Within the tutorial yr 2022/23, some 412,087 worldwide college students have been enrolled in French greater training establishments, a 3% improve within the final yr and a 17% improve over 5 years.
On the international stage, France maintains its spot because the sixth hottest host nation for worldwide college students.
“Overcoming the bar of 412,000 worldwide college students in France is crucial for us, particularly after the lengthy season marked by the Covid-19 disaster,” a spokesperson for Campus France instructed The PIE.
“In actuality our numbers have been rising since 2021/22. That is the results of the French authorities’s open-door insurance policies concerning the reception of overseas college students and researchers.
“This success motivates us to proceed working to get nearer to the purpose of 500,000 worldwide college students established within the nationwide technique ‘Bienvenue en France’.”
Campus France offered its key figures on pupil mobility for 2024, monitoring the newest developments in worldwide training for the nation with plans to welcome 500,000 worldwide college students by 2027.
The biggest contingent of worldwide college students in France come from Sub-Saharan Africa, who make up 24% of the nation’s worldwide pupil physique with 95,285 college students from the area enrolled in French establishments. This determine has seen a rise of 34% over the past 5 years.
Intently adopted is the nation’s worldwide college students from North Africa – a complete of 91,865 college students, who make up 23% of all worldwide college students.
The variety of college students from Asia and Oceania areas collectively has remained excessive – 51,992 in 2022/2023, a end result Campus France places right down to the rise within the variety of Indian college students, compensating for a 15% lower in cellular Chinese language college students over the past 5 years.
Relating to nations of origin, Morocco despatched probably the most college students to France, with 45,162 college students enrolled in 2022/23, adopted by Algeria with 32,147.
China makes the highest three record of sending nations, regardless of its lower, with 25,605 college students enrolled.
Some 21 of the highest 25 sending nations elevated in 2022/23, with a very robust improve within the variety of Italian, Spanish, Lebanese, Congolese and Indian college students.
The variety of Lebanese college students in France sits at 11, 527 – a rise of 10% over one yr and 103% over the past 5 years.
The variety of Ukrainian college students finding out in France has additionally doubled in a single yr, a rise of +111%, linked to the continuation of the conflict, mentioned Campus France.
“I might say that France is actually a melting pot, we obtain college students from everywhere in the world. Our universities are subsequently very culturally various. This multiculturalism strengthens us and, above all, makes us proud,” the Campus France spokesperson instructed The PIE.
They highlighted the nation’s quality-price ratio – a bachelor’s diploma costing €2,770 per yr for a non-European pupil, €170 for a European pupil. A grasp’s diploma prices €3,770 for a non-European pupil, whereas €243 for a European.
“In comparison with america, United Kingdom, Canada or Australia, our universities are a lot cheaper,” the spokesperson mentioned.
They went on to notice France’s “more and more current” place in worldwide rankings, in addition to ecosystem “very beneficial” to entrepreneurship.
One engaging high quality of a French greater training is an emphasis on employability,
Luciana Radut-Gaghi, vp of worldwide relations and strategic partnerships at CY Cergy Paris College, spoke to The PIE about why she believes France is a gorgeous provide to worldwide college students, highlighting establishments’ hyperlinks with the job market by means of apprenticeships and internship packages.
“On the finish of two years of masters, college students have two years of job expertise they usually have their diploma and that’s very invaluable as a result of they’re workers able to take positions in firms,” Radut-Gaghi instructed The PIE.
At CY Cergy Paris College, 17.94% of scholars are worldwide, with the primary origin nations being China, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Cameroon and Italy.
CY is one establishment which hasn’t but seen a major improve in college students from India, however Radut-Gaghi mentioned this might change with the introduction of worldwide lessons – a brand new format set to be launched so as to facilitate the mixing of non-French-speaking Indian college students into the French greater training system.
Though Radut-Gaghi mentioned that not everybody within the French sector is on board with this instance of France’s slight tilt to English-taught packages, she believes that with enough coaching for French lecturers, it may very well be a optimistic issue for the nation’s internationalisation efforts.
President of France Emmanuel Macron introduced final yr a brand new purpose for the nation to welcome 30,000 Indian college students by 2030, as a part of the newest Franco-Indian highway map.
Campus France’s figures confirmed that within the 2022/23 tutorial yr, 6,986 Indian college students studied in France, an 11% improve over one yr.
The report additionally collated knowledge from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics to indicate the locations hottest for French college students in recent times. The information confirmed that in 2021, Belgium took the highest spot by welcoming 19,063 French college students.
The UK adopted, welcoming 14,042 French college students in the identical yr.
Radut-Gaghi famous the importance of the highest two nations for outbound mobility being in Europe, in addition to elevated curiosity in European nations.
College students at CY are more and more are placing sustainability on the coronary heart of their mobility decisions, she indicated.
In 2021, Portugal noticed a 28% improve in pupil numbers from France over one yr, and a staggering 454% improve over 5.
“We actually have these younger folks saying they don’t wish to go away their carbon footprint on the earth”
In the meantime, though Canada remained the third vacation spot alternative for French college students, it noticed a lower of 28% over one yr, and a 16% lower over 5.
Equally, the US noticed a 19% lower over one yr and a 23% lower over 5.
“I feel the pandemic opened the eyes of scholars in all places about what it means to journey long-distance overseas. I feel this sustainability consciousness amongst college students, it’s fairly necessary,” mentioned Radut-Gaghi.
“We actually have these younger folks saying they don’t wish to go away their carbon footprint on the earth. It’s one thing that they’re very conscious of.”
Radut-Gaghi mentioned that her college is more and more making an attempt to encourage college students to go to Sub-Saharan African nations with which French embassies have robust packages of cross-mobility.
