Hi @psekhon55
Great question – Correct, you do not need to speak French to apply for or be accepted into the program. Students join the Dual BA at all levels. Some know no French and others are native speakers. Students who are beginners when they start at Sciences Po are required to take French all four semesters they are there. Typically, this means that by the time students who were initially beginners head to New York two years later, they speak French at a solidly intermediate level (around B1/B2 according to European classifications). At Columbia, students are not required to take French, but many courses are offered and Dual BA students often choose to continue.
Hope that helps!
Hi everybody 
I spent middle school in the French education system, but I am currently a rising senior in an American high school, and this program sounds incredible! I’m going onto the new thread for Fall 2019 applicants, but I wanted to thank you all for the great info (especially @GSTourGuides )
Also @girpackey what campus are you going to?
I study in Quebec (French high school). Do you think it increases my chances if I take the SAT? What is the average SAT/ACT score? Thank you
Hi @analutinoco
The admissions team is very familiar with evaluating applications from foreign institutions, especially French-style lycées, so don’t worry about which kind of standardized test you submit. The Dual BA Program receives SAT scores as well as Baccalauréat, A-Level/GSCE, and IB results, among others. Because there is such a variety of tests submitted, scores for any single test are not published on the website, but feel free to reach out to the admissions teams at spo-dualba@columbia.edu with specific questions. They’d be more than happy to help!
Good luck with your college search!
Hi interesting to know how much people are excited about this program. I just want to confirm that the only way to apply is through Columbia ie you cannot apply to SciencePo for the dual program?Also i did not understand about the essay issue . Could you clarify please. Thanx
Hi @DualSciPo . My daughter wants to apply to this program and we are from Lebanon too. Did you apply thru Columbia or Thru SciencePo? Are both options available ? Thanx in advance
Thank you for reaching out! There are two pathways to entry for the program. One is to apply as a student in the last year of high school. That application is on the Columbia website but it is jointly evaluated by admissions teams at Columbia and SciencesPo, so you would not be applying through Columbia alone. This is the only pathway for high school students.
The other way to join the Dual BA is applying as a second year student while at SciencesPo. This option is known as the direct program and it is for students who originally only applied to SciencesPo, not the Dual BA program. Most students in the program enter through the former procedure rather than the direct program, but both offer the same experience.
If you go to the program website (https://gs.columbia.edu/sciences-po/) and then go to “Admissions and Financial Aid,” you can find information about both procedures under “Admissions” and “Direct Program.”
As for the essays, if you are referring to the conversation on pages 23 and 24 of the forum, the student’s question was whether they had to have political or governmental experiences for their admissions essays. The answer is no. The goal of the essay is to show the admissions team a bit of personality and interest outside of grades and the rest of the application. For some students, this may be referencing internships etc., but for myself and many others, it was not and that is completely fine!
Hope that helps and please feel free to be in touch with more questions.
Hello, I am interested in this program and feels like it’s a great opportunity for learning French more serious. But the thing is I don’t really like social sciences. Any tips or advice? Should I just go to Columbia and take study aboard program to France ?
Hi @“Clingy cactus”
Thanks for reaching out and apologies for the delayed response!
Yes, I think that would be a wise decision. The admissions committee very much looks for fit for the program, not just an interest in France, so they want to see that you are interested both in the social sciences and in the regional focuses of the different campuses. Furthermore, the curriculum would most likely be frustrating to a student who does not want to study the social sciences because the first two years are entirely in the social sciences. Mandatory classes include Introduction to Political Science, Comparative Law, Micro/macroeconomics, and Introduction to Sociology with electives delving further into these topics. There is little to no room for study outside of the social sciences at SciencesPo.
But you make a great point about study abroad! Columbia has a campus called Reid Hall in Paris that offers semester and summer study abroad programs. You can find out more here: https://globalcenters.columbia.edu/content/reid-hall
Hope that helps and please feel free to post more questions! Best of luck with the college process.