Study in France articles throws light on the top France Universities, France Scholarship, course and cost of study. France the Land is known for its Fashion, Art and Architecture is also well known for its Educational Expertise. If someone wants to have some international quality exposure in the field of Teaching and education then France is the destination for them. In this article, we will provide information related to the education system in France, what makes France’s Education System Special, Some reasons to study in France, popular courses for undergraduate students in France and some Scholarship programs available to study in France.
This article is divided into the following sections:
- France Education System
- Comparison between Indian and French Education System
- Popular field of study in France
- France Universities
- Reasons to Study in France
- France Scholarship
France Education System
The basic framework of French Education System is as follow:
Level |
Type of school providing this education |
Duration |
Age level |
Certificate/diploma awarded |
Primary |
Ecole Primaire |
5 years |
6-11 years |
Primaire |
Lower Secondary |
Collège |
4 years |
11-15 years |
Brevet des Collèges |
Upper Secondary |
Lycée d'Enseignement général, Technologique et Professionnel |
3 years |
15-18 years |
Baccalauréat Général, Baccalauréat Technologique, Baccalauréat Professionnel. |
Vocational |
Lycée professionnel |
2 years |
15-17 years |
Certificat d'Aptitude Professionnelle(CAP), Brevet d'Etudes Professionnelles (BEP) |
Professional |
Lycée professionnel |
2 years |
17-19 years |
Baccalauréat Professionnel |
Comparison between Indian and French Education System
There are no set criteria on which Indian and French education systems can be compared. Indian education system relies on textbook learning a, homework while French education system does not burden kids with textbooks and homework.
French education system is free for children of age 6 to 16 years and relies on Projects rather than homework. Students use notes to study instead of books.
Popular field of study in France
The below-mentioned fields are some of the most preferred fields of studies among international students in France at Undergraduate level:
- Medicine
- Linguistics
- Sociology
- Communication technology
- Information Technology
- French Studies
- International Business Administration
- Film Studies
- Literary Studies
- Creative Arts
- Psychology
- International Economics
- International and Comparative Politics
Apart from excellent Undergraduate degrees, France also offers excellent Postgraduate and Doctoral education. At Post-graduate level of education France excels in the field of languages, art, history, medicine, and law. The Postgraduate studies in France are divided mainly into 3 sections in France:
- Taught Masters (MA/MSc/MEng)
- Research Masters (MRes/ MA by Research)
- Doctorates and PhD
France Universities
France is the home to some of the most prestigious universities across the world. Some of the Top-Universities are:
University |
QS University rating 2015 |
Ecole normale supérieure, Paris |
23 |
Ecole Polytechnique |
40 |
Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) |
137 |
Ecole Centrale de Paris |
156 |
École Normale Supérieure de Lyon |
188 |
Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV) |
222 |
Sciences Po Paris |
223 |
Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 |
235 |
Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne |
240 |
Université de Strasbourg |
241 |
Université Paris-Sud |
241 |
Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 |
261 |
Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan |
293 |
École des Ponts ParisTech |
314 |
Aix-Marseille University |
361 |
Université Paris Dauphine |
369 |
Université de Montpellier |
376 |
Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA) |
387 |
Université Paris Descartes |
387 |
Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III |
397 |
Reasons to Study in France
The USA is considered as a top most destination for study outside India, but even France is making its own way. Although no direct comparison can be drawn between education system of USA and France but in some characteristics, France leads the charts. Let us have a look at some of the reasons to study in France:
- Peace Ranking: As per Global Peace Ranking, France stands in 45th position while the USA is at 94th place.
- PISA Ranking: Programme for International Student Assessment is a worldwide study conducted in member and non-member nations of 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance on Mathematics, Science, and reading.
- The study is conducted every three years and as per the recent Study carried out the scores were:
Country |
Mathematics |
Science |
Reading |
France |
25 |
26 |
21 |
The United Kingdom |
26 |
20 |
23 |
USA |
36 |
28 |
24 |
- World Happiness Index: As per world Happiness Index, France stands at the 29th place making it one of the happiest countries.
- Gross Domestic Product: France is the Fifth biggest economy of the world with 39 companies like Loreal, Michelin, AirBus and Louis Vuitton standing in 500 largest companies of the world. By gross domestic product, France is at the 26th position.
- Most Economical Country: France is among the most economical countries on the planet, where the cost of living and expenses on education is much less in comparison to the UK & USA.
- Student Satisfaction: 90% of students who studied in France are satisfied by their experience and recommend France to others.
- Scholarships: There are a number of scholarships as well as other opportunities available to students willing to study. The Scholarships are provided by French Government to attract International Students.
Cost of Study in France
The cost of Study includes the expenses on tuition fee as well as the cost of living in France. On an average, depending on the selection of the course and institute the average cost of tuition fee is 10,375 euros for an academic session while the cost of living is 9,000 Euros including accommodation, food and transportation expenses occurring over a year.
The cost of Study in France is much less in compared to the cost of Study in the USA or in the UK. Thus, France is the most economical option to go for higher studies without compromising the quality of Education.
France Scholarships
The government of France and French universities offer a number of scholarships to foreign students. Some of the Scholarships offered to Study in France are as follow:
- Charpak Scholarship for Master's Program: Students from any academic background can apply for Charpak Scholarship. Students can pursue their Master’s degree under this scholarship program.
- Benefit: Free Student Visa + Tuition Fee + Monthly stipend + Medical Insurance + Laptop Allowance + Affordable housing.
- Charpak Internship Program Research Internship: It is an internship program available for Engineering & Science Students at Bachelors and Masters Level, it provides the students opportunity to train with French Institutions during their Summer Breaks.
- Benefit: Free Student Visa + Monthly stipend + Medical Insurance + Affordable housing.
- Charpak Student Exchange Program in India for France: The students selected for this program get to spend one to four months in French exchange institutes during their Bachelors or Master’s Studies.
- Benefit: Free Student Visa + Monthly stipend + Medical Insurance + Affordable housing.
- EURIAS Postdoctoral Fellowship: It’s a Postdoctoral Fellowship available for studies of Humanities and Social Sciences subjects. Total 43 scholarships are available out of which out of which 21 are Junior Fellowships and 22 are Senior Fellowships.
- Benefit: Living Allowance + Travel Expense + Accommodation + Suitable Social Security coverage + Research Budget
- MBDA Programme of Excellence for India at ISAE: MBDA is an international group which is active in the Aeronautical and Space sector, it offers research-oriented Masters studies at ISAE which is one of the mostreputedinstitute in higher education and research for aerospace engineering in Europe.
- Benefit: Living Allowance.
- The Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Programme: French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development offers this scholarship for Masters and Ph.D. studies in the field of Engineering science, Economics, Management, Law and Political sciences.
- Benefit: Monthly Allowance + Air Fare + Social Security Cover + Affordable housing.
- The Erasmus Plus Scholarship for the ACES Programme: Erasmus Plus Joint Master Degree in AquaCulture, Environment, and Society (ACES) is a 2 years program. The students will study in 3 countries i.e. UK, France, and Greece.
- Benefits: Tuition Fee + Travel Allowance + Monthly Allowance.
- Odyssey Artist-In-Residency Program:Odyssey Artist-In-Residency Program is organized by Association des Centres Culturels de Rencontre (ACCR). The scholarship is for 1-6 months and available to researchers who are willing to develop projects within French Cultural Centers.
- Benefits: Monthly Stipend + Air Fare + Accommodation.
- Ile-de-France Masters Scholarships: Available to fresh foreign students who are willing to study Master’s Degree in Universities in the Paris. The scholarship is offered for a period of 10 months and it offers a stipend of €10,500.
- Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Programs in France: A number of courses offered in French institutions are funded by Erasmus Mundus Scholarship. These scholarships are available mainly for Masters and Ph.D. courses.
- École Normale Supérieure International Selection: Most promising international students in Science or in Humanities are offered this scholarship for a period of 2-3 years. The monthly stipend offered this scholarship is 1000 Euros.
- Ampere Scholarships of Excellence at ENS de Lyon: Available for Masters Programs in the Exact Sciences, the Arts, and Human and Social Sciences the Scholarship offers a monthly scholarship of €1000 for a period of 12 months.
- Université de Lyon Masters Scholarships: The Master’s student selected for the scholarship will get €400 – €800 per month. The students selected for the scholarship needs to have a very high-level academic record.
- HEC Paris MBA Scholarships: HEC Paris MBA Scholarships is offered on the basis of merit as well as on the basis of need of the candidates or based on specific criteria. The amount of the scholarship varies from €6,000 to €24,000.