Feature: Studying the French way

A certain desire for excellence
Equal treatment
Recent initiatives

Essential France: its beautiful landscapes, its rich history, its reputation for a wonderful way of life, the prestige of the body of knowledge that forms part of its culture! But foreign students are not just choosing our country for the art, literature and social sciences [1]. Nor is the attraction a recent one.
In 1996 Kevin, a British financial management student, did an intensive three term management course at the École des ponts et chaussées [France’s national engineering higher education institute]: "A real opportunity to be able to live and study in Paris for a whole year." Chemistry student Omar still benefits from the grant he obtained to do his doctorate in Paris... and in recent years the percentage of foreign students at the Institut d’études politiques de Paris [Paris Institute of Political Studies] has grown from 18 to 30 %. Over 70 % of those who come for a period of study then want to stay on to complete their degrees!

So studying in France is a dream for many people, a certain desire for excellence too. Something that Fumihiko Yamada, director of the cultural and information service at the Japanese Embassy in Paris, who has written a book about the excellence of the French education system for his young compatriots would not contradict! (See interview). Nor would the 250,000 foreigners who came to study in France in 2005, a figure which ranks it third among host countries.
Among the most diverse and effective in the world, the French education system has a tremendous amount to offer. Alongside its specialist institutes, including colleges of art, fashion, design, architecture, medical and paramedical studies, France has over 3,500 establishments, including 87 universities and nearly 500 Grandes Écoles ("Ivy League" institutes of higher education) - 240 engineering colleges, 230 business schools and 4 Écoles normales supérieures (which provide high-level cultural and scientific education).
Furthermore, as well as offering a wide range of highly regarded courses of study, the French university system provides almost free access for everyone, without distinction. This is far from the case in every country. Tuition fees here are more than competitive. For example: fees for a bachelor’s degree are 350 euro per year and 400 euro for a master’s degree, and these sums include protection within the social security system.

The reason why the costs are so low in comparison with English, American or Australian universities is that the French State considers that money should under no circumstances be a curb on the acquisition of knowledge. It therefore subsidises visiting foreign students to a large extent - to a level of 2 billion euro - and confers on them the same status, i.e. the same rights, in terms of awarding grants, and the same degrees as French citizens. Again, a situation that does not apply everywhere.
With regard to degrees, France has been involved in a major drive to harmonise European degree courses since 1997, and this is currently being completed. In fact French universities have all adopted the three European degrees, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate (the BMD system).
What about the "language barrier"? This is becoming less and less important since more than 300 courses of study are now dispensed in English, on all "campuses" in the country. While there are a few large university halls of residence, the campus university is not really part of the French tradition, as in France the majority of universities were founded a long time ago and are located in city centres. Be that as it may, help with accommodation for students is available.

At the end of 2005, a vast renovation scheme of the universities was launched by the public authorities (see box), as well as a 24 billion euro programme to develop major campuses and research and higher education centres. The first of these campuses, which will open at the end of 2006, on the Jourdan economic development zone site (in the capital), will be the École d’économie de Paris [School of Economics]. Based on the model of the London School of Economics, this campus will receive funding of 10 million euro.
These are all advantages that France, having remained too long in the background of international competition, will be packing into its bags when it goes off to promote its educational offering in China, Peru, Thailand, Russia, Mexico, Argentina, the United States and Canada.

Interview with Fumihiko Yamada, director of the cultural and information service at the Japanese Embassy in Paris.

"In France, you learn to think but also to find solutions."

What I appreciated and learnt above all when studying in France was the intellectual method.

"Think, discuss, explain... every country has its own method, but the French method is truly original. People say that the French are Cartesians, intending it as a criticism. But in France there is a good balance and for twenty-five years it has made more changes than many other countries, and, in the end, the French are closer to reality, even if they are less pragmatic than the English.
What most astonished me, and still does today, is the intellectual curiosity of the French. International news has been on the front page of newspapers in France for a long time, whereas in many countries it is the national news that comes first. People also say that they are inward looking. I don’t think this is true, since intellectual passion is stronger than inwardness here."

French knowledge can be used as a benchmark

"Because it can balance apparently contradictory forces. With the French method, you learn to think more easily, but also to find solutions. People are more intellectual and more original, but they are also more effective in certain cutting-edge sectors and pioneers in nuclear power and aeronautics... Even with its gaps, France gets closer to balance. In the same way, French education has succeeded very well in creating and forming elites, which nevertheless remain in harmony with society."

What would I advise a young foreign student?

"I have written a book in Japanese for young students from my country, to show them my view of France, its diplomatic power, and to explain to them why and how French diplomacy manages to be independent and to help them get their keen interest in the Anglo-Saxons in perspective. I tell them to go and look at other places, see how other countries live and think. What else is study for if not to understand the world and society, so one can live better and work better? To be aware that the subject that you are studying is just a beginning."

Mélina Gazsi
Journalist