Types Of Institutes For Higher Education In France - Everything You Should Know
France is swarming with multiple benefits for international students. And while its rich French culture & cuisine, landmarks, and globally acclaimed institutions, seem to be at the top of the list – there's one thing that students get puzzled by.
That is France's Education System. Many international students find the French educational system a little complex.
Higher education in France for international students is a great decision. Though, if you’ve just started planning to study in France and got rolled out with types of higher education institutions – we understand you.
You’re certainly not the first who’s confused with different types of French universities for international students.
With different types of institutions for different courses and choices, it may feel overwhelming trying to find which institutions you want to apply to.
So, to simplify things a bit, let’s review the types of different higher education institutions to help you make an informed decision.
French Higher Education System
The French higher education system is globally recognized and includes a wide variety of institutions with different objectives, structures, and admission requirements.
Higher education institutions in France offer excellent teaching and research opportunities in each subject at various levels.
France attracts the most significant number of international students in the world. Around 15% of international students come to French universities and 25%+ in Grandes Écoles for higher education.
Although compared to other countries, France has a complex system of higher education. It is made up of several types of public and private sector establishments.
Also, the university's education system has an LMD system. Here LMD stands for Licence-Master-Doctorat (Bachelor's-Master's-Doctorate).
International students get to choose between different types of educational establishments, and they are;
The Universities
The Grandes Ecoles
Private Business & Specialized Schools
Schools Of Art And Applied Arts
The National Schools Of Architecture (ENSA)
Types Of Institutes For Higher Education
The Universities
This type of higher education institution has multiple public universities and free French universities for international students that either offer free education in France to international students or cheap French universities that offer affordable education with low tuition fees.
Universities offer degree programs in nearly all subjects. These public universities courses are based on three levels:
License (Bachelor’s degree)
Master (Master’s degree)
Doctorate (Doctoral degree)
France public universities and free French universities offer academic, technical, and professional degree programs in around all fields.
Around 80% of students attend France’s public universities for higher education.
France's Public universities offer various academic degrees in
Engineering
Business
Journalism and communication
Medicine
Pharmacy
Dentistry
Popular Public Universities in France for International Students
University of Paris
University of Paris-Saclay
Centrale Nantes
France universities are mainly public universities that are funded by the government. Hence this allows the universities to offer international students an excellent education at an affordable cost.
The free French universities for international students are QS-ranked and offer many popular courses.
The Grandes Ecoles
The Grandes Ecoles has elite colleges that offer a high level of specialized courses in subjects like engineering, politics, and business.
These institutions are very selective with their admission process. Some of the Grandes Ecoles, public and private institutes recognized by the State are Écoles Normales Supérieures (ENS -Institutes of Advanced Education), Instituts d’Etudes Politiques (IEP - Political Science Institutes), Business and management schools, Engineering schools, and Veterinary schools.
To get admission to the Grandes Ecoles, you have to give a competitive entry exam after two years of preparatory classes and must hold an appropriate degree. In comparison to French public universities, the tuition fees are higher in Grandes Ecoles.
The Grandes Écoles institutes offer 5-year courses which include 2 years of initial preparation in the preparatory classes offered by secondary schools.
The preparatory classes prepare students over two years to take the entrance examinations for Grandes Écoles.
France has around 250 Grandes Écoles, offering degrees in many specialized fields like business, engineering, political science, and others. Some of the Grandes Écoles are members of the Conférence des Grandes Ecoles (CGE).
The Conférence des Grandes Écoles comprises 216 schools, which are as follows:
143 Schools of Engineering
39 Schools of Management
20 other Schools (Veterinary, ENS, etc.)
14 schools outside France (mainly located in Belgium, Morocco, Spain, and Switzerland)
Top Grandes Écoles in France
SKEMA Business School
KEDGE Business School
ISC Paris, Business School
Excelia Business School
MBS - Montpelliar Business School
Normandie Business School
Audencia Business School
HEC Paris
Private Business Schools & Specialized Schools
Private Business schools and specialized schools are generally institutions that train students for professional careers in specific fields. They offer licenses and master's degrees.
Specialized schools offer courses in sectors such as medicine, journalism, fashion and design, communication, agronomy, political science, art, architecture, social work, and tourism. etc.
These institutes may have some degrees and certificates that are not recognized by the State.
France has the Top Business Schools, and the business and management schools are the most popular type of Grandes Écoles.
There are around 71 Top Business Schools in France that are approved by the French government, and 39 of them are members of the Conférence des Grandes Ecoles.
Top Business Schools & Specialized Schools in France
SKEMA Business School
Paris School of Business
EPITA - School of Engineering and Computer Science
KEDGE Business School
EICAR The International Film School, Paris
EMLV Business School, De Vinci, Paris
ISC Paris, Business School
ESC Clermont Business School
Excelia Business School
MBS - Montpelliar Business School
Vatel - Hotel & Tourism Business School
Normandie Business School
Audencia Business School
Schools Of Art And Applied Arts
France has nearly 50 public schools of art and design directly supervised by the Ministry of Culture.
Training in art, design, and communication is provided for either three or five years. After successful completion, national degrees are also awarded to international students.
The top 4 highly reputable schools of art you must consider are:
Boulle
Olivier de Serres
Duperré
Estienne
These French top schools of art and design offer national degrees in graphic design, spatial design, fashion, and arts and crafts.
Some of the popular schools of art in France are also registered in the Répertoire National des Certifications Professionnelles (RNCP - National Repertoire of Professional Certifications). :
France has many top fashion schools and culinary schools, here we’ve listed below the most popular Schools of Art And Applied Arts:
Top 6 Schools of Art And Applied Arts
The American Business School
LISAA
IESA arts & culture
Cours Florent
Strate Ecole De Design
Speos - L'Ecole Photo Video
Architecture Schools & Universities (ENSA)
The Ecoles Nationales Supérieures d’Architecture(ENSA) is the national school of architecture. It forms a network of 20 public schools directly supervised by the Ministry of Higher education, Research, and Innovation and the Ministry of Culture.
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Final Note
Now that you’ve reviewed the different types of institutions out there in France, you hopefully have a better idea of where you have to apply.
When planning your study abroad journey, narrowing things down a bit and scrolling through various aspects of your dream destination help make the decision process much less daunting and time-consuming.
If you are passionate about studying in France and are ready to apply for the upcoming 2023 intake, then do look out for our blog and find the best course to study in France.
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