Higher Education in France
Understanding HIGHER EDUCATION when looking at PROPERTY FOR SALE IN FRANCE
Over 3500 different institutions offer higher education studies to over 2 million French students.
Although, France spends less on higher education than many of the richer nations of Europe and the USA, it actually spends a great deal more per pupil on secondary school education.
Recently French universities have taken on EU agreements.
Only around 40% of young French people pursue higher education, a figure lower than many other OECD countries.
59% of those students involved in higher education courses complete their studies, 11% less than the average for developed countries. A further 40% fail within 2 years of starting.
In 2007, the French government began to clean up their act, they passed a law that grants greater autonomy to French universities in funding, staff and building construction, the recruitment of 1000 new teaching staff and a substantial increase in funds.
French Universities
There are 83 universities in France, including one of the most famous in the world the Sorbonne in Paris, established in the 13th Century.
Qualifications : Short Term (2year)
The main qualifications awarded for short term courses are the Diplôme Universitaire de Technologie (DUT) and the Diplôme d'Edudes Universitaires Scientifiques et Techniques (DEUST).
French universities and the Instituts universitaires professionnalisés (IUT) attached to them offer two year courses, after which students can enter employment in their specialist field or keep going with their studies thanks to the pretty flexible system of ‘parallel admissions'.
Qualifications: Long term (2+years)
Rather than undergraduate or postgraduate French courses are divided into 3 cycles.
The three cycles end up as three levels of qualifications LMD – Licence, Master and Doctorate, which mean the same as the internationally recognised structure of higher education and qualification – bachelor, masters, and PhD.
Very few students choose to do a Doctorate, most stop after the masters.
Studies are just recently broken down into semesters and in teaching units, referring to a year is useless.
The teaching units match the subjects being taught. They are broken down into major, minor and free UE and can also be made up of different subjects.
Cycle 1
The first cycle of three years (or bac+3) is a broad foundation course leading to the Licence.
You have the choice of 3 main streams - literature and arts, political and economic science, or science but don't worry that's not all; within the 3 streams many diplomas are offered.
Science faculties can train engineers; literature faculties can train linguists for instance.
Cycle 2
This cycle is more specialist and leads on to the award of the Maîtrise (Bac +4) after the fourth year and of the Master (Bac+5) after the fifth year. Many French students continue with five year studies and work for their master.
Students from abroad can enter directly into the second cycle, but only on condition that they have already undertaken at least three years course of undergraduate study.
Cycle 3
This third course is after 6 years and leads on to your PhD research studies which lead to a doctorate.
Écoles
There are approximately 250 Grandes Ecoles where the country's future elite are taught.
These are the most prestigious higher education institutions in France.
The qualification awarded in the main schools are either Diplôme d'ingenieur or Diplôme de Grande Ecole.
The pass rate at end of five or six years' hard work 100%
Only a few hundred of the most intelligent people are admitted every year, it really is prestigious.
Technical Institutes
In France there are specialist technical institutes called Instituts Universitaires Technologiques - (IUT).
Many of them offer intensive studies and are famous for this, they're called Instituts Universitaires Professionnalisés - (IUP).
Specialised Schools
There is a wide variety of these specialist higher education establishments throughout France.
Admission requirements vary but normally include a nationwide examination. The level of fees also varies considerably
Fees
Higher education costs are met almost entirely by the French government and tuition fees are very affordable.
The fees are determined by the government and not the institution itself
A basic fee for an undergraduate course in 2009/10 is €171 per year; for a masters course it is €231 per year; for a doctorateit is €350 per year.
You will also be expected to pay social security charges of €200 per year. For those who receive a state grant, admission to the university sometimes costs less than €10!
Financial Help
There are over 30 different types of grants, awarded by different public bodies, with over 100 different income criterion! Many grants are also not paid until well into the academic year.
In the calculation of test of resources many families would find they are eligible for, at least, some level of assistance.
Adult Education
In France, as in England, there are many forms of both formal and informal adult education, online and in the classroom.
Most are run by a company called Greta and Afpa.
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