Studyinfrance

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

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

An attractive lifestyle :

France today : lifestyles

€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

A new policy on research and innovation :

Research in France

€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

A higher education system that is high

quality, effective and easily accessible :

Higher education in France

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

A new policy on welcoming students

from abroad :

Higher education in France :

open to the world

universities

grandes écoles

specialist schools and institutes

Students in France attend three main

types of institution, spread all over the

country :


the institutions

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

Most students in France study at

universities (nearly 1.5 million of France’s

2.2 million students), which :


the 87 universities

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

The higher education possibilities

available to students in France include

studying at the grandes écoles and other

specialist schools and institutes :


the grandes écoles

and specialist schools

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

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 :

Higher education in France : the

current duration of further study

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

There are four objectives for a

gradual system reform, which should

be complete by 2010 :


standardization across Europe

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

Three reforms have been undertaken

to make higher education programmes

more comprehensible :

Standardization across Europe :

reforms implemented

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

Three programmes of study will standardize

higher education across Europe :

Standardization across Europe :

new programmes

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.

Standardization across Europe and

studying in France : an overview

+ 9 years • National Diploma of Doctor of Medicine

+ 8 years• Doctorat

+ 6 years • National Diploma of Doctor of Dental Surgery• National Diploma of Doctor of Phar macy

P

H

D

+ 5 years

300 ECTS

• Research Master’s(M2) - Diplôme d’Études Approfondies (DEA)

• Professional Master ‘s(M2) - Diplôme d’Études Supérieur es Spécialisées (DESS)

• Master ‘s in Engineering

• Master ‘s in Business Administration

+ 4 years • Maîtr ise• Master’s (M1)

M

A

S

T

E

R’

S

+ 3 years

180 ECTS

• Licence

• Licence pr ofessionnelle

+ 2 years • Diplôme d’Études Universitair es Générales (DEUG)

• Diplôme Universitair e de Technologie (DUT)

• Br evet de Technicien Supérieur (BTS)• Diplôme d’Études Universitair es Scientifiques et Techniques (DEUST)

L

I

C

E

N

C

E

End of secondary study + baccalaureate = Entry into higher education

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

This agency, under the supervision of the

Ministry of National Education and the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to :

Studying in France : the role

of the EduFrance agency

Scholarships and grants for

Australian students

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

The full list of scholarships and grants are

on www.ambafrance-au.org

Scholarships and grants for

Australian students

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 full list of scholarships and grants are

on www.ambafrance-au.org

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).

The English assistantship program gives

the opportunity to work and live in France

for 6 to 9 months

The English assistantship program :

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

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 :

Studying in France :

the procedures

http://www.ambafrance-au.org/

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 : preparation

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

France is one of the least expensive

countries in Europe, and students can

enjoy a relatively high standard of living :

Living in France :

the student budget

Studying in France :

useful links and adresses

the EduFrance agency

www.edufrance.fr

[email protected]

173, boulevard Saint-Germain 75006 Paris - France

Tel.: +33 1 53 63 35 00

the AEFE

www.edufrance-aefe.com

(for students who have studied

in French lycées abroad)

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

www.diplomatie.gouv.fr

(for procedures re: coming to France, addresses of

consulates, embassies and Alliance Française offices,

and information about grants)

the Ministry of National Education

www.education.gouv.fr

(for information about the education system in

France and different types of institution)

the CNOUS (Centre National des Œuvres

Universitaires et Scolaires) :

www.cnous.fr

(for accommodation and other useful information for students)

EGIDE

www.egide.asso.fr

(for information about grants and international study)

the City of Paris

www.eduparis.net

(for studying in Paris)

la Cité internationale universitaire

de Paris

www.ciup.fr

(for accommodation and other services)

the European Union

www.europa.eu.int

(for information about

European university

programmes)

Studyinfrance

Education

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