There have never been so many students in higher education in metropolitan France and the overseas departments: almost 2,350,000 at the start of the 2011-12 academic year. Numbers continued to increase (+1.2%), mainly thanks to an influx of new baccalauréat holders. The increase in numbers is still particularly high in recognised business schools awarding approved diplomas and in engineering schools. The decline in numbers since last year at Technological university institutes (¦Institut universitaire de technologie - ¦IUT) and for those entering classes preparing for admission to Grandes Écoles (¦Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles - ¦CPGE) has continued. The private sector has got stronger once again and now accounts for more than one student in six. There are still more women with higher education diplomas than men. The number of foreign students is increasing (+1.3%) in the same proportion as the number of French students: foreign students represent one student in eight. The number of Chinese students rose slightly: +2%. Three quarters of the education authorities saw their student numbers increase.
At the start of the 2012-13 academic year, according to forecasts based on the provisional results of the baccalauréat and the course choices seen in previous years, student numbers seemed set to increase by 1.5% across higher education as a whole.
The number of students entering higher education increased, with this rise probably linked with the new influx of students with a vocational baccalauréat from the 2012 exam session. Looking ahead to 2021, the number of general baccalauréat holders will probably increase by 12.1% compared with 2011, while the number of technological baccalauréat holders seems set to decline by 9.6%. Numbers of students with a vocational baccalauréat will adjust after the cyclical peak of 2012 (-9.5% between 2012 and 2021), but are likely to remain higher than in 2011 (+9.7%). Following this influx of general baccalauréats, if trends in terms of career guidance and continuing education were to continue, student numbers would likely increase by 11% in universities between 2011 and 2021, 9.5% in classes preparing for admission to Grandes Écoles (Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles - CPGE) and 4.5% in Technological university institutes (¦Institut universitaire de technologie - ¦IUT). The increase in Advanced technician’s sections (¦Section de technicien supérieur - ¦STS) will probably be more moderate (3.1%).
Higher Education and Research, Facts and Figures provides an annual overview, backed up by figures, of the French higher education and research system, in order to show where the country stands internationally and to monitor changes, especially over the long term.
Funding, human resources, access to higher education, study paths, pass rates, qualifications, integration of graduates into working life, student life, research in biotechnology or nanotechnology, participation in FP7, publications, patents, etc. - all these topics are covered in the 42 fact sheets that make up the 5th edition (2011) of this work.
At the start of the 2011-12 academic year, according to forecasts based on the provisional results of the baccalauréat and the course choices seen in previous years, student numbers looked set to increase by 1.7% across all of higher education. Numbers of students entering were higher following the increase in the number of baccalauréat candidates at the 2011 session and the trend among the general and technological baccalauréat holders to pursue their studies at university. Looking ahead to 2020, numbers of general and technological baccalauréat holders are likely to increase by 2.3% compared with 2010. The reform of the vocational baccalauréat over three years, which was started in 2009, will probably cause a significant increase in the number of vocational baccalauréat holders (+70,000). After this influx, if the trends in terms of career guidance and continuing education were to continue, student numbers would rise between 2010 and 2020 by 10.1% in universities, by 1.2% in Technological university institutes (¦Institut universitaire de technologie - ¦IUT) and by 7.4% in classes preparing for admission to Grandes Écoles (¦Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles - ¦CPGE). As vocational baccalauréat holders are more likely to continue their studies in Advanced technician’s sections (¦Section de technicien supérieur - ¦STS), numbers in this study track are also likely to rise by 6.8% between 2010 and 2020.
Higher Education and Research, Facts and Figures 2010 provides an annual overview, backed up by figures, of the French higher education and research system, in order to show where the country stands internationally and to monitor changes, especially over the long term. Funding, human resources, access to higher education, pass rates, qualifications, integration of graduates into working life, student life, research in biotechnology or nanotechnology, participation in FP7, publications, patents, etc. - all these topics are covered in the 35 fact sheets that make up the 4th edition (2010) of this work.
As in previous editions, this 4th edition of The State of Higher Education and Research presents a detailed overview, backed up by figures, of current developments within the French system, the resources it deploys and its outcomes, situating it, wherever data permit, in relation to its international counterparts.
At the start of the 2010-11 academic year, according to forecasts based on the provisional results of the baccalauréat and the course choices seen in previous years, student numbers seemed set to increase by 1.4% across higher education as a whole. The number of students continuing their studies into 2010-11 was up in healthcare and law; there was a decrease in enrolments in first year at university, but all programmes combined, there was an overall increase in university student numbers (excluding University technology institutes (¦Institut universitaire de technologie - ¦IUT)). Looking ahead to 2019, there are expected to be 20,000 more enrolments in the four main study paths: universities, Advanced technician’s sections (¦Section de technicien supérieur - ¦STS), classes preparing for admission to Grandes Écoles (¦Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles - ¦CPGE), and non-university engineering courses. Box: main assumptions used for forecasts.