The finance master's programmes at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne are among the most sought-after public degrees in the field. Admission is file-based and there are no business-school tuition fees, so they attract thousands of applicants for a limited number of places. This guide explains how selection works, how to build an academic CV and how to prepare the rest of your file. Procedures change every year: always check the official pages before applying.
What the programme offers and who it is for
The "Monnaie, Banque, Finance, Assurance" (MBFA) master's is run by the Sorbonne School of Economics. According to the programme brochures published by the university 🔗, the first year (M1) is a common core, followed by a second year (M2) with several specialisations: banking and finance, banking risk control and compliance, responsible finance, financial technology and data, financial economics, insurance and risk. Exact names change, so check the current catalogue.
Who it is for:
- students with a bachelor's in economics, management or applied mathematics;
- holders of a three-year degree (bac+3) validated in France or abroad;
- profiles who want a solid academic track with a strong quantitative dimension.
If you are weighing several routes, our article on applying to Paris-Dauphine's Master 203 helps you compare two approaches to selection.
Selection criteria and profile of admitted students
Admission to the M1 is file-based. No public scale sets a minimum grade average: the committee reviews your whole record. According to the programme's presentation documents, particular attention is paid to quantitative skills and English.
What generally counts in a file:
- Bachelor's results, and their consistency from one semester to the next;
- Quantitative courses: statistics, probability, econometrics, mathematics;
- Coherence between your record and your career plan;
- Certified English level (certificate, stay abroad, courses taken in English);
- Experience: internships, commitments, projects showing genuine interest in finance.
Selectivity figures circulating on third-party sites are estimates: do not treat them as official data. Just remember that demand far exceeds the number of places, which calls for a careful file and a fallback plan.
Building a suitable academic CV
A CV for a master's is not a job CV. The committee wants to assess your ability to follow a demanding programme and your plan, not your seniority.
What it should contain, in this order:
- Education first: bachelor's, institution, honours, ranking if favourable, key courses.
- Quantitative skills and tools: Excel, Python, R, SQL, statistical software, at an honest level.
- Experience: internships and jobs, described through achievements.
- Languages: level and proof (TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge).
- Activities and interests: associations, projects, finance-related reading.
Practical tips:
- Keep it to one page. A bachelor's student does not need more.
- Highlight the courses, not only the name of the degree: a course in financial theory or econometrics says more than a generic line.
- Quantify: volume of data handled, duration of a project, team size.
- Avoid task lists and prefer achievements. Our guide on finding a finance internship as a student gives wording examples.
💡 Learn more: see our guide How to write a CV for finance and investment banking for the detailed structure.
Writing the cover letter and succeeding at the interview
The cover letter (if requested). It must answer three questions: why this programme, why now, and for what plan. Avoid generalities about finance. Cite specific courses, the M2 tracks you like and the link with your experience.
The interview (if held). Some tracks invite candidates, others decide on the file alone. Prepare to:
- present your background in two minutes;
- justify choosing this master's over another;
- answer questions on financial culture and current events;
- explain a point in your file (a weaker year, a change of direction).
The advice in our article on preparing for a finance interview largely applies, even if the exercise is more academic here.
Calendar and application documents
For entry into the first year of a master's, applications go through the national platform Mon Master 🔗, with a single file and a common calendar published each year by the Ministry of Higher Education. The phases generally run as follows: candidate account opening, submission of choices, review of files by institutions, then answers and handling of withdrawals. In the latest campaign, applications were submitted between mid-February and mid-March, with answers from June. Dates for the next campaign should be confirmed on the ministry's website 🔗.
Documents usually requested:
- bachelor's transcripts (and high-school results in some cases);
- CV;
- cover letter, depending on the programme;
- language certificates;
- possibly recommendation letters or internship certificates.
Non-EU international students follow a separate procedure, notably through Campus France. Paris 1's own arrangements may also differ by applicant type (students of the university or outside candidates): read the programme page carefully.
Common mistakes and plan B
Most common mistakes:
- A generic letter, identical for every master's;
- A CV that is too long or built like an employee's CV;
- Neglecting English: lack of proof is a weakness;
- Applying to a single programme when the platform lets you list several;
- Waiting until the last minute to upload documents;
- Skipping proofreading: a typo in a letter for an economics master's counts against you.
Build a plan B. Even an excellent file can be rejected given how strong demand is. Spread your choices across university master's, business schools and more specialised programmes. A gap year with an internship or a certification can also strengthen your file for the next campaign: see our article on finance certifications, CFA and FRM.
Finally, a file everyone can read starts with a well-built CV. FinanceCV spares you the layout work: you enter your education and experience, and the tool produces a clean, ATS-compatible CV that recruiters and their screening software will read without trouble for your future internship applications.
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