Study in France: Basic and Good-to-Know facts about France

France as a country is not unknown or unheard of. It has featured through art, history and even modern-day culture. So be it the French Wine or indeed the infamous French kiss, it is safe to say that France has created a special place in the world. Its rich cultural heritage aside, France has constantly grown and improved its technological know-how to become one of the favourite destinations for research. Such has been the impact of France on the world of science and technology and have given eminent names like Madame Curie and Louis Pasteur to the world. Similar has been the country’s contribution to art, architecture, philosophy and the more recent ones of fashion and media. And like Paris, the capital city of France, continues to draw the fancy of millions around the world, here’s a quick look to the country, its universities and application processes for students planning to take up bachelors/ masters/ doctorate from the country.

Basic Facts

Situated in the European continent, France is officially called the République française or The French Republic. A presidential republic, France has over 66 Million people. Its capital, Paris, is the biggest tourist destination of the world and had attracted a record of 76.8 million people to the city in the month of 2010. The city continues to attract the fancy of people across the world for its café culture, the biggest museums and place in the fashion industry.

Apart from Paris, France is also famous for its different types of cheese and its vineyards. In fact, it is one of the largest exporters of wine and produces about 8 billion bottles of wine every year. Most of the wines are named after the region they are grown and manufactured in. For instance, Burgundy and Bordeaux are names given to wines produced in the region with the same name. While a good French Wine is really costly in India, it is a household commodity in France and is freely consumed. It is also estimated that an average man in France consumes close to 70 bottles of wine in a year. Similar to its wide variety of wine, France is famous for producing more than 400 varieties of cheese.

It is also one of the Fashion Capitals of the world and houses the biggest names in fashion. It is also a centre of extensive research and has provided the world with numerous Nobel laureates.

Universities in France

France continues its academic and cultural heritage on the back of a rich research-based economy. Driven by the myriad initiatives by the government, the country is renowned the world over for its excellent universities. France is among the top spenders on education in the world.

Like Germany, France too has Public Universities which charge considerably low amount of tuition fees. They average at around US$1000 per year.  However, adding the semester costs as well as the other sundry expenses and living costs, it is wise to say that perhaps it is not as cheap as that of Germany. The quality, however, retains the same quality, the same innovative initiatives and research-based curriculums. France is also the home of many international universities which chose to have a campus in the country only to provide a multi-cultural influence on their students.

To give a basic understanding of the high level of education in the institutes of higher education, it can be quoted that 11 of the top universities of France feature in the QS Global University Ranking. The two top universities of France - Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris and Ecole Polytechnique ParisTech, feature amongst the Top 50 of the world. The Top MBA colleges of France feature amongst the top MBA colleges in Europe with its two leaders – INSEAD and HEC Paris featuring amongst the TOP 20 MBA Colleges across the world.

Applying to French Universities

Most of the Universities in France offer Bi-lingual courses in English and French. As an international student, you can easily apply to the French Universities offering courses in English. For the English taught courses, you have to clear the IELTS or TOEFL and in case of a French taught course, a TCF would be required. Apart from that, for postgraduate level, a GMAT or a GRE would be often asked from the top universities in France.

Like Germany, France too has two major intakes every year. Campus France is a centralized portal for international students planning to pursue their higher education from France. Students in India can start with creating a profile via the CEF procedure and start applying to various universities in France. As mentioned earlier, the eligibility and test requirement would vary from university to university as well as course to course. We recommend you to research the various Universities in France before you start the application process.

Summing up, going to France is rather beneficial for the studies and relatively easier. The country offers an experience which adds to the academic excellence as well as opportunities that would ensure that the years spent in the country mark you out in your career. Read more in Student Guide to France and Visa Guide to France.