France nowadays has attracted more than 300 000 students that are originally from European Union or even outside it. One of the reasons to study in France is low feed for education.
How to enroll in French university
For abroad students that seek education, first step is to choose university and degree. There are some universities that are very foreigner-friendly, like INSA Lyon, Ecole Polytechnique, Montpeller Business School and others.
The degrees are as different as in other universities as fields of education are going from management studies to fashion and other.
Enrollment in French university is started by application on university website and having all requirements filled, like standardized test results and other requirements. After that it is advised to apply to at least 3 institutions to get higher chance of getting one university and program.
Non-European students must pass the Preliminary Admission to continue with application to universities. This can be done by contacting origin countries French embassy.
Since France is in European Union the application for European students is easy and doesn’t require many efforts to complete. As there is a demand also from other countries outside Europe, France has developed a system that is easy to do for foreign students that want to enroll in French universities.
Tuition fees
For citizens and residents of EEA countries there are quite low tuition fees. For example, Bachelor programs cost about 170 EUR per year, Master programs cost only 243 EUR per year and for Engineer programs and Doctors programs it is as high as 600 EUR.
Starting years 2019 new school year in September international students will have a tuition fees starting from 2700 EUR for Bachelor degree and 3770 EUR for Master degree.
If there is a need to have student visa, there is also some cost involving making the visa. Application for VLS-TS visa is 100 EUR and validation after living in France for some time is 60 EUR.
When it comes to student life in France, the cost is usually average if the place of studies isn’t Paris that has an extremely high cost of living. Even more expensive and bigger cities have a probability of getting accommodation and living expenses less than 900 EUR which is quite low.
French higher education system
Higher education in France is valued as great quality education all over the world. As 12 percent of all students are foreigner students it proves that demand for France as location of studies is quite high.
France academic year starts at September or beginning of October and the summer school holidays are starting from May or June.
The studies are brought to students in two types of ways. There are lectures where a professor gives a presentation on subject for many people at once and tutorials that are practical lab work type activities.
The levels of education in France are according to all European country levels that is Bachelor, Master and Doctor degree programs.
Interesting fact is that the top schools in France are called Grandes Ecoles that are funded very well and have a strict acceptance policy. Two of the top Grandes Ecoles in France are ENS and Polytechnique. Other two institutions are lyceums and universities.
Top French universities
There are 4 universities in France that are considered top level and reputation. These universities are in high demand by international and resident students.
First university is PSL Research University Paris. University has won Nobel prizes in fields of psychology, chemistry, medicine and other. This university is also considered foreigner-friendly as the international students have a variety of choosing English courses.
Serbonne Univeristy is a research university in Paris that was made in 2018. The fields of studies are sciences, medicine and humanities.
Ecole Polytechnique is another great university as its stronger sides are technology and sciences. This is one of the highly demanded schools from international students and more than 30 percent are international students.
And last but not the least is Paris Diderot University that is popular for science, mathematics and winning Nobel prizes in these fields of studies. The school has a lot of extra activities to enroll in, for example, student’s organizations, sport clubs and trainings, circus art and acrobatics as well as other interesting and unique activities.
Student cities are also around these amazing universities. Biggest student cities are in Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Montpellier and Lille. Campuses are huge and these cities have student friendly offers for accommodation, services and entertainment. Living in cities that are closer to largest schools in France means easier living environment that can make it more affordable to live in France.