Setting up an educational business in France: the glossary

Qualiopi audit

Audit carried out by an accredited certification body to verify compliance with the French National Quality Standard. It is mandatory to obtain and maintain the Qualiopi certification, which gives access to public and pooled funding. The cycle includes an initial audit and a surveillance audit.

Practical key: without a successful Qualiopi audit, your training organisation cannot benefit from CPF, OPCO or Pôle emploi funding.

Pedagogical and financial report (BPF)

Annual declaration to be sent to the DREETS before 30 April. It details the number of learners, training hours, turnover and nature of training actions carried out over the year.

Practical key: filing the BPF is required to keep your Activity Declaration Number (NDA). Failure to do so may result in deregistration.

Skills blocks

Coherent and autonomous units of competences identified within a certification registered in the RNCP. Each block corresponds to a professional activity that can be assessed and validated separately.

• Use: progressive acquisition through training and/or VAE; blocks can be capitalised toward the full certification.
• Assessment: methods and criteria are detailed in the certification framework.
• Outcome: validation of all blocks leads to obtaining the full certification.

Campus France

Public agency in charge of promoting French higher education and managing admission procedures for international students (Études en France portal).

CEFDG

Evaluation Commission for Management Training and Degrees. It reviews applications for ministerial visa and Master grade for business schools.

Professional certification

Act by which an organisation confirms that an individual has mastered a set of skills required for a given job. This mastery can be proven through training, work experience or VAE.

Practical key: registration in the RNCP or RS may support funding eligibility (depending on rules) and acts as an official recognition signal.

CPF (Personal Training Account)

Individual account used to finance eligible training programmes (RNCP/RS, under current rules) throughout one’s professional life.

CTI

Commission for Engineering Degrees. It issues opinions on accreditation to award the title of “ingénieur diplômé” and periodically evaluates engineering programmes.

DREETS

Regional directorates in charge, among other missions, of registering and monitoring training providers (Activity Declaration Number – NDA).

EESPIG

State qualification for private, non-profit higher education institutions contributing to the public service of higher education under a multi-year agreement with the State.

EDOF

Portal managed by the Caisse des Dépôts for publishing and managing training offers eligible for the CPF.

ERP (premises open to the public)

Regulatory category for buildings open to the public in France. Imposes fire safety and accessibility rules for any campus hosting learners.

France Compétences

National authority in charge of regulating vocational training and apprenticeship. It examines and publishes RNCP/RS registrations and issues recommendations.

HCERES

Independent public authority responsible for evaluating the quality of higher education and research institutions and their programmes.

NDA (Activity Declaration Number)

Number issued by the DREETS and required to legally operate as a training provider in France. The declaration regime and obligations are defined by the Labour Code.

OPCO

Skills operators that finance work-study training, support sector branches in building certifications and accompany SMEs in their training policy.

Parcoursup

National online platform for pre-registration into first-cycle higher education programmes recognised by the State.

Qualiopi

Quality certification mandatory for any organisation wishing to benefit from public or pooled funding. It attests compliance with the National Quality Standard (7 criteria, 32 indicators).

Practical key: without Qualiopi, you cannot access OPCO/CPF/Pôle emploi funding, even if your programmes are excellent.

Rectorat

Regional academic authority in charge of the declaration of opening and control of private higher education institutions. It may inspect the premises within 10 days of the declaration.

Maison key: Rectorat is never “paperwork”. It is an institutional reading of governance, intent and operational reality.

GDPR

European regulation governing the protection of personal data (students, staff, partners). It applies to any educational institution processing personal data in or from the EU.

RNCP

National Directory of Professional Certifications targeting specific jobs. Each entry describes activities, skills, assessment methods, skills blocks and career opportunities.

Practical key: RNCP registration is generally required for CPF eligibility of job-oriented programmes.

RS (Specific Directory)

Directory of certifications and authorisations corresponding to complementary skills (for example language, digital tools, specific authorisations). It does not replace an RNCP qualification for a full job.

Professional qualification (TFP)

Professional certification registered in the RNCP that attests operational skills for a specific job or occupational family.

State-recognised private degree

Private degree benefiting from a ministerial visa (often via CEFDG or CTI), which confers high academic legitimacy and visibility.

VAE

Validation of acquired experience: route to obtain a degree, title or certification through formal recognition of professional experience.