In 2017, new students were unevenly represented across higher education institutions based on their academic level, social background and gender. For example, 28% of new graduates who obtained a grade of bien (good) or très bien (excellent) were admitted to training programmes in which, on average, 50% of students achieved such grades, compared to just 21% for students who achieved assez bien (satisfactory) or passable (pass) grades. Around half of academic segregation and social segregation is evident in terms of the distribution of students between the major categories of education (degrees, preparatory classes, Brevets de Technicien Supérieur [higher technical certificates], University Institutes of Technology etc.), while segregation by gender is more apparent between courses within each of these categories. Most of the segregation upon entering higher education is already present in the wishes expressed by the applicants, while the categorisation of applicants carried out by the institutions themselves accounts for only a small amount.

The launch of Parcoursup in 2018 has had a significant impact on the classification practices of non-selective courses (university degrees), with the share of good or excellent grades increasing from 29% to 59% among the best ranked applicants. However, segregation levels according to the three aspects studied have remained stable overall. Only a very small number of high-demand degree courses have been impacted by these new applicant classification rules, as most do not have the capacity to admit all applicants.