About France
Liberty, Equality & Fraternity – An enduring contribution by France
History owes its gratitude to France for the modern world with its emphasis on Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. The centuries before the British rise saw the conquest of the continents by the Greeks, Romans, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and the French.
Then came the French revolution during the 18th Century coinciding with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. Emperor Napoleon to De Gaulle and to the modern eras has seen tectonic changes in France. Known for his conquests in Europe in the 18th Century, Napoleon was a fearless warrior king.
Napoleon era to Security Council Member
Before the sunset of his reign through the defeat against the combined armies of the British, Prussian and Russia, Napoleon Bonaparte had initiated several initiatives. He is the architect of the modern administrative services across the globe. Charles De Gaulle in the mid 50’s of the 20th century amended the constitution to suit the modern ways of natural justice.
Post WW II France became a permanent member of the Security council along with the other four permanent members United Kingdom, Russia (Then USSR), United States of America and Taiwan (Now China). This was after a disastrous 3 decades of war, economic depression, and occupation. The 7 decades has seen the French economy grow from asking for aid from United States to a high of 5th Largest economy (Since then replaced by India).
Economy & Education
Considered the fashion capital of the world, France is the world 6th largest economy with a GDP of USD 2.9 Trillion and a Per capita income of USD 43518 (Source: Investopedia). The country is home to some of the leading industries like Manufacturing, Automobile, Nuclear Energy, Technology, Aerospace, Arms, etc.
The French education system consists of primary, secondary, and higher education levels. The first two levels are standardized. At the higher education levels there are universities, Grandes Ecoles, and specialized schools.
For the international student community France offers an alternate to some of the leading education destinations. The programs in Architecture, Technology, Aerospace, Management, Fashion, Art, Engineering are considered on par with the global standards. France boasts of more than 30 institutions in the top 500 of the QS ranked institutions as of year 2023.
To the student aspirants, studying in France offer the some of the following distinct advantages
- Public and Private universities operate at the higher education level
- An average of 18000 students’ study at French universities
- Recipients of 70 plus noble prizes, campuses exhibit research opportunities
- Professors with antecedents from diverse countries and cultures
- Schengen VISA option which enables you to move freely in the euro administered countries
- Earn while you learn option as part of studies
- English medium institutions are also available so are the French medium
Eligibility Norms & Profile Suitability
Institutions in the states have set their own standards of selection of students applying to their English language scores
- IELTS/TOEFL - are compulsory for UG courses
- Personal Interview required for engineering programs
- Students should have relevant qualification with bachelors or equivalent diploma certifications
- GRE/GMAT will be required for master’s programs
- Grandes Ecoles programs have their own eligibility requirements for admission
Application Window
While the applications are open until a few months before the program commences it is always good to start applying a good 8 months ahead. Since the timelines vary from institution to institution it is advisable to either go through the website or consult an expert.
Financing and Scholarship
The institutions in France are liberal in providing scholarships based on merit and financial background. There are also foundations who support students with generous scholarship. The students also options to work outside campus to compensate their expenses. For more details of the foundations and the scholarships please visit www.3snext.org