France officially the French Republic, is a sovereign country in Western Europe that includes several overseas regions and territories. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of only three countries (with Morocco and Spain) to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Due to its shape, it is often referred to in French as “The Hexagon”. inia.
France remains a great power with significant cultural, economic, military, and political influence in Europe and around the world. It has the world’s fifth-largest military budget, third-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, and second-largest diplomatic corps. Due to its overseas regions and territories throughout the world, France has the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world. France is a developed country and has the world’s fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP and seventh-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of total household wealth, France is the wealthiest nation in Europe and fourth in the world.
The quality of the French higher education system is recognized around the world. Its wide variety of institutions offers excellent opportunities for teaching and research in every subject and at every level. After the USA and England, France is the country that attracts the largest number of international students in the world. International students make up more than 15 percent of the students at French universities and more than 25 percent of France’s prestigious Grandes Écoles’. The French system of higher education is distinguished by a diversity of institutions, courses, organisational arrangements and admission requirements.
Over 3500 different institutions offer higher education studies to over 2 million students. There are three main categories of higher education institutions in France: the public universities, the grandes écoles (which include France’s prestigious schools of business and engineering) and schools of art and architecture.
In France, the academic year begins on 1st October and ends on 30 June, and it is divided into two semesters:
Undergraduation :
Students seeking to study first cycle (undergraduate) degrees at universities and institutes of technology in France must hold a French baccalauréat or equivalent and have passed the university entrance exam in their home country. In addition, if you are applying for a study program at an institute of technology, you should be ready to undertake a personal interview.
Master’s studies :
If you are applying for a master’s program at university in France, you are required to be in possession of a relevant bachelor’s or equivalent degree diploma.
Doctoral studies :
In the event you are applying for doctoral studies at university in France, you are required to be in possession of a relevant master’s degree diploma.
Tuition Fees :
One major benefit which students studying in France will enjoy is the country’s fee system. For the majority of courses at most universities you will have to pay only 181 Euros a year for a bachelors degree (there are exceptions engineering courses tend to cost more), 250Euros per year for a masters course and 380 Euros per year for a PhD.
However, a number of universities have decided to add associated costs related to specific services (e.g. for diplomas related to continuing learning and training). With these additional costs, in some public universities the tuition fees can reach as far as EUR 2.000 per year.
Admission to “master universitari” and other specialisation courses also have much higher fees. Doctoral students who receive a grant from the university do not pay fees, but non- grant holders are required to pay the fees, which will vary again according to the university chosen.
Living Cost :
Accommodation expenses in towns, specially private lodgings, vary from 300 to 600 Euros per month. In the university residence halls, the expenses vary from 100 to 150 Euros per month. Food, transportation and pocket money would amount to between 350 to 500 Euros per month. Many discounts are available to students in some shops, restaurants, cafés, theatres, cinemas, hairdressers, etc. Students studying in France benefit from a state support for living, estimated to 500 euros per month, regardless of nationality.