 is that of the CAP, whereas the old level III, in Roman numerals, designated a Bac+2, now level 5.

Where can you check that a qualification is listed on the RNCP?

In the public register of France compétences: every registered certification has a record there, which states its level and its period of registration.

Is an RNCP certification recognised abroad?

The French national framework is aligned with the European qualifications framework, which makes the level of a French qualification legible in other European countries. This alignment does not, however, amount to an automatic equivalence with a qualification obtained abroad.

What is the difference between listing on the RNCP and State accreditation?

Listing on the RNCP, granted by France compétences, attests that the certified skills correspond to identified occupations; State accreditation, granted by the Ministry of Higher Education, concerns the academic quality of the programme. Excelia Business School's qualifications combine both.