French President Emmanuel Macron recently received widespread backlash on his views on changing the university access in France. While speaking at the event le Congrès de la Conférence des présidents d'universités earlier this year, President Macron said that “We will not be able to stay long-term in a system where higher education has no cost for almost all students”. He also added that “If we don't solve these structural problems, we will be lying to ourselves. We need a systemic transformation of our universities.” This is not the first time a top French official has opined on increasing the cost of university access in France. In 2018, the then Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe had announced that for non-European students, the fees for access to French universities will be raised. Later, in 2020, the French Council of State ‘Conseil d’Etat’ validated this but many of the universities in the country stated that they will not mandate this new structure.                        

Losing international appeal

Increasing cost of education is a major concern for many of the top higher education destinations in the world. The same can be said when it comes to higher education in France. Depending on the program and institution you choose, a bachelor’s degree can cost EUR 2,770 per year while master’s programs cost EUR 3,770 per year. There are some institutes where program fees are above EUR 10,000 as well. On top of this, the monthly budget including food, accommodation and travel can come up to EUR 800 in France. The increasing cost of higher studies in France has been a huge blow to the international appeal of higher education in France. Unlike many other premier international higher education destinations, a 2020 statistics shows that nearly half of France’s international students came from countries like Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon, and Senegal to name a few. Owing to the increasing prices, students from these countries are now forced to look for alternative options.  As a result, in 2020, France slipped to seventh place in the popularity index from second place in 2019 for study abroad destinations.

The time for a change

Acknowledging this downward spiral, the French authorities are diligently working to reverse this trend. Thus the new recruitment strategy titled ‘Bienvenue en France’ was launched and this initiative strives to attract 500,000 international students by the year 2027 to France. This program aims at giving French institutions an opportunity to showcase/highlight their capabilities in order to attract more international students and the fact that the number of international students in France rose up to 370,000 in the 2020/2021 academic years shows a positive shift. At the same time, the government of France is also focusing on three major areas to get back into the top three popular international higher education destinations, and they are; Advertising the financial support initiatives, Increasing English-taught programs, and Offering a personalized experience.  

Increasing Awareness to Financial Support

Having plethora of scholarships while not being able to make the students aware of it defeats its purpose. So, making aspiring students aware of the scholarships French universities have to offer should be a top-priority. At a time when, most students are looking to reduce the financial implications of international higher education, making them aware about your scholarships can massively sway their enrollment decisions. A 2018 report states that, each year, the government of France spends nearly EUR 10,000 per student. Even with that being the case, there are other expenses including admission fee, living expenses and other miscellaneous expenses students incur. Some of the most unique and popular scholarship programs for international students in France are as follows.

The Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS) International Selection scholarship program is one of the most popular in France. ENS is a kind of publicly funded French educational institution. Through their famous International Selection program, the institute selects nearly 30 high potential international science or humanities students. These selected students are given the opportunity to pursue a two or three-year program at ENS and the students also receive nearly EUR 1000 for two to three years as stipends. The next scholarship program is the International Master’s Scholarship offered by the Université Paris-Saclay. This scholarship program is aimed to promote the appeal of their nationally-certified master’s program among aspiring international students. Université Paris-Saclay is a Research University situated in the capital city of Paris and the value of this particular scholarship program is EUR 10,000 per year. Outside of that, the students will also receive EUR 1000 for their travel and visa expenses.     

More English-taught Programs

English is the universal language and it is no surprise that programs that are taught in English are more popular in many scenarios. And since 2015, all French higher education institutions have the option to teach their classes in English. In France, recently, there is an increasing trend of classes taught in English and in 2022, students can choose from 1,100 study programs that are completely English-taught in France. Even with that being the case, out of the current 1,100 English-taught programs, around 900 of them are at the master’s level. Students should also know that, the most common English tests that are approved by French educational institutions are IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE Academic.   

École Polytechnique is one of the best examples for a French educational institution offering English-taught programs. The institute offers plethora of programs including Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Technology, and a unique 5 year program which is a combination of a 2 year MSc program and a 3 year PhD program. The institute has a well-laid out international exchange program that allow students who are enrolled in a science or engineering course outside of France to attend programs at École Polytechnique. For international students, the institute is also offering the opportunity to complete a three to six month internship at one of École Polytechnique’s state of the art research facilities. Some of the other premier French educational institutions that offer English-taught programs include Université de Lyon, KEDGE Business School, and IESA - School of Arts and Culture. 

Creating a Better Environment

International students choose France to pursue their higher education for a number of reasons. And one of the most important among this is the place itself. Students want to experience France and in the QS Best Student Cities list for 2023, Paris is ranked 8^th. Aside from the fashion, art, culture, and cuisine, the rich history of the place also attract international students to France. With that said, the language barrier is a major concern for many international students after reaching France with only 39 percent English speakers residing in the country. The cultural difference can also be a shock for many students and it is up to the French institute’s to make international students feel at home in their campus.   

Télécom Paris is a prime example of how an educational institution can make their international students feel at ease in a new country and help them transition to this new setting seamlessly. Over the years, Télécom Paris has created a well laid out pipeline to welcome international students into their institute and as of now, across all their degrees, 50 percent of the students are international students from 40 different countries.  The dual degree programs offered by the institute is popular among international students and the students who got into Télécom Paris have the opportunity to get great financial aids which makes this a great value for money option as well.        

Outside of these afore-mentioned changes, France has also made significant changes to the visa requirements to welcome more international students. In 2021, the country awarded study visas for 25 percent more international students when compared to the previous year. And except for China, many of the other sending countries did send more students to France in 2021. On top of that, with their new “France Excellence Europa” program, France is encouraging more European students to choose France as their higher education destination for master’s level studies and by doing so, France is aiming to be the number one international study destination in Europe.