Education System

There are numerous higher education programmes offered in France that are open to international students regardless of their ability to communicate in French. 

There are 2.5 million students enrolled in higher education in France. Only 12% of them are from other countries. They’re all getting a wide range of training, and they’re enrolled in every field and at every level.

In France, there are over 3,500 public and private higher education institutions, including 72 universities, 25 multi-institute campuses, 271 doctoral schools, 227 engineering schools authorised to award the engineer’s title, 220 business and management schools, 45 post-secondary public art schools, 22 architecture schools, and 3,000 private schools and institutes.

Some of France’s 3,000 secondary schools provide seminars to prepare students for admission to the Grandes Ecoles, known as classes préparatoires (CPG).

Schools: Education up to 15 years old

Higher education: This is where students can choose to pursue vocational and Non-vocational diploma. 

Universities: Universities are public institutions that provide academic, technical, and professional degrees to students who have completed a baccalauréat or its equivalent in a foreign language. A university education leads to degrees in a variety of subjects. Within a framework known as licence, master, doctorat (LMD), which is outlined in the following section, degrees are conferred at three separate stages of achievement, called cycles.

Specialized schools: Specialized schools are public or private educational institutions that prepare students for jobs in sectors such as art, architecture, social work, or tourism. They provide master’s and license degrees.

The Grandes écoles are a group of elite public and private schools. They’re similar to universities, except they usually provide a more specialised three-year programme in disciplines like business, public administration, or engineering.

The Grandes écoles accept students based on their performance on a competitive exam. Students must have completed a baccalauréat and, in many cases, a two-year preparatory course (cours préparatoires or prépas) before sitting this exam. A master’s degree is awarded to students who graduate from a Grande école (master).

Admission Procedure:

• You can apply to several universities directly through their websites.
• Make sure the entry is correct. For some undergraduate and graduate courses, standardised tests such as the GRE, GMAT, or LSAT are required.
• To maximise your chances of acceptance, apply to at least three different universities.
• Non-EU/EEA students must pass a mandatory Preliminary Admission (“demande d’admission préalable” – DAP) exam. Apply for DAP at the French embassy in your home country’s Culture and Cooperation Service.

Scholarships

• Government Funded Scholarships To Study In France –
• Eiffel Scholarship Program of Excellence
• Erasmus+ 
• The Chateaubriand Fellowship

Non government Scholarships for Study

• AIFS Study Abroad Scholarships Grand and Financial 
• A Fullbright Scholarship 
• Civil Society Leadership Award

Costs

The table below is an indicative financial summary of the expenses per year.

Post Education Opportunities

After your degree programme is done, you will be given one year. You have one year to look for work. You can work for a temporary employment that pays 60% of your typical full-time salary while also looking for work in your field. The authorization to sty can be extended if you acquire a job paying 1.5 times the average earnings in France, which is 1,475 Euros per month.