Aljawaz Your guide to study abroad France is not only the top tourist destination in the world, it’s also topped for Canadian students studying abroad. Fourteen percent of outbound students choose to study there. And the reasons why you should choose France for study are numerous. We have compiled some of them, not only to help you decide, but also to guide you through all the steps in preparing your study trip to France.
Affordable university education
This is certainly the very first reason why international students choose France as a study destination. Compared to many universities in the world, such as the US, French universities offer affordable, inexpensive courses. Moreover, the French government offers students, both local and international ones, benefit programs. These programs pay almost all their tuition fees for them.
So, before you apply for admission and check the requirements to enroll in French universities, make sure to search for any benefit you are eligible for. And even if you don’t qualify for these advantages, tuition fees in French universities are still among the lowest in Europe.
Quality higher education along with exceptional research opportunities
Basically, France has more than 3,500 institutes of higher education, which includes both public and private institutions. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in France are composed mostly of universities and “grandes écoles”. The latter are specialized professional schools have more competitive entrance requirements and higher tuition fees. Grandes écoles in France offer degrees in engineering, business, political science, and veterinary medicine to name just a few.
Discover here our ranking of the top HEI in France, both universities and grandes écoles along with their official websites.
While some universities in France offer courses in English, foreign students studying in French may need a document proving their grasp of the language. Usually, to be able to study in France, you need to provide the results of your DALF/DELF test if your native language isn’t French.
Find out here if you meet all the requirements to study in France in one of these higher education institutions.
Low cost transport, accommodation and overall cost of living
If you study at public universities in France, the French government mostly pays the tuition fees, even for foreign students. However, you’ll still have to cover the student visa application cost, airplanes, books and living expenses. You may also need to pay for a French language test. The third reason why you should study in France is that the basic costs students need to cover are also affordable.
Actually, students in France also benefit from housing allocation if they have little to no means of financial support. This, along with the discounts you can be entitled to, contributes to considerable reduce students’ cost of living in France. You can learn more about this in our guide on how to find student accommodation in France, as well as our article on the living costs.
Scholarships and financial aid for students
France is among the most recommended countries to study abroad by international students. And another key reason why you should study in France is the financial support international students can get.
Choosing to study in public university waive up most of the tuition fees. However, you can also apply for a scholarship in France to fund your studies. Find out the requirements and eligibility criteria to benefit from one of the best scholarships for international students in the country.
These scholarships are also the best way to cover the costs for postgraduate studies in France. They also are a way to pay for medical school in France, which is as costly as it is anywhere else in the world.
Find out here the best master programs in France and our ultimate guide for medicine study in France.
Post-graduation openings in France
The last one of our top reasons to study in France is the opportunity to stay back after graduation. For many students who study abroad, it is not always easy to apply for a residence permit or a work visa in the country after their studies. This is not the case for France. In fact, anyone who study full time in the country are eligible to apply for a one-year work permit.
Last but not least, since international students have the right to work part-time in France, you can take advantage of that to familiarize with the French society’s customs, culture and traditions.
Conclusion
Now that we have covered all the reasons why you should choose to study abroad in France, the next step is to prepare for your trip to the country. Our advice, if you are a non-EU national, is to plan well in advance. This will ensure that you get your visa before you leave your home country. Campus France, the organization helping international students to study in France, recommends students to complete your university application the latest in April of the current year if you plan to start in the September session.
