The post-baccalaureate admission process: understanding the system and the issues

Post-baccalaureate admission (APB) is a key process for students who wish to continue their studies in higher education. The drawing of lots is an integral part of this system, but today it is often criticized for its lack of fairness and effectiveness. In this article, we will explore the subject of APB, as well as the question of the draw, to allow you to better understand this important stage of student life.

What is Post-Bac Admission and how does it work?

Post-Bac Admission, also called APB, is a procedure put in place by the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research in order to facilitate the access of final year students to training at the Higher Education. Its primary objective is to simplify and centralize registration requests by bringing together on a single platform, several thousand training courses offered in all French establishments.

Thus, future baccalaureate graduates can apply for different training courses and create application files for each of them. Each course sets its own selection criteria, which may include academic results, language skills, cover letters or even individual interviews. Once the orientation wishes have been submitted on the platform, the student receives admission offers according to their wishes and their file.

The key stages of the PDB

The post-baccalaureate admission procedure is organized in several stages:

1. Registration on the APB portal: from January, the student must create an account by filling in their personal and school information. It is then possible to consult the list of available training courses and find out about their specificities.
2. Entering orientation wishes: between January and March, each candidate can formulate up to 10 different orientation wishes, in order of preference. These wishes can be modified at any time until the end of March.
3. Creation of application files: you must then create a file for each of the chosen courses, with the requested documents, such as school report cards or cover letters.
4. Responses to admission offers: in June, the student receives admission offers for each course to which they have applied. He must then choose a single proposal and confirm his registration.
5. Integration into the complementary phase: if no wish is successful, the student integrates the complementary phase to find a remaining place in another course.

The drawing of lots, a contested system

The draw takes place in certain training courses when the number of places available is less than the number of candidates. This system, present in the APB for several years, is the subject of strong criticism from teachers, students and parents. Indeed, it is often perceived as discriminatory and unfair, by not allowing all students to access the training of their choice.

The consequences of the draw

This selection method raises several problems:

• Failure to take into account individual skills and motivations, since the place assigned is based on luck rather than on the merit and abilities of each person.
• A lack of transparency, because the process is not always clearly explained to students before they formulate their orientation wishes.
• Inefficient allocation of resources, since some students may find themselves in a sector that does not correspond to their aspirations and not succeed, while others would have been more able to take advantage of it.

In order to overcome these problems, the French government announced in November 2017 the elimination of the lottery for the APB platform. This measure must be accompanied by a complete reform of the post-baccalaureate admission system, including the establishment of a new procedure called “Parcoursup”.

Parcoursup, the new admission procedure

The Parcoursup platform, launched in 2018, aims to replace the APB system by offering a more equitable and transparent admission procedure. According to information released by the government, the selection of candidates must now be based on several criteria such as academic results, professional projects and even civic commitment. The disappearance of the draw is also planned in order to guarantee that each student can access the training of their choice based on their skills and motivation.

The main new features of Parcoursup

This new procedure brings several significant changes compared to the PDB:

1. The removal of the draw, with a more personalized selection mode adapted to each person’s skills.
2. Better guidance from high school, thanks to the implementation of a personalized support program. This will allow students to gradually build their career plan and better identify the courses that correspond to their aspirations.
3. Simplified applications : previously, each training had its own application procedures. With Parcoursup, the student only has to create a single file to apply for several courses at the same time.

Thus, the new post-baccalaureate admission procedure aims to improve access to higher education by allowing students to choose their orientation with full knowledge of the facts and taking into account their real skills. It is therefore essential for future students to be well informed about how this platform works and its implications in order to put all the chances on their side.