Parcoursup: 28 rejections for a 16-year-old with a 1.8-equivalent average

A baccalauréat at 16, a 1.8-equivalent average, praise from every direction – then a shock that calls everything into question.

In France, a digital platform is meant to help young people secure the right university place. Yet for Mathilde Hironde, who was only 16, the system became arguably the toughest experience of her school career so far: despite an impeccable record and excellent grades, she received 28 consecutive rejections.

How a model pupil was failed by the system

Parcoursup, France’s central higher-education admissions platform, is compulsory for every baccalauréat candidate. Anyone intending to study after leaving school must enter their preferred courses there and wait to see whether institutions make them an offer. In principle, the process is designed to deliver equal opportunity and transparency. In reality, many young people feel at its mercy.

That was precisely Mathilde’s experience. The pupil, from the Greater Paris area, completed her baccalauréat two years earlier than usual, achieving 15.2 out of 20 – roughly equivalent to a German grade average of 1.8. For years, she had ranked among the strongest pupils in her cohorts, regularly received awards and also took on responsibility in sport and at school.

She had known only success – until the algorithm showed her how ruthless selection procedures can be.

On paper, she appeared to be an ideal candidate for most selective courses: ambitious, resilient and committed. Those are exactly the qualities prestigious institutions are supposed to seek.

An accelerated route through school

Mathilde stood out from an early age. During her first year of primary school, she was bored and no longer wanted to attend. Following discussions with teachers, she moved straight into the year above. The new class was better suited to her pace.

She continued to perform at the very top throughout her education. At secondary school, she achieved around 18 out of 20, the equivalent of a straight top grade, and consistently ranked among the three best girls in her year group. She deliberately declined the chance to skip another year because she did not want to become even younger than her peers. Academically, she could have managed it, but she considered the social risk too great.

In her final years at school, she initially chose a more science-focused combination: physics, mathematics and a humanities subject. Before long, she realised that it was not the content of mathematics that interested her, but how effortlessly she performed in it. Over time, politics, society, language and current debates drew her in more strongly.

More than excellent grades

Her schedule was packed: she trained intensively in competitive gymnastics, worked as a coach and judge at weekends, and held a voluntary role on the student council – not simply as a member, but as deputy chair. At the same time, she maintained consistently high marks.

This combination of academic ability, commitment and responsibility is regarded in many countries as the ideal profile for demanding degree courses, such as joint history and political science programmes or elite social science courses. These were exactly the types of programme she included on her Parcoursup wish list.

• Family role models: both of her parents are teachers.
• A career direction in mind: she is considering future work in education.
• Strategic preparation: she attends careers fairs and researches her options thoroughly.
• Deliberate aims: she is primarily targeting selective programmes with entrance examinations.

With that level of preparation, she expected competition – but not a complete failure to secure a place.

28 rejections in one day – and a deep blow to her self-image

At the beginning of June 2024, the portal opened with universities’ decisions. What makes many young people anxious turned into a nightmare for Mathilde: 28 notifications saying “rejected”. There was no offer and not even a waiting-list position on courses she believed were well within reach.

Instead of celebrating her future, she saw a list in red – 28 times unwanted.

The comparison with classmates was especially painful. A friend with a similarly strong profile was offered a place on a preparatory course for which Mathilde was not even eligible to move up from the waiting list. There were hardly any academic differences between them, making the process seem arbitrary to her.

Her parents reacted with concern and spoke to her about the situation every day. While Mathilde was still trying to remain calm, tension at home increased. After all, Parcoursup determines the whole of a young person’s immediate future: where they live, their daily life and their professional direction.

How the algorithm filters applicants

In France, many universities combine traditional criteria – including grades, previously chosen subjects and teachers’ assessments – with their own weighting systems. Requirements concerning regional distribution and social diversity are also included. As a result, the system can appear unpredictable from the outside.

Typical criteria include:

Criterion	Role in selection
Grade average	A basis for broadly sorting applicants
Subject profile	How well the applicant fits the course, such as mathematics for economics programmes
Teacher assessments	An evaluation of working habits and motivation
Region	Preference for local applicants in order to keep travel distances short
Social factors	An effort to include disadvantaged groups more effectively

How these factors are weighted for each individual course often remains unclear to families. Even school advisers can generally explain the procedures only in broad terms.

A place at last – and a gradual internal reset

Mathilde did not ultimately leave empty-handed. Of her many applications, two offers remained: a highly theoretical social science licence degree at a university and a demanding B/L preparatory course at a long-established lycée. She chose the preparatory course because it felt closer to school, offered intensive support and had smaller groups.

The day before term began, she also received a late offer from another prestigious lycée. By then, reorganising everything at short notice was almost impossible, so she stayed with her original choice.

At the same time, she received her official baccalauréat result: passed at 16, with an average of 15.2. On paper, it was a high point, though emotionally it was muted by the frustration of the admissions process. In her new class, she works hard and sits in the middle of the group – an unfamiliar experience for someone who had spent years at the top.

She is learning to work without constantly focusing on the highest grade – and is discovering a calmer form of ambition.

In retrospect, she describes the preparatory course as a positive transition. Teaching resembles the final years of school, but moves faster and demands more independent work. To her, it feels like a bridge between school and university, giving her time to see her next steps more clearly.

What Mathilde’s case reveals about the French system

Mathilde’s story is not an isolated one. Every year, French media report on very strong applicants who slip through the gaps in Parcoursup. Parent associations argue that there is too little personal guidance and that a centralised platform reduces complex educational paths to numerical indicators.

For many families, two ideas collide. On one side is the ideal of a merit-based society, in which high grades almost automatically open doors. On the other is a system governed by algorithms, quotas and capacity limits, which can feel more like a black box.

Those preparing for it now need more than strong grades:

• Consider a realistic Plan B and Plan C.
• Intentionally include less selective options.
• Understand the regional characteristics of universities.
• Allow for psychological pressure and address it early.

What families in Germany can learn from Parcoursup

Admissions procedures are also becoming more digital and standardised across German-speaking countries. Applicant portals, numerus clausus thresholds, personal statements and special quotas mean that even apparently ideal candidates are no longer automatically accepted.

The French case highlights several lessons that can be applied elsewhere:

• Anyone focusing solely on prestigious programmes increases the risk of disappointment.
• Transparency rules are not enough when the criteria remain difficult to understand.
• Schools need to prepare young people not only academically, but also psychologically, for rejection.

At the same time, a detour at the beginning of an educational path can create opportunities in the long term. Many students later say that what seemed to be a second-rate course gave them freedoms, practical experience or new interests that would not have been possible at their preferred university.

Terms used in the French system can seem unwieldy to outsiders. The so-called preparatory classes are intended for very high-achieving young people, who spend two years preparing intensively for entrance examinations to elite institutions. Social science licences are more comparable to broad bachelor’s degrees in sociology, politics and economics, often with a more theoretical focus than in Germany.

At its heart, the message is simple: even young people with outstanding achievements now need strategies for the possibility that doors may close. Anyone who, like Mathilde, is willing to accept a new route after a shock protects not only their CV but, above all, their inner stability – and that often matters more to later success than any individual selection round on a portal.