University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour (UPPA)

University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour (UPPA)A university of excellence serving a territory

Published on July 20, 2021

A multidisciplinary university

The University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour (UPPA) is a multidisciplinary university which covers three major areas of study:

UPPA offers its students initial or continuing education, work/study programmes or apprenticeships, to obtain Bachelor’s, Master’s and vocational degrees and Doctorates through its 5 UFRs (Teaching and Research units) and two Doctoral schools.

The university also includes two IUTs (University Institute of Technology), one IAE (University School of Management), two engineering schools (ENSGTI, covering industrial technology engineering and ISA BTP covering construction), a continuing education department and an apprenticeship training centre.

An ideal working environment

One of the particular features of UPPA is its location close to the Spanish border, between the mountains and the ocean, on 5 campuses on a very human scale: Anglet, Bayonne, Pau, Mont-de-Marsan and Tarbes.

Each campus offers students modern and efficient means of communication, a university library, sports activities, a cultural programme and a range of student associations.

The teaching teams at UPPA prepare our 11,500 students to complete their course, but they are also attentive to the needs of students and are always available, and committed to our quality process.

Careers guidance and professional advice are also at the heart of each study programme: student professional project, meetings with former students, job fairs, help with finding internships and jobs.
For the second year running, the Ministry has ranked UPPA 12th nationally (out of 80 universities) for student support and success in their degree courses, and 18th for their masters.

Faculty of Law, Economics and Management

Scientific research at international level

With 24 research units associated with research bodies such as the CNRS, INRA and INRIA, research at UPPA covers :

5 strategic themes:
- Environment and materials
- Geo-resources
- Aquatic environments and resources
- Justice and territories
- Areas, borders and blending
and one transversal and multidisciplinary theme: energy, environmental and social transitions.

Institut Carnot ISIFoR (Institute for the sustainable engineering of fossil resources)
Equipex MARSSEquipex MARSS (Mass Spectrometry centre for Reactivity and Speciation Sciences)
Equipex in the XYLOFORESTXyloforest Programme network (development of the wood sector)
Labex in the STORE-EX network (electrochemical storage of energy)
LabCom, shared laboratory with URGO

A university firmly rooted in its region

Since its foundation in 1970, UPPA has formed relationships with local institutional and industrial partners, making it a major player in the economic development of southern Aquitaine.

It has forged some very strong links with major contractors, such as Total, Turboméca, Arkema, Toyal, Messier-Dowty and it supports SME/SMI through a hundred collaboration agreements.

UPPA is also supported by local authorities and is part of ComUEA, the Community of Universities and Higher Education Establishments in Aquitaine. It is also a member of SATT Aquitaine (Aquitaine Sciences Transfer).

A university open to the world

Because of its geographic situation, UPPA is particularly well placed to develop original cross-border cooperation with Spain, by setting up:

the PYREN Project: IDEFI (Initiative for excellence in innovative training) funded by “investment for the future” from the government,
specific bursaries,
internships in companies,
10 double degrees and joint thesis supervisions (34 in 2015).

UPPA hosts 1,700 international students and offers its own students the opportunity for international mobility through its many partnerships:

51 partner countries worldwide,
80 inter-university cooperation agreements,
179 Erasmus partner universities.

Communications Division