The Transition from Secondary to Higher Education and the Reform of the BUT

Study day

June 18, 2026Saint-Martin-d'Hères - University Campus

In less than ten years: Parcoursup, high school graduation exam reform, and the creation of the BUT. Who actually gets into higher education—and how? On June 18 in Grenoble, researchers will attempt to answer these questions.

Since the mid-2010s, the French secondary and higher education systems have undergone a series of far-reaching structural reforms: Parcoursup (2017), reforms to the general baccalaureate (2018) and the BUT (2021), not to mention the lingering effects of the 2020 health crisis. These simultaneous transformations are reshaping the conditions of access, as well as the logic of choice and selection in higher education. In this context of intertwined reforms, it becomes essential to take a fresh look at the determinants and modalities of access to higher education, as well as the behaviors and decisions of the various stakeholders.

The reform of the BUT program is a key component of the restructuring of higher education: a three-year curriculum structured around a competency-based approach, Learning and Assessment Situations (SAÉ), internships, work-study programs, and the implementation of quotas. This reform raises questions not only about student success and academic trajectories, but also about the ability of institutions to balance student selection, academic support, and the mission of democratizing higher education.

This workshop will address these issues from the following three perspectives:

Transitions from high school to college
Applications for the BUT Program: Strategies and Appeal
Changes in Teaching and Institutional Practices

Schedule (tentative—subject to change)

► Check-in (8:30–9:00 a.m.)

► Opening(9:00–9:15 a.m.)

►Session 1: The Transition from High School to College (9:15–10:55 a.m.)

Session Chair: Margot Déage (Université Grenoble Alpes)

The ability to aspire as a measure of educational inequality. The case of the Social Inclusion and Innovation Chair

Alexandre Longa (University of Technology of Compiègne)

Transition to French Higher Education: Segmentation and Diversity in the Educational Pathways of Recent High School Graduates

Dorian Vancoppenolle (University of Lyon 2)

On the Use of Public Data on Parcoursup

Alban Mizzi(University of Bordeaux)
Julien Gossa (University of Strasbourg)

► Break (10:55–11:25)

► Session 2: Applications and student pathways in the BUT program (11:25 a.m.–12:35 p.m.)

Session Chair: Lionel Filippi (Université Grenoble Alpes)

Analysis of BUT applications by network and using Principal Component Analysis based on attractiveness indices

Gilles Nicolet (Université Grenoble Alpes)

From the DUT to the BUT: A New Challenge for Recruiting in the Technology Track?

Robin Casse(Université Grenoble Alpes)
Gilles Nicolet (Université Grenoble Alpes)

► Buffet (12:35–2:05 p.m.)

►Session 3: Changes in Teaching and Institutional Practices (2:05–3:45 p.m.)

Session Chair: Alain Fernex (University of Lyon 2)

Restructuring of the professional responsibilities of teachers at IUTs following the BUT reform

Anita Messaoui (University of Montpellier)
Isabelle Bournaud (Paris-Saclay University)
Jacques-Oliver Klein (Paris-Saclay University)
Patrick Pamphile (Paris-Saclay University)
Chrysta Pélissier (University of Montpellier)

Teachers' Perceptions of the Portfolio in the Bachelor of Applied Science Program

Sonia Lefeuvre (University of Lyon 2)
Yves Lemarié

The Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture: An Institutional Overhaul of Secondary and Higher Agricultural Education

Ghislain Favergeat(Mâcon Agricultural Vocational School)
Nathalie Gouzi (Department of Agriculture)

► Closing (3:45–4:15 p.m.)

Published on May 7, 2026
Updated on May 12, 2026

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The Transition from Secondary to Higher Education and the Reform of the BUT

Schedule (tentative—subject to change)

Location

The EUT