5 million students are educated in foreign universities, 343 thousand of them study in France
As reported by RFI, these figures were released on Monday, November 12, by the agency for the promotion of French education abroad, Campus France.
The first place in the ranking was taken by the United States, the second by Great Britain, the third by Australia. France was in fourth position. "5 million students, that is 2.3% of the global student community, are educated in foreign universities. Of these, 343 thousand study in France," the agency's press release says.
The results of the study did not surprise the Director General of Campus France, Beatrice Khayat. "France is at the heart of Europe, it is the sixth largest economy in the world, our research has received 62 Nobel Prizes and attracts people from all continents," says Khayat.
France's position is contested by Germany. Also at the top of the ranking are Russia, China, Canada and the UAE. "These countries are aggressively working on their attractiveness for students, especially from Asia and Africa," comment at Campus France.
The agency, nevertheless, admits that they still have serious work to do: in the Shanghai ranking of the 500 best universities in the world, French universities are not in the top 30. According to representatives of Campus France, this is due to the non-integration of the French education system into the Anglo-Saxon model. In addition, they acknowledged that foreign students often have to face administrative difficulties after arriving in France.
According to AFP, the country's government plans to propose a number of measures to simplify the arrival of students from other countries. It is reported that the rules for enrollment in French universities for students from non-EU countries will be revised. It is also planned to increase the number of scholarships and benefits for foreigners.