Ever considered studying in France?

The French academic system has undergone a huge development within the last 30 years: the number of students has increased from less than 60,000 in 1970 to more than 2.2 million today. In the same time, the number of academics has increased from 35,000 to 76,000 and the number of the administrative staff has grown in the same proportion.This quantative increase has been accompanied by the creation of new universities. Nowadays the whole national territory is covered by the French university system, offering a tremendous variety of programsThe higher education system is mainly public, which means that the tuition fees are almost full funded by the state and the students have to pay only a small fee (between 1200FRF and 220FRF, social insurance included)Furthermore, in addition to the 89 universities, there are other public institutions for High Education: engineering schools linked to universities (34) and institutes for teacher training (29). University is not only extending opportunities for students, it is playing one of the major roles in French research whether it be academic, technological or finalised. This research activity is taking place in more than 3400 laboratories, half of them are associated with national research centres (CNRS, INRa, inserm…) and mobilise more than 40,000 doctorates (equivalent of the PhD)Today universities are able to prepare individuals for different jobs at different levels and different sectors.In order to make students understand the educational opportunities available in France, to facilitate the mobility of students and access to these universities, the French Universities have been deeply involved in the construction of European higher educationThe intergovernmental meetings of La Sorbonne (May 1998), Bologna (September 1999) and Prague (May 2001) have set up a strong political willingness to harmonise the European formation. So the French university system is now characterised by 3 levels: the "licence" (Baccalaureate + 3), the "mastaire" (Baccalaureate + 5) and the "doctorate" (Baccalaureate + 8)In reality the obtaining of these degrees will not be dependent on the number of years of studies but on the obtaining of an amount of "credit", which other countries have already established. In view of this European Credit Transfer system (ECTS) will enable French Universities to welcome even more foreign students.Universities of Paris have always had a welcoming tradition but most of the universities in the country offer a rich pedagogical environment and first class conditions of living (i.e. student hall, student restauraunt, cultural and sports events)The financial investment required to study in France is much lower than in many other countries because tuition fees are mainly subsidized by the State.Accommodation expenses are between 15000FRF and 60000FRF per year. As a reminder, scholarships are available for some programs but it depends on the previous academic results and marks.In preparation for the doctorate, and for the students applying for a thesis, 4,000 grants (80000FRF are annually offered during 3 year of study by the French government.Finally, a special effort is made to reduce the language barrier, either by offering special programs in French for foreign students for duration of one year.For more information on access to French universities contact: why not log onto the website www.cpu.fr/