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Preparing
for your stay in France
Taking
time to prepare your departure is vital in making a success of your
time in France. Finding out as much as you can about your host country,
choosing your curriculum with care, enrolling in higher education,
obtaining a student’s residence permit – these are all
essential steps in the curriculum to departure. Leaving for abroad
also implies that you can provide for yourself financially during
your stay (grant, benefits, family backing).
 You,
the candidate, must take time to think through all these aspects
carefully. By doing so now you will create the right decisions for
success.
The conditions
governing your entry into France for an extended stay for study
purposes differ from those applicable to tourist travel.
Application
for provisional admission to join a university course
Once the subject and place of study have been decided upon, first
and second year candidates must obtain by mail or in person from
the cultural services section of the French Embassy in their country,
an application form, the demande d’admission prelable. The
form must be completed and submitted by students who have a non-French
school-leaving certificate and who wish to enroll for the first
time in any of the following: first and second year at university,
first year in medical school and or/ odontology, first year in pharmaceutical
school and first year law school.
Special Cases
- Candidates
living in France who hold a residence permit valid for at least
one year must obtain the form from the university of their first
choice.
- Candidates
from European Union countries are not required to produce a residence
permit.
Choosing
a University
Studetns are allowed to choose two universities, indicating order
of preference, with the exception of the Parisian area which is
split into three academies: Paris, Creteil, versailles: here, only
one university may be chosen. Once the application form has been
completed and the required documents assembled, send them to the
service that provided the original admission form. If your application
for admission is turned down by your first choice university, they
will forward all documents to the second choice institution.
In the event
of refusal
If both universities send a negative reply and providing the grades
obtained in the French language proficiency test permit, it is possible
to appeal to requesting re-orientation. This request must be made
in writing and arrive before July 10, addressed to Le Ministre de
l’Education nationale, de l’Enseignement superieur et
de la Recherche – Direction de l’Enseignement Superieur
– 61, Rue Dutot, 75732 paris cedex 15. You will receive a response
before September 15.
N.B. Refusal
of admission to deuxieme cycle (the finalo two years of a degree
course) does not automatically grant admission to premier cycle
(the first two years of a degree course). Thwe candidate is thus
advised to request provisionakl admission to Premier Cycle
Appeals
The letter of appeal must be accompanied by a photocopy of the numbered
receipt, photocopies of the negative replies with your French proficiency
test grades, and a photocopy of the original school leaving certificate(s)
issued in your country allowing access to higher education, together
with a certified translation. The appeal is only receivable if candidate
has received at least 20 in the language proficiency test. All requests
in writing must be made in French and include full details of level
of education, subject choice and place of residence.
 Recognition
of diplomas and graduate certificates
The student’s foreign diploma must be recognised by a French
entity. There is no auto0matic legal equivalent between French diplomas
and overseas diplomas. In consequence of this, the decisions concerning
recognition of diplomas are taken, following the propositions of
a teaching commission, by the president or director of the university
or educational establishment at which the student would like to
enroll. For registration of first year and second year courses there
is preliminary admission procedure, including a French language
test (contact your French Embassy).
French Language
Proficiency Test
To gain admittance into a higher education institution or to receive
a positive reply to your application for provisional admission,
you will have to show an adequate command of the French language.
Candidates must pass a language test which normally takes place
during the latter half of February. In the country of origin this
test is organised by the cultural services section of the French
Embassy. In France the language test is organised by the first-choice
university to which the candidate has sent his/her request.
The test consists
of two parts tailored to the chosen study subjects:
- Scientific,
technical, medical or pharmaceutical studies; or
- Literary,
artistic, human sciences, legal, political, economic or management
studies.
The first part
tests the candidate’s understanding of written and oral French:
the second assesses written proficiency. The test subjects are the
same regardless of where the test is taken, and are chosen annually
by a teaching committee with members appointed by the minister of
National Education, Research and Technology.
Long-stay
student residence permit
Obtaining a visa
Students planning to study in France must apply for information
about conditions of entry into France and obtaining a long-stay
student residence permit (visa) at the French Consulate closest
to their home.
No visa,
no legal status
It is not possible for a student travelling with a tourist visa
to switch to a student residence permit once in France (this goes
for European union countries as well). It is imperative that candidates
obtain a residence permit before leaving their own country.
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