Association of academic institutions in Paris, France
Sorbonne University Alliance (French: "Alliance Sorbonne Université") is a group of ten academic institutions associated with the Sorbonne University. After the fusion between Paris-Sorbonne University and Pierre and Marie Curie University under the name Sorbonne University (French: "Sorbonne Université") in 2018, the university system "Sorbonne Universités" changed its name to "Association Sorbonne Université" and later to "Alliance Sorbonne Université".
The original group was founded in June 2010 by: Panthéon-Assas University, Paris-Sorbonne University, and Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University. The latter two merged in 2018 into Sorbonne University and Panthéon-Assas is now an associate member. Other members include INSEAD, the University of Technology of Compiègne, the National Museum of Natural History, and research centers such as the French National Centre for Scientific Research, the French Institute of Health and Medical Research, the French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation, and the French Research Institute for Development.
The group comprises nearly 60,000 students annually, of which 5,000 are Ph.D. students.
Members of the group have set up many projects to strengthen relations between them and to create new academic courses and research programs in the fields of science, medicine, law, human and social science, engineering, business management, and arts.
Member institutions are associated with nineteen Nobel laureates and seven Field Medalists, ten billionaires, and three heads of state.
The group has been granted €130 million by the French government. Its budget was €680 million as of 2012.
History.
The group was founded in June 2010 by, at that time, some of the successors of the University of Paris: Panthéon-Assas University (now an associate member), Paris-Sorbonne University, and Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University.
The University of Paris, also known simply as the Sorbonne, is the medieval university of Paris that was divided into 13 autonomous universities after the French riots in 1968.
In the early 2000s, to perform on the international scale, these thirteen universities joined forces with public research and higher-education institutions and grandes écoles. In 2006, a French law compelled every university institution to join a university group. This was aimed at forming big university and research clusters able to compete with the best international universities.
In 2010, Sorbonne University formed its first group. Since then, other university institutions have joined, such as the National Museum of Natural History. Panthéon-Assas University left the group in 2013 because it was not happy with the governance of the group and became an associate member in 2014. Sorbonne University was composed of 11 founding members and 11 other associate members.
Like other French university groups, this group is a first step toward a merger of the relevant universities. Paris-Sorbonne University (one of the inheritors of the faculty of humanities of the University of Paris) and Pierre and Marie Curie University (an inheritor of the faculties of science and medicine) merged in 2018 as Sorbonne University. Panthéon-Assas University (one of the heirs of the faculty of law and economics) and University of Technology of Compiègne may merge with it in the years to come.
 "As of 1 January 2018"
 "As of 1 January 2018"
Campus.
Parisian Campuses.
The main campus of Sorbonne University is the historic central Sorbonne building in the Latin quarter, which Paris-Sorbonne University (Paris 4) shares with other universities not included in Sorbonne University. Sorbonne University is also located in the Jussieu Campus, near the Latin quarter. The campus is occupied by Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris 6). After a long period of restoration, the first half of the new campus was inaugurated in September 2014 with new academic buildings, new dormitories, and a gymnasium.
In Paris, Sorbonne University has the campuses of Sorbonne, Jussieu, Pitié-Salpêtrière, Cordeliers, Saint-Antoine, Trousseau, Tenon, the Paris Institute of Astrophysics, the Vision Institute belonging to the Pierre and Marie Curie University; the Jardin des plantes, the , the Musée de l'Homme, the Paris Zoological Park, properties of the National museum of natural history; the Latin quarter campus, the , the , the National institute for art history, the , the Malesherbes University center, and the Institut d'urbanisme et d'aménagement, all belonging to the Paris-Sorbonne University; the , the , all belonging to the Pôle Supérieur Paris Boulogne-Billancourt
Paris region campuses.
Sorbonne University is also located in other numerous places in the Paris region:
National campuses.
Sorbonne University is also located in numerous other places in France:
International establishment.
Thanks to its members, Sorbonne University can benefit from a wide range of international partnerships, both in Europe and worldwide. These partnerships allow academic mobility for students and a broader scientific cooperation for researchers. For example,
Sorbonne University is also established in Asia, with one campus in Singapore, residence of INSEAD, and two campuses in Abu Dhabi, both for INSEAD and the Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi.
Sorbonne University has also formed its own academic partnerships: in Canada; Brazil; Mexico, with UNAM; in China with the Harbin Institute of Technology; and in Singapore, with Nanyang Technological University and the Yale-NUS College.
Academic.
Members of the group have worked on several projects in order to strengthen relations and potentially create a new international institution. The most famous projects are the Sorbonne College (Collège de la Sorbonne) for bachelor's degree teaching and the Sorbonne Doctoral College (Collège doctoral de la Sorbonne) for PhD candidates.
Sorbonne College.
Since 2014, the Sorbonne College for bachelor's degree (« Collège des Licences de la Sorbonne ») has been coordinating academic projects of the members of the group. It also offers cross-institutional academic courses in many fields, allowing students to graduate from both institutions. For example, some cross-institutional bachelor's degrees (« double licences ») are proposed to students between Paris-Sorbonne University, Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University, and Panthéon-Assas University, in:
As is the case in the Anglo-American university systems, Sorbonne University proposes a major-minor program that is currently being deployed at Pierre and Marie Curie University.
Sorbonne University, in partnership with INSEAD, also offers all of its alumni and PhD students a professionalizing course in business management, to complete their curriculum.
Doctoral College.
Since 2010, every PhD student is granted an honorary diploma labeled "Sorbonne University". This diploma highlights and gathers the skills of doctors and researchers from the institutions that form Sorbonne University.
The Sorbonne Doctoral College, created in 2013, coordinates the activities of the 26 doctoral schools. Since 2014, it has developed cross-disciplinary PhDs between the different members of the group:
Since 2011, Sorbonne University has celebrated its graduates in a formal ceremony where every PhD graduate wears a scholar's uniform.
Research.
To strengthen the influence of its research infrastructures on the international scale, Sorbonne University has developed several research programs aimed at reinforcing or exploring new fields of study. This innovative cross-disciplinary approach was embodied with the creation of four new academic positions, gathering several establishments of the group:
Sorbonne University has also formed, with academic institutions such as the China Scholarship Council or the Brazilian foundation FAPERJ, several partnerships enabling bilateral research programs.
Academic results.
Some of Sorbonne University’ members have recently won fame in global and national university rankings.
Global university rankings.
The Academic Ranking of World Universities for 2014-2015 ranks PMCU 35th in the world; 1st French university and 6th university in Europe. In the same edition of the ranking, PMCU is the 4th university for mathematics.
In 2014, Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University was ranked 103rd in the world, 3rd in France, and 29th in the world for physics in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, while Paris-Sorbonne University is ranked 56th in the world for reputation, 2nd in France.
QS World University Rankings 2015 (world's top 800 universities) ranks Paris-Sorbonne University 1st in France, 36th in the world for arts and humanities (9th for modern languages, 30th for philosophy).
The "Financial Times" ranked INSEAD #1 in the world in its "Global MBA Rankings" in 2016, 2017, 2021.
National university ranking.
The main universities and institutions of this group are considered as the first or one of the first universities in their field.
Student life.
Since 2010, Sorbonne University has set a goal of optimizing students' living conditions and pooling associative activities of all the students.
Associations.
Sorbonne University offers financial support to associations or student initiatives that help gather the students of each institution that comprises the group. Among the associations that are currently supported, are:
Sorbonne University also supports students' welcoming initiatives at the beginning of the fall term, such as :
Culture.
Since 2012, Sorbonne University has organized an eloquence contest called « Fleurs d’Éloquence », during which every Sorbonne University student can compete. 150 students participated in 2015.
Sorbonne University has its own musical ensemble, called Chœur-Orchestre Sorbonne-Universités (Sorbonne University Choir &amp; Orchestra). COSU gathers 250 students, instrumentalists, and vocalists, who perform throughout the school year in concert halls, such as Sorbonne's Grand Amphitheater, or in other parts of Europe.
Sports.
Each member of Sorbonne University provides its own range of sporting activities. Nevertheless, the members have recently begun to consolidate their sports facilities following the renovation of the Jussieu Campus: the new Jean-Talbot gymnasium was opened in the fall of 2014, and has since then become the venue for indoor sports.
Sorbonne University also takes part in student sport competitions, where it competes with other establishments. In 2014, Sorbonne University won 3rd place in the World Championships of Grandes Écoles and Universities, a competition jointly organized by the French Athletics Federation and the "Journal of Grandes Écoles and Universities", a French magazine for students.
Notable people.
Science.
Fourteen Nobel laureates have been faculty members, researchers, or alumni, along with 7 Field Medalists:
Sorbonne University has many notable teachers, some of whom have themselves graduated from the members of the group:
References.
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