France has an extremely distinctive image in our minds
regarding its history and urban lifestyle. The country is widely loved by
tourist for the spectacular sceneries, world renowned heritage and
extraordinary culinary skills. Apart from these, France is also listed amongst
the best cities to migrate for completing higher education.
Today, France has become the 3rd leading host country for international students after USA and
UK. It is reported that more than 130,000 foreign students flock to France
every year. French universities enroll over 1.5 million students. International students make
up about 10 percent of total enrollments, one of the highest percentages among
OECD countries.
French universities were initially not on the radar of the
Indians, although many of them were aware of the French excellence in science, medicine, business studies and liberal
arts. The main reason was the language. Over time, the Alliance Française,
now called the Insitut Français, has spread its net all over India, and the
French have also started accepting the use of English, particularly in their
renowned business schools. However, the advantages of a bilingual education cannot
be ignored as it is a long-term investment which opens the gates to a much
larger job market worldwide.
To encourage international students, the
French embassy offers specially crafted scholarship
programmes for all type of courses. Furthermore, The French Ministry of Foreign
and European Affairs also launched Eiffel scholarships mainly for masters,
engineering and PhD courses.
The advantages of studying in France
·
High Standard of Education
French
universities regularly fall under the list of top 100 universities in the world .
France is technologically-advanced
and is renowned for technological and scientific innovations. Thus students
can take advantage of the many research and development institutes and
facilities that are available within the country.
France's universities are
public institutions. The universities offer academic, technical, and
professional degree programs in all disciplines, preparing students for careers
in research and professional practice in every imaginable field. The
universities offer dozens of different national diplomas.
Some of France's specialized schools are
public; others are private. Specialized schools are selective in their
admissions and enroll far fewer students than the universities. They train
students for careers in engineering, management, art, and architecture, to name
just a few. Specialized schools prepare students for professional practice.
France's famous grandes écoles fall into this
category. They are unique institutions, prestigious and very selective. Many
are devoted to training high-level managers and engineers. Their programs are
so well attuned to the needs of industry that their graduates are in very high
demand.
·
Affordable tuition fees and subsidized living costs
Studying in France is relatively inexpensive because the government funds a
significant share of the cost. Annual tuition in a public university is between
126 and 692 Euros, depending on the program. Costs in private institutions are
higher.
Barring a couple of top
French business schools, the rest are much cheaper than their American
equivalents. Good food and medical care are other benefits-at a fractional cost
of what it would be in the US.
Standard Tuition fees in French universities was about £200 per year in 2011 and 183 Euros (for a first degree), and 254 Euros (per year for Master’s
degree) in 2013-2014 as compared to 9000 Euros per year in UK. Further, student residences, restaurants, public transport
are highly subsidized. This makes French education much more economical than
studying and living in UK.
Note that the standard
tuition fees apply in all French universities; they do not however apply in the
"Grandes Ecoles" (specialist undergraduate or postgraduate schools),
in schools of commerce or other private institutions authorised to award
degrees or their equivalents.
·
Merit based scholarships and financial aid
packages
The
French government announced more than 300
excellence scholarships worth over one million euros for the academic year
2014-15. Students from all fields and subjects at the bachelor’s, master’s
and PhD levels were eligible to apply for these scholarships.
The
French government is keen to welcome Indian
students in a wide range of fields like engineering, management, and design.
The benefits of these scholarships include a monthly stipend to cover daily
expenses, free student visa, medical insurance coverage and assistance in
finding affordable accommodation in France.
Other
offers are the Charpak scholarship
programme which offers three types of funding (research internship
programme, exchange programme, and master’s programme), Eiffel scholarship programme which provides benefits like living
expenses (1,200 euros/ month), travel expenses, health insurance and
accommodation.
The
French Embassy in India and the Department of Science and Technology announced the launch of 2014/2015
Raman-Charpak fellowship. This scheme offers PhD students the chance to complete 3 to 6 months of their
thesis in a French or Indian laboratory. 9
Indian students were selected to go to France, and 5 French students to do part
of their research in India.The major areas of research included: Atmospheric
and Earth Sciences, Life Science and Medicine, Chemistry, Material Science,
Engineering Science, Mathematical and Computational Sciences and Physical
Sciences
Applicants taking on the following
disciplines are advantaged in consideration of scholarship:
Architecture: All fields
of architecture studies
Biotechnology: Health,
plant, agriculture, food processing, pharmaceutical sciences
Smart grid engineering: Electricity
network, digital technology, net metering, energy independence, emergency
resilience
Civil Nuclear: Nuclear
technology, nuclear physics, nuclear safety, radiation protection
European Studies: All fields
Mathematics:
All fields of fundamental and applied mathematics
Nanotechnology: Nanosciences
applied to any field or domain.
Water Sciences: Agriculture,
climate change, conservation, technology & engineering, purification,
supply of drinkable water, treatment & health.
·
Availability of Part-time job opportunities
while studying
International
students may work half-time as long as they are registered at an institution
approved by the French social
security system. Even first-year students and students coming to France for the
first time have the right to work half-time. The minimum hourly wage in France
is 8,27 Euros.
·
Paid Internship opportunities
Courses with paid
internships are very popular in France and a lot of overseas students opt for
these courses
·
Excellent post-graduation work
placement opportunities
Indian graduates from French
universities will be eligible to be a part of the “France-India Job Opportunities” network, which will partner them
with ongoing networking within French companies and those working in
partnership with them, in India.
The India-France Job Opportunities Board was launched on the
occasion of the Indo-French Technology Summit (23-24 October 2013) in answer to
a growing need to help Indian alumni having acquired a master or doctoral
degree from France to find suitable placements.
The Board had emerged as the direct result of two important
developments. First, a growing number of Indian students had been opting for a
French "Grande Ecole" or university for pursing higher studies – or a
part of their programme. Management and engineering were top choices.
Second, French companies have invested massively in India:
the approximately 350 French companies present in India, with 400 subsidiaries,
account for a total investment stock of $ 18 billion - which makes France one
of the top investors in India.
Ambassador Richier decided to undertake a series of measures
subsequent to these developments to further encourage both these steady,
encouraging trends:
formulating a
visa-friendly policy for Indian students wishing to study in France;
granting long-term visas to France for all
Indian citizens holding post-graduate degrees from a French university or
"Grande Ecole" so that they may freely travel between France and
India;
extending
the alumni networks that have recently expanded in Europe and America but still
need to develop in India;
providing all Indian students having studied
in France access to the network of French companies operating in India, as well
as their Indian partners. Furthermore, all Indian post-graduates from France
(Masters to PhD), will be able to seek assistance in finding the companies most
suitable for their qualifications and talents, via the India-France Job
Opportunities Board.
·
Work
Visa
If you want to stay in France to find
work after graduation, it is now easier to extend your student visa on to a
work visa; and if you’re a graduate of a French business or engineering school,
even better.
All
Indian citizens who have studied in France and graduated from a French higher
institution will now be given a longer validity visa for any subsequent trip to
France (tourist or business) – up to 5 years if the studies were at the Masters
or PhD levels in France.
·
Excellence of culture, economy and social experiences
Though the French government is
struggling slightly recently with the trouble of the Euro, France’s cultural
and social experiences continue to amaze and enthral. France is the place that
invented the term savoir-vivre, which means ‘the art of living well’, and the
place certainly lives up to it! When studying in France, take advantages of its
many touristic, cultural and sporting activities that you would be able to
enjoy at student prices!
The greatest advantage in going to a French
school is perhaps its mix of academic excellence and cultural richness. The
wall between academic learning and mainstream life is much more porous in
France. Many of the Parisian universities don't even have a campus; it's just
buildings in the city allotted to universities, and a majority of the students
rent city accommodation. The cultural and social life of the city-cinemas,
theatres, bookshops, art galleries, museums, and also the social
turmoil-permeates the mind of the university student. In that sense, French
education is more composite, more wholesome and less monastic.
·
High quality and standard of living
France offers a very high standard of living
that would prove to be excellent to study in, all the way from its
transportation and education systems to its health and political systems. This
republic is well-managed, and would be a pleasure to live and study in
·
The Bilingual experience gained.
After 3 years in a French university, you'll be virtually
bilingual – a skill that is very useful in a country like the UK where so few
people speak a second European language properly. Besides, if you want to get a
job with international prospects and travel, experience of living in at least
two countries for good lengths of time is always a bonus on any CV.
·
French universities and business organizations work
in close collaboration
French
businesses participate in the development of university curricula and more and more majors are added in accordance
to business practice.
·
No differentiation made between international students and
local French students
Under the French law, requirements for admission
into French universities are similar for both sets of students. The degrees
awarded are the same as well.
·
Foreign students enjoy the same rights as French students
International students also enjoy housing
subsidies, and student discounts on social insurance, university catering,
public transport, cinemas, and theaters just like the local French students.
·
French higher education is more accessible
French
university registration fee is very reasonable. In addition, the French
government university scholarship recipients may be exempt from registration
fees.
·
Courses taught in English Language
Grande Ecole institutions provide Bachelors and Master
courses in English. They are very highly recognized courses all over the world. In
2012, 2,600 Indian students went to study in France and at present the numbers
have increasing. As a result the number of courses taught in English at French
universities has crossed the 700 mark.
·
No IELTS/TOEFL required
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