“Choose France”: Attracting international talents

Why a new reform?

On 19 November 2018, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe introduced the “Choose France/ Bienvenue en France" plan. Its goal is to make France more attractive to international students and to increase the visibility of the French higher education system abroad.

The main objective of Bienvenue en France / Choose France strategy is to attract 500,000 international students each year (currently France welcomes more than 300,000) by 2027.

What impact on international students?

To reach that goal, different policies will be implemented for the 2019-2020 academic year:

1. Simplify the visa policy
2. Double the number of students in French & English with an increase of programmes taught in English and of courses of French as a foreign language (FLE)
3. Create a label of quality in support services: “Bienvenue en France”
4. Differentiate tuition rates and triple scholarships
5. Expand the French education presence with an increase of abroad campuses
6. Launch a global campaign “Bienvenue en France”/ “Choose France”

A budget of 10 million euros has been allocated to improve the reception arrangements for international students in public institutions under the supervision of the Ministry in charge of Higher Education : 5 million to improve reception services and 5 million as part of a call for projects to finance initiatives to promote mentoring schemes, FLE (French as a foreign language) courses and the foreign language offering.

You will find everything you need to know about the new “Choose France” strategy, including tuition fees information here:

https://www.campusfrance.org/en/choose-france-strategie-attractivite-etudiants-internationaux-bienvenue-en-france