France Universities and Colleges

Overview

Overview of Higher Education in France

The higher education system in France includes large broad-based public universities and smaller specialized schools that may be public or private. The public universities and schools are fully funded by the government aside from minimal registration fees paid by students. In addition to degree-granting universities and schools, France has a strong vocational program that focuses on manufacturing, trades and services. These programs are referred to as short programs, last two to three years and include internships.

University-level degrees are awarded at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral level and are considered equivalent to these degrees in many other countries. More than 35 percent of the French population earns a bachelor's degree or higher from a post-secondary school.

Types of Schools and Degrees

Over 90 public universities and over 170 professional schools offer a full spectrum of post-secondary education. The universities offer a wide array of degree programs while professional schools, also referred to as specialized schools, train students for a professional career in a particular subject area. These schools, which may be public or private, are more selective in their admissions and have much smaller enrollments than the universities. Schools known as grandes écoles are the highest echelon of professional school and have extremely competitive admissions. Most specialize in engineering and business. Two-thirds of students attending post-secondary schools attend public universities.

As a result of the Bologna process of 1999, degrees earned in France are equivalent to those from all other European countries as well as many others. Bachelor's degrees can be earned in three to four years, master's degrees in another one to two years and doctoral degrees in varying amounts of time. Tuition at public universities is free for both citizens and non-citizens other than some minimal fees that usually do not total more than 300 euros a year.

International Students

International students have made up about 11 percent of higher education enrollment in recent years with many students drawn to arts, history and architecture programs. France is one of the most popular countries for international students. The general universities are open to all applicants that qualify to attend a university or college in their own country. The professional or specialized schools are more selective so applicants will need to provide academic records and may need to take entrance exams before being accepted.

International students are admitted to the highly-regarded grandes écoles based on their academic record with most students attending only after completion of some post-secondary schooling elsewhere.

Tuition for international students is the same as for citizens and is rarely higher than 300 euros a year. France has a high cost of living so students should plan on having at least 1000 euros per month for living expenses.

Other requirements for international students include:

• French language fluency, which usually needs to be proven via a French language proficiency exam that can usually be taken in one's home country.
• Possession of a student visa.
• Submission of a preliminary application of admission. This must be done online by residents of thirty participating countries.

Campus France is a national French agency which promotes French education abroad and has a website with helpful information for international students.

About France

France is the largest country (in area) in the European Union with a population of about 60 million. Over 2 million people reside in the largest city, Paris and 11 million live in the greater metropolitan area of Paris. France includes ten islands and territories including Guadeloupe, Martinique and the largest territory, French Guiana. It is the sixth largest economy in the world and is one of the founding members of the European Union.

France is the most visited tourist destination in the world as people are drawn to its culture of art, food, architecture and historical sites such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame Cathedral. France is rated in the top tier of the United Nations Education Index and Human Development Index.

Resources

Campus France – National agency for promoting French higher education abroad

French government education website (French language)