Failing Medical School in France? What to Do After a Refused Triplement or a Failed EDN (2026)
02.10.2026
Short answer
Failing medical school in France? Redoublement, refused triplement or EDN below 14 out of 20: your rights, appeals and the way back to France as a doctor.
Redoublement and triplement
In short: In France you may repeat a year of Medicine once (redoublement). A third enrolment in the same year (triplement) is only possible with an exceptional derogation from the dean or the president of the university. Each year offers two exam sessions, and you cannot sit more than two sessions in one year.
The first cycle (DFGSM2 and DFGSM3) follows the order of 22 March 2011, the second cycle (DFASM1 to DFASM3) the order of 8 April 2013. Each faculty adds its own assessment rules, the MCC, which fix the pass marks and which results you keep when you repeat.
For the second cycle the national rule is explicit: no more than six enrolments for its three years, and no single year more than three times, unless a derogation is granted.
| Stage | Rule |
|---|---|
| PASS (access year) | No repeat. Second chance only through L.AS |
| DFGSM2 and DFGSM3 | Two sessions a year, one repeat, triplement by derogation |
| DFASM1 to DFASM3 | Six enrolments in total, no year more than three times |
| EDN | At least 14 out of 20 on rank A knowledge |
| ECOS | At least 10 out of 20 |
PASS and L.AS
In short: The French access year PASS cannot be repeated. Whoever is not admitted to Medicine after PASS continues in a licence and may apply once more through L.AS. In total you have two chances to enter the medical track in France.
After the second refusal, Medicine in France is closed, however good your marks in the licence are. A transfer abroad does not depend on your French ranking. The receiving university looks at the credits you have validated.
EDN and ECOS
In short: At the start of the sixth year French students sit the national EDN. You need at least 14 out of 20 on the knowledge classified as rank A. Below that mark you cannot sit the ECOS that year and do not enter the third cycle.
A missed threshold normally means a resit session and, if that fails, repeating the sixth year, which counts against your six enrolments in the second cycle. Your EDN and ECOS marks also decide which specialty and which city you can choose.
Appeals
In short: In France the exam jury is sovereign, and a grade as such cannot be contested. You can file an internal appeal (recours gracieux) for a material error or a breach of the assessment rules, and then go to the administrative court, normally within two months of the decision.
- See your paper: you have the right to consult your exam copy and to an interview with a teacher.
- Derogation file: a request for a triplement needs documents, such as medical certificates, proof of a family event and a concrete work plan.
- Exam adjustments: with a recognised disability or chronic illness the university health service can grant extra time before the next session.
Free transfer consultation
Waiting for a derogation? Check your options now
We transfer you to medical schools in other EU countries whose degree is recognised in France. In a free consultation we check which of them accept your validated years and plan your route back to France.
Book a free transfer consultationWhy students get stuck
In short: Medical students in France who fail rarely lack ability. They survived one of the most selective first years in Europe. The usual reasons are burnout, depression or anxiety, a family crisis, hospital duties beside the exams, exam anxiety and an undiagnosed learning difference.
From the fourth year French students work in hospital in the morning and revise for the EDN at night. Two years of that rhythm wear down people who never failed an exam before.
None of this means you chose the wrong profession. I started dental medicine in Sofia in 2015, at 24, and graduated in 2021. A slower start says nothing about the doctor you will become.
Switch early
In short: In France the best moment to transfer is during or right after a repeated year, before a triplement has to be requested. You then leave with validated credits and a clean file. After a refused derogation a transfer abroad is still possible.
- You are repeating a year and the first session went wrong again.
- You need a derogation for a third enrolment.
- You are not admitted after PASS and L.AS.
- You missed 14 out of 20 in the EDN and your enrolments in the second cycle are running out.
If one of these applies to you, book a free transfer consultation now rather than after the next session.
Next four weeks
- Week 1: read the MCC of your faculty and count your enrolments per year and per cycle.
- Week 1 to 2: ask to consult your exam copies and meet the head of your year.
- Week 2 to 3: if anxiety, low mood or fatigue play a part, contact the student health service and ask about exam adjustments.
- Week 3 to 4: order your transcripts (relevés de notes) and the syllabus of every validated teaching unit.
- Before the dean decides: book a free transfer consultation and compare staying with a transfer and a planned return to France.
Transfer within the EU
In short: A transfer from a French medical faculty to a medical school in another EU country is possible, and Medschool Experts organises it. The receiving university assesses your transcripts and syllabi. Which universities fit you, and which year you can enter, depends on your profile.
A study transfer is a complicated undertaking. Every university checks hours, content and syllabi in its own way, and the documents have to arrive in exactly the right form. Our experts have almost ten years of experience with study transfers, and we regularly achieve placements into higher years, at times Year 4 or Year 5.
Thousands of French students already study Medicine in other EU countries, in French or in English, and a state grant based on social criteria can be kept for studies in another European country.
Free transfer consultation
Transfer abroad, return to France: check your options
Send us your transcripts. We tell you which EU universities accept your years, which year you can enter and how your route back to France looks, step by step. Free and without obligation.
Check my transfer optionsReturning to France
In short: Yes, you can come back. A medical degree from another EU country is recognised in France under Directive 2005/36/EC. To specialise in France you sit the EDN and ECOS and enter the third cycle. You can also train as a specialist in another EU country and then register with the Ordre des médecins.
Practising in France requires a specialty, and general practice is one of them. That is why the return is planned around the EDN or around specialist training abroad, and we choose your university with exactly that in mind.
Free transfer consultation
Plan your way back to France from day one
Your return runs through the EDN and ECOS or through a specialty earned abroad. We choose your university with exactly that in mind and show you the timeline in a free consultation.
Book a free transfer consultationCosts
In short: Registration fees at French public faculties stay below €300 a year, but a refused triplement costs the whole degree. Tuition at European medical schools starts at about €3,500 a year, and living costs in many Central and Eastern European cities are €5,000 to €8,000, below Paris, Lyon or Bordeaux.
How we help
Medschool Experts reviews your transcripts and syllabi in a free transfer consultation, finds EU medical schools that fit your profile, prepares the application and the documents, and plans your route back to France. More than 500 students have been placed so far. The first step is always a free transfer consultation.
The author's view
French students have left for Romania, Belgium or Spain for many years, and most of the ones I speak to are not weak students. They ran out of enrolments in a system that counts years more strictly than it counts knowledge.
I started dental medicine in Sofia in 2015 at 24 and graduated in 2021. My advice is the same I would have needed then: ask what your validated credits are worth elsewhere before a committee decides about a third enrolment. A file sent in good standing opens more doors.
Summary
Failing medical school in France rarely comes down to one exam. It comes down to enrolments: one repeated year is accepted, a third enrolment in the same year depends on a derogation, and the second cycle is capped at six enrolments. PASS allows no repeat at all.
A transfer to a medical school in another EU country is possible, the degree is recognised in France, and you return through the EDN and ECOS or as a trained specialist. We plan that route home with you from the first day.
Conclusion
Do not wait for the decision on your derogation to find out what else is possible. The transfer consultation is free, and it shows you which EU universities accept the years you have already validated and how you come back to France as a doctor. Book your free transfer consultation.
Failing medical school in France: 7 questions and answers
Can I repeat a year of Medicine in France?
Yes, once. A redoublement in the second to sixth year is allowed. A third enrolment in the same year, the triplement, requires an exceptional derogation from the dean or the president of the university.
Can I repeat PASS?
No. PASS cannot be repeated. A second chance at Medicine exists only through a licence with a health option (L.AS), and the total number of applications is limited to two.
How many enrolments are allowed in the second cycle?
No more than six enrolments for the three years of the second cycle, and no single year more than three times, unless an exceptional derogation is granted.
What score do I need in the EDN?
At least 14 out of 20 on the core knowledge classified as rank A. Without it you cannot sit the ECOS and cannot enter the third cycle that year.
Can I appeal an exam decision in France?
The jury is sovereign on grades. You can file an internal appeal for material errors or procedural defects and then go to the administrative court, normally within two months of the decision.
Is a medical degree from another EU country recognised in France?
Yes. It is recognised under Directive 2005/36/EC. To specialise in France you sit the EDN and ECOS, or you return after specialist training abroad and register with the Ordre des médecins.
Does the consultation with Medschool Experts cost anything?
No. The transfer consultation is free and without obligation.
What students say about Medschool Experts
Over 500 placements at 25+ partner universities across 10+ countries. See how our students experienced their path into medical school abroad in our student stories.
About the author
Marcel Kloos
Founder and owner of Medschool Experts, federally recognised dentist
Marcel Kloos is the founder and owner of Medschool Experts, a placement agency for medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy degrees abroad. Since 2021 the team has secured more than 500 study places at 25+ partner universities in Europe and worldwide.
Study medicine abroad: Marcel's own path
Born in Stuttgart, Marcel started his degree late: at 24 he enrolled at the Medical University of Sofia, Faculty of Dental Medicine, and graduated in 2021 from the English-language programme. He went through the same steps his clients face today — nostrification of school certificates, entrance interviews, finding a flat in Sofia and later the recognition of a foreign degree. He is a federally recognised dentist.
What Marcel does at Medschool Experts
Today Marcel lives in Bern and runs Medschool Experts full-time. He visits every partner university in person, negotiates placement agreements directly with faculties and deans, and leads the free consultations in which applicants learn at which university they can start next semester. His YouTube channel on studying medicine abroad has helped thousands of applicants compare universities, costs and recognition.
Topics Marcel writes about
- Study medicine abroad independent of your high school diploma grades: universities, costs and admission
- Study dentistry, veterinary medicine or pharmacy in Europe in English
- Tuition fees and living costs at medical schools in Europe and worldwide
- Recognition of foreign medical degrees in the EU, Switzerland, the UK and the US
- Transferring between medical schools and returning home into a higher semester
All articles by Marcel Kloos are based on first-hand visits to the universities and conversations with current students. Book a free consultation to discuss your own path.
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