This is marketing research on the education - France industry and can include information on the background, market structure, definitions, competitors, trends and developments of the publishing and book industry in France and is related to other topics such as training, instruction and learning.

France: The Education Market and Opportunities for U.S. Providers

Table of Contents

1 French Education Overview 
2 French Education Statistics, 2004-2005 School Year 
3 Cracks in the French Higher Learning System 
4 The English Edge 
5 Sources

This report summarizes the French system of higher learning and the market for academic studies abroad, particularly the possibility of study in the United States. The U.S. presents more higher education opportunities than any other nation. According to a report prepared in 2004 by Shanghai’s Jiao Tong University, 170 of the world’s top 500 universities are located in the United States more than four times as many as any other nation including among them schools of law, business, physical sciences, social sciences, and liberal arts.

From 2002 to 2004 (the most recent year for which data exists), the number of French students decreased by about 3% per year, despite currency exchange rates that over the past four years have been increasingly favorable for European residents visiting the United States. The use of English as a universal language of business in Europe, and the increasingly competitive French business environment as a result of European Union enlargement and national deregulation, has led to many French students attending business schools in the U.S. Opportunities may exist for U.S. Universities in other fields of studies such as American and international law schools that are more and more in demand by law firms and corporate legal departments. While post-graduate studies remain a common reason for students to attend American institutes, more French undergraduates could take advantage of programs offered in the U.S. the same way students from neighboring countries may do.

French Education Overview

Education in France is standardized nationwide under a frame set by the Ministry of National Education, Higher Learning, and Research (Ministère de l'Éducation nationale, de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche), which has existed with most of its present functions under various names since 1828. French children between the ages of 3 and 10 attend the écoles (elementary schools), with attendance being mandatory from age 6 on. Students aged from 11 to 14 receive secondary instruction in the collèges (junior high schools) and from 15 to 17 at the lycées (high schools). From there, students wishing to continue their education in France go on to the universités, or to preparatory classes for the entry exams of the grandes écoles (prestigious institutes of learning).

French Education Statistics, 2004-2005 School Year

Total number of students                      15,004,400
Number in écoles, collèges, and lycées        12,125,700
Number in universities and prep schools        2,268,400

Total number of staff                          1,452,600

Staff in écoles, collèges, and lycées          1,307,000
Number who are teachers                          887,600

Staff in higher learning                         145,600
Number who are teachers                           88,800

Number of écoles, collèges, and lycées            68,102
Number of institutes of higher learning              108

Source: The French Ministry of Education

Over the course of several centuries, France has built a solid, but complex system of higher education. There are 108 institutes of higher learning in France, of which the vast majority are state owned and state run; in the cases of Universities and many of the most prestigious engineering schools “grandes ecoles d’ingenieurs” as well as the school of government [political science institutes and school of national administration (ENA)]. Some of the best state run schools like Polytechnique and ENA are paying a small salary to the students who are considered as the elite so they can cover their cost of living. For studies in law and health/medical fields, only state owned and run universities are offering these cursus WITH SMALL ANNUAL TUITION FEES NOT EXEEDING usd 1000. For the best business schools and professional schools, most of them are run and owned by local Chambers of Commerce and Industries or professional industry associations and tuitions range between USD 5 to USD 7 thousands per year. Another group of engineering, business and professional graduate schools are purely privately owned and run. Figuring prominently in French higher education are the grandes écoles and grands établissements, all of which are publicly funded. These prestigious schools have produced most of France’s Nobel Laureates, politicians, and business leaders.

According to a study completed by the French Ministry of Education in 2002, 77% of French students abroad are studying in a European country. This proximity gives them the advantages of rapid travel and freedom of movement between their school and their home country. Only 13% are choosing the United States, while 8% study in the U.S.’s bilingual neighbor, Canada.

Besides distance, the government subsidization of higher education in France is another one of the major barriers to expanding the market for study overseas. Most public universités and grandes écoles charge an annual tuition of under €1200 ($1500), and some are nearly free. Because of this, most French lycéens (high-school students), particularly in the middle class and working classes, choose to continue their education at a French university.

Cracks in the French Higher Learning System

Despite the generally solid results of the public higher education system, under funding of schools and vast inequalities of funding are present. In France, the “grandes écoles”, which set a high bar to enrollment, get a major share of public funding, while the universities receive much less. A report published in 2004 by French economists Philippe Aghion and Élie Cohen draws a connection between France’s slowing economic growth and its funding on education, which is considerably lower than in other developed countries. For example, France spends 1.1% of its GDP on higher learning, while the United States spends 2.3%.

Meanwhile, the majority of universités have become more crowded, owing to the lack of entrance requirements (to receive higher learning funded by the state, all that is necessary is a two-year degree which more than half of students attain). The quality of these schools has suffered as a result; a baccalauréat degree from one of them is no guarantee of a good job. The extremely competitive demands of the prestigious French higher education schools, “grandes écoles”, that produce most of France’s social elite, on the other hand, require full-time students to take two years of preparatory classes, “classes préparatoires”, for the entrance exams. These “classes préparatoires” require a course load of 30-40 hours a week plus an additional 30-40 hours a week of home work, along with frequent testing.

Therefore, French graduates of the lycées possessing the wherewithal to enroll in an American school may find in a near future that they may have an easier time getting into one of America’s top 100 universities than in one of France’s grandes écoles, along with receiving all the benefits accorded by studying in a new cultural environment, and in the United States in particular. The funding aspect remains the major barrier to overcome.

Students of the World Coming to the U.S.

More than 565,000 international students came to the United States to study in the 2004-2005 academic year, according to the annual Open Doors report. The top four countries sending students to the U.S. are all in Asia; enrollments from most European countries were down slightly from the previous year. The September 11 attacks have made the issuing of student visas a longer process; American tuition costs continue to increase; and institutes in Europe, China, and Australia have stepped up efforts to attract students from India and Southeast Asia (where rapid economic growth is producing a boom in young people able to attend universities) as well as local students who would otherwise travel abroad for their studies.

On the other hand, America’s top schools continue to possess a level of respect and name recognition unparalleled anywhere else in the world – 39 of the top 50 schools on Jiao Tong University’s list are American – and with the favorably low dollar, average tuition costs at private U.S. universities for those students whose bank accounts are measured in euros actually decreased by over 6% from 2002 to 2006. What’s more, U.S. universities offer opportunities that French students looking for a place to study can find nowhere else.

Legal Studies in the United States

Foremost among these opportunities is a thorough education in U.S. law. The United States remains the largest economic and political actor on the world’s stage, and with the increasing connectivity of the world, every country needs experts able to navigate the U.S. legal system, whether they work in international trade, law enforcement, immigration, government foreign policy, finance, human rights, or intellectual property. While some French comparative-law schools offer a single general course in American law, only study in the U.S. affords students a comprehensive range of courses in the subject, additionally giving them access to vast libraries on American law and the expertise of multiple faculty members well-versed in the legal workings of the United States. With the increasingly close European Union emerging as a major international political and economic force approaching the influence of the United States, graduates with education in both U.S. and E.U. law have advantages when applying for any position regarding trans-Atlantic relations.

France is the world’s sixth largest economy, about one-fifth that of the United States, France was our ninth largest trading partner, accounting for USD 46.7 billion of U.S. exports of goods, services and income receipts in 2004, as reported in U.S. Department of Commerce data. France is a member of the G-8, the European Union, the World Trade Organization and the OECD, confirming its status as a leading economic player in the world. Large French companies and their sub-contractors are increasingly taking advantage of the globalization and law firms involved in international transactions, including many branches of large U.S. law firms which are expanding by providing related legal services, thus calling for qualified graduate students with international and U.S. corporate law proven expertise. Business Studies in the United States

An MBA from an American school is one of the most attractive diplomas for a business student anywhere in the world to receive, and sure to catch the attention of any employer seeking high-end young workers for a position in the world of commerce. Owing to the United States’ position as a global economic leader and its reputation for schools that produce leaders of industry, more students come to the U.S. for a degree in business than in any other field.

Business studies in the U.S. cover every imaginable range, including business management, finance, accounting, and marketing. Because of the flexibility of courses in most American universities, students have many options when it comes to deciding which fields to pursue. They can focus their studies in a single area, increase their career opportunities by focusing on two, or can even take classes in all of them.

The English Edge

While the largest universities in the U.S. are often attractive to graduates, studying in the United States as undergraduates allows students to hone English skills that give them more options for graduate school; they can return to their home country, study in the U.K., Canada, or Australia, or remain in the U.S. Establishing a presence in the U.S. earlier in their education also allows them to make American business contacts, which can be helpful when it comes time to search for a job.

In France, secondary schools require a class in a foreign language, and English is the most commonly taught. Instruction can give students a good basic understanding of grammar and vocabulary, but nothing can replace cultural immersion as part of the process of learning a language. Since fluency in English is a strong point on any French graduate’s résumé, attending school in the United States is a valuable way to continue learning a language whose study had begun from a younger age. The ability to speak and write English well opens up new doors of possibility, not just for those whose job requires interaction with American, British, Canadian, and Australian clients and partners, but also with their counterparts in almost every country in the world (especially emerging markets in Asia and Eastern Europe), as English is an international second language.

Student Visas

To travel to the United States as a full-time student, it is necessary to obtain a student visa after being accepted into an American school. There are three types of visas issued by the state department for students: The “F visa” is the one given for academic study or research. French students (as well as those from many other countries) need an in-person interview by appointment with an American Consular officer. During the busy summer months, most appointments must be made at least three weeks in advance. The U.S. Embassy in France strongly advises students to apply for their visa and schedule an interview well in advance of their departure. The student mustbe able to demonstrate that he or she can pay for living expenses and tuition and has been accepted into the school in question. The Embassy’s website has more information on which documents are needed for traveling to the U.S.

Major contacts

Ministère de l’Education Nationale, de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche
110, rue de Grenelle
75357 Paris SP 07
Tel: (33) (1) 55 55 10 10
www.education.gouv.fr

Sources

U.S. Department of Commerce