STUDYING IN FRANCE
France’s place on the
international stage
A dynamic country right
in the heart of Europe :
at 550,000 sq.km, the largest European country
a population of 62.4 million, making it the 21st most
populous country in the world and the third in Europe
4.3 million foreign residents
105 million speakers of French,
the ninth widest-spoken language in the world.
Source : the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, INSEE
(French national institute of economic and statistical information)
France today : economic policy
A major player on the world economy :
generates 5% of the world’s GDP
the fourth-largest economy in the world
accounts for 6% of world trade
the world’s No. 2 and Europe’s No. 1
agricultural producer
the world’s fourth-largest industrial
manufacturing country, and second in Europe
Source : the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
France today : lifestyles
An attractive lifestyle :
one of the highest standards of living in the world
the world’s most popular tourist destination
one of the best social security systems
a highly developed transport system providing easy
access to the rest of Europe
a unique cultural offering
a world leader in scientific research
one of the most IT-oriented countries in the world
Research in France
A new policy on research and innovation :
€33.4 billion spent on research in France (private and
State-funded) : 2.23% of the GDP in 2002
a total of 185,000 researchers in the public
and private sectors
the fourth most research-active country in the world,
after the US, Japan and Germany
Source : the Ministry for Research
Higher education in France
A higher education system that is high
quality, effective and easily accessible :
€117 billion : more than 20% of France's national
budget and 4% of the GDP
excellent standards in all areas of specialization
courses open to everyone, free of charge (except for
enrolment fees, which are very low for universities
and State-run engineering schools)
foreign students are treated in exactly the same way
as French students (in terms of their status and the
tuition fees they pay)
housing aid available for all students
(French and foreign)
Source : the French Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research
Higher education in France :
open to the world
A new policy on welcoming students
from abroad :
1997 :
•150,000 foreign students in France
1998 :
• founding of the EduFrance agency for promoting French higher
education abroad
• implementation of a grant system for foreign students (bourses
d’excellence [excellence grants] and French government grants)
• striving to standardize diplomas across Europe so as to make them
more comprehensible (licence, master’s and PhD)
• new procedures for study visas
2003 :
• 220,000 foreign students in France
2004 :
• launch of “Attractivité de la France”, a new government initiative
that includes measures to encourage foreign students to come and
study in France
Higher education in France :
the institutions
Students in France attend three main
types of institution, spread all over the
country :
universities
grandes écoles
specialist schools and institutes
Higher education in France :
the 87 universities
Most students in France study at
universities (nearly 1.5 million of France’s
2.2 million students), which :
are public and open to everyone, with stage exams
throughout the duration of the courses
lead to nationally recognized qualifications (licence,
master’s and PhD) and prestigious university diplomas
offer various types of course (short, long, vocational
and long-live education) in many different areas
(including law, economics, management,
administration, literature, languages, the arts,
social sciences, health, technology and more)
are centres of excellence for French research
Higher education in France :
the grandes écoles
and specialist schools
The higher education possibilities
available to students in France include
studying at the grandes écoles and other
specialist schools and institutes :
the grandes écoles, a very selective system :
• these include schools of engineering, business, management, political
science and administration
• admission is via a competitive examination after two years of classe
préparatoire or on the basis of exam results (with stage exams) after
two, three or four years of higher education
specialist schools and institutes :
• these offer training in specific areas such as the arts, architecture,
paramedical services, journalism, radio and television, social services
and more
• students are awarded State diplomas or the institute’s own
diplomas/certificates
Higher education in France : the
current duration of further study
Because higher education has not yet been
completely standardized across Europe, the
duration of further study in France depends
on the type of institute and varies according
to the diploma the student is working toward :
at universities, which award general university diplomas:
• for a Diplôme d’Études Universitaires Générales (DEUG) : two years
• for a licence: three years
• for a maîtrise : four years
• for a Diplôme d’Études Supérieures Spécialisées (DESS)
or a Diplôme d’Études Approfondies (DEA) : five years
• for a PhD: a minimum of eight years
at the grandes écoles : three to five years,
depending on the entry level
at the specialist schools : two to seven years,
depending on the type of course
Higher education in France :
standardization across Europe
There are four objectives for a
gradual system reform, which should
be complete by 2010 :
make it easier for students to move around within
Europe and increase their employment prospects
make it easier to understand what the various higher
education programmes consist of in order to
standardize qualifications across Europe
introduce a degree of fluidity among higher education
programmes and encourage universities, grandes écoles
and specialist schools to work together
make it easier for a student to resume studies or to
continue studying when moving around Europe or
elsewhere in the world
Standardization across Europe :
reforms implemented
Three reforms have been undertaken
to make higher education programmes
more comprehensible :
the new “LMD” (licence, master’s and PhD) structure
for higher education programmes
the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), which
makes it possible to validate and count periods of
study, particularly those spent abroad, toward a
student’s degree
the structuring of the academic year into semesters
and the adoption of the modular system
Standardization across Europe :
new programmes
Three programmes of study will standardize
higher education across Europe :
licence (six semesters, 180 ECTS credits) :
two years of study per course
+ one year of specialist study
= licence
graduate level (bachelor’s degree)
master’s (licence + four semesters, 120 ECTS credits):
one year of study after the licence (one-year master’s degree)
+ one year of highly specialized study (two-year master’s degree)
= professional master’s degree (formerly the Diplôme d’Études
Supérieures Spécialisées or DESS) or research master’s degree
(formerly the Diplôme d’Études Approfondies or DEA)
postgraduate level
PhD (master’s + 180 ECTS credits):
three or four years of study
= PhD
Standardization across Europe and
studying in France : an overview
+ 9 years • National Diploma of Doctor of Medicine
• Doctorat P
+ 8 years
H
+ 6 years • National Diploma of Doctor of Dental Surgery D
• National Diploma of Doctor of Phar macy
+ 5 years • Research Master’s(M2) - Diplôme d’Études Approfondies (DEA)
300 ECTS • Professional Master ‘s(M2) - Diplôme d’Études Supérieur es Spéciali sées (DESS) M
A
• Master ‘s in Engineering S
T
• Master ‘s in Business Administration E
R’
+ 4 years • Maîtr ise S
• Master’s (M1)
+ 3 years • Licence
L
180 ECTS • Licence pr ofessionnelle I
+ 2 years • Diplô me d’Études Universitair es Générales (DEUG) C
• Diplô me Universitair e de Technologie (DUT) E
• Br evet de Technicien Supérieur (BTS) N
• Diplô me d’Études Universitair es Scientifiques et Techniques (DEUST) C
E
End of secondary study + baccalaureate = Entry into higher education
ECTS (European Credit System Transfer) credits : European system for transferring academic credits
within Europe. Credits are awarded for each module that a student completes, representing an evaluation
of the amount of work a course involves within the overall volume of work required for a successful
academic year. 60 ECTS credits are awarded for a year, 180 for the licence level and 300 for the
master’s level.
Studying in France : the role
of the EduFrance agency
This agency, under the supervision of the
Ministry of National Education and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to :
promote French higher education abroad (through
their website www.edufrance.fr)
provide foreign students with information and
advice, help them in applying to French higher
education institutions and arrange their stay in
France
help French higher education institutions design
courses geared toward foreign students
Scholarships and grants for
Australian students
The full list of scholarships and grants are
on www.ambafrance-au.org
The Baudin grants:
The Baudin grants are designed to encourage Australian
nationals to study for a full academic year (10 months,
from September 2005 to June 2006) at a French
university at master level (year 4 or 5 of university
studies). The grant is composed of A$2000 of bursary
money and of a social security cover grant once in
France. It also gives to the successful applicant the
status of "French government grant-holder".
The call for application is open and will close on 26 May
2005. The application form can be dowloaded from
www.ambafrance-au.org
Scholarships and grants for
Australian students
The full list of scholarships and grants are
on www.ambafrance-au.org
The Cotutelle Grants:
Cotutelle students are PhD students who have their
doctoral studies supervised jointly by academics from
an Australian University and a French University. If
successful, the student will be awarded a joint doctoral
degree by the two institutions.
The Embassy of France offers each year a number of
travel grants (A$ 2500 per grant) for Australian or French
students registered in a cotutelle program. The next call
for application will take place at the end of 2005 (in
November) for a stay in France or Australia in 2006. The
application form will be available on
www.ambafrance-au.org
The English assistantship program :
The English assistantship program gives
the opportunity to work and live in France
for 6 to 9 months
Open to Australian nationals of 20 to 30 years of age
Especially for students. Students from any field, who
have completed successfully 2 years of studies, may
apply. Need to have a working knowledge of the French
language.
Positions available in metropolitan France, overseas
departments and New-Caledonia
Monthly Living allowance from 900€ (metropolitan
France) to 1600€ (rural New-Caledonia)
Call for application close in October (for New
Caledonia) and December (France). Positions begin in
March 2006 (New Caledonia) and October 2006
(France).
Studying in France :
the procedures
Before a student can start thinking about his
or her actual stay in France, the following
schedule has to be closely followed, confirmed
and monitored by the EduFrance offices :
for the first year of study in a university :
• between November and January, students can collect registration
packs from the Higher Education Office at the Embassy of France in
Australia (www.ambafrance-au.org)
• in February, students sit for French language tests (in the main
Alliances Françaises in Australia)
students applying to study at second- and third-cycle
levels (or at a grande école) have to contact the
relevant French higher education institution directly:
• In January :
students can collect enrolment forms for arts-oriented programmes
• From March onward :
students can collect enrolment forms for all other programmes
for all levels :
• from July onward (or September, depending on the institution
and the date the application is submitted) : students are told whether
or not they have been accepted
Living in France : preparation
Before arriving in France, a foreign student
has to prepare for his/her stay :
• the student needs to be registered in a higher-education institution
• s/he needs to have applied for a visa
(for either a short or extended stay)
• s/he needs to have taken out third-party liability insurance
• s/he needs to have a level of French adequate
for the course s/he has chosen
• s/he must be able to prove that s/he has the financial means
to support his or herself for the year (approx. €5,200)
On arriving in France, the student, who can use
the information services available in all major towns
in France, must immediately :
• enrol with both the administrative and academic departments
of the institution where s/he is going to be studying
• apply to the local prefecture (or, for students studying in Paris,
to the bureau within the institution) for a carte de séjour
Living in France :
the student budget
France is one of the least expensive
countries in Europe, and students can
enjoy a relatively high standard of living :
tuition fees :
• in universities : €130 to €350 per year
• for the grandes écoles, fees vary greatly : from €300 for public
engineering schools up to €14,000 for certain others
additional insurance (compulsory) :
• health insurance (student social security): €180 per year
• private insurance : from €150 to €550 per year
• third-party liability insurance
• comprehensive housing insurance
day-to-day expenses :
• accommodation : from €150 to €600 per month
(but all students are eligible for student housing benefits)
• food : €130 to €250 per month
• transport : €50 to €130 per month
Studying in France :
useful links and adresses
the EduFrance agency the CNOUS (Centre National des Œuvres
www.edufrance.fr Universitaires et Scolaires) :
edufrance@edufrance.fr www.cnous.fr
173, boulevard Saint-Germain 75006 Paris - France (for accommodation and other useful information for students)
Tel.: +33 1 53 63 35 00
EGIDE
the AEFE www.egide.asso.fr
www.edufrance-aefe.com (for information about grants and international study)
(for students who have studied
in French lycées abroad) the City of Paris
www.eduparis.net
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (for studying in Paris)
www.diplomatie.gouv.fr
(for procedures re: coming to France, addresses of la Cité internationale universitaire
consulates, embassies and Alliance Française offices, de Paris
and information about grants) www.ciup.fr
(for accommodation and other services)
the Ministry of National Education
www.education.gouv.fr the European Union
(for information about the education system in www.europa.eu.int
France and different types of institution)
(for information about
European university
programmes)
