The eCandidat platform of Nantes University regularly displays the message “no application period open,” which confuses candidates who have not checked their component’s calendar before creating an account. We recommend treating the eCandidat application as a procedure with three distinct locks: identifying the right platform, adhering to the calendar of the targeted component, and then technically validating the application file.
eCandidat, Parcoursup, or Mon Master: identify the right procedure before applying to Nantes
Submitting an application on the wrong platform is the primary cause of lost applications. At Nantes University, each level of study falls under a different procedure and there is no pathway to transfer an application from one portal to another.
- Entry into the first year of a bachelor’s degree (L1) and the first year of a BUT is exclusively through Parcoursup, including for reorientations after a first year in higher education.
- Applications for master 1 now go through the national Mon Master platform, which centralizes wishes and rankings.
- eCandidat manages admissions for intermediate or specific levels: L2, L3, certain DU, continuing education programs, and sometimes master 2 depending on the components.
The reflex to adopt: consult the training sheet on the Nantes component’s website (Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Law, IAE, Polytech, etc.) and identify the mention of the application procedure. If the sheet does not mention eCandidat, the application submitted on this platform will simply not be reviewed.
For international candidates outside of exchange programs, the Études en France procedure via Campus France may replace eCandidat depending on nationality. Checking this point with the Europe and International Directorate of Nantes University avoids unnecessary administrative duplication.
It is possible to submit an application on eCandidat Nantes only when the component has opened its campaign, which implies having confirmed beforehand that the training indeed falls under this platform.
eCandidat Nantes Calendar: submission windows and deadlines by component
The opening dates vary from one component to another, sometimes by several weeks. The Faculty of Science and Technology, the Faculty of Law, and the IAE do not publish their calendars at the same time. We observe that some campaigns open as early as March for a September intake, while others only start in May.
When the platform displays “no application period open,” it means either that the campaign has not yet started or that it has already closed. The Nantes eCandidat page does not specify which of the two cases applies. Only the component’s website provides this information.
Follow updates from the components
The administrative pages of Nantes faculties explicitly state that their calendars are “being updated” for the following year. We recommend checking these pages every two weeks starting in February. Waiting for a notification email that will not come is a common mistake.
The deadlines for administrative registration after acceptance are also strictly regulated. An accepted candidate has a limited number of days to finalize their registration, otherwise the spot is released. This deadline depends on the acceptance date in the component’s calendar.
Supporting documents and technical validation of the application on eCandidat
Creating an account on eCandidat Nantes involves three distinct technical steps that we detail here, as a blockage on one of them prevents access to the following ones.
Account activation by email
After entering personal information, an activation email is sent to the provided address. This email sometimes ends up in the spam folder, especially on Outlook and Yahoo mail services. Without activation within the allotted time, the account is deleted and the process must start from scratch.
Acceptable documents by the platform
Nantes University imposes specific and non-interchangeable documents:
- The high school diploma transcript must be the official authenticated document. Screenshots of the Cyclades transcript or an ENT are not accepted.
- The student life and campus contribution (CVEC) must be paid before submission, and the certificate must be uploaded in PDF format.
- The identity document must be valid. An expired document, even recently, results in automatic rejection of the application.
- The conditional scholarship notification, if applicable, must be from CROUS and not just a simple acknowledgment of receipt of the application.
Each document is individually verified by the component’s administrative service. An incomplete application is not put on hold: it is directly classified as inadmissible.
Payment of registration fees
Online payment by credit card is now the main method offered by Nantes University. This option reduces the need to go to the counter, but requires that the accepted candidate has a card compatible with the university’s payment system. Scholarship recipients exempt from fees must still validate the payment step by uploading their final scholarship notification.
Appeals and recovery in case of rejected application on eCandidat Nantes
A negative opinion on eCandidat does not permanently close the door. A grace appeal, addressed directly to the head of the program, remains possible within a short time after notification of the refusal. This appeal must be justified by new factual elements or a material error in the processing of the application.
The complementary list operates differently depending on the Nantes components. Some programs rank rejected candidates by merit and recall them in case of withdrawal, while others do not manage a waiting list at all. Checking the existence of a complementary list with the program’s secretariat allows for adjusting one’s application strategy for other institutions in parallel.
The key point to remember for any application on eCandidat Nantes: the platform is merely a submission portal. The decision, the calendar, and the documentary requirements remain in the hands of each component. Treating each application as a standalone file, with its own dates and rules, remains the only reliable approach.