Is it true that French public university only costs 500 euros per year even for foreign students?

Question

Is it true that French public university only costs 500 euros per year even for foreign students?

Answer 1

Not only should you take heed of all the previous responses but if you're an American consider this.

The French equivalent of k-12 is, in my opinion, vastly tougher than its American counterpart. You'll be stunned to find how far behind you are compared to  your French counterpart. Indeed, something like a quarter of all American college freshmen must take remedial reading courses because they are barely literate.

On the other hand, if you are a solid student from a top American High School (Stuyvesant or Bronx Science in New York or Boston Latin) so that this is not a problem then you'll find French colleges dreary, underfunded, poorly equipped and overcrowded. [ the exception is the Grande Ecoles]

Answer 2

Yes. 500 euros is the max. You can also pay less or nothing. It will depend on your parents salary etc...

Answer 3

totally true, and you often pay less than 500euros THis year, I paid only 319euros, for the whole year

Answer 4

Yes, it is true. However all the teaching is in French so you need to get very good at it. You'll need to pass particular language tests before you are eligible for college.

Answer 5

Millie is absolutely right. Especially about the lack of a campus type experience. Most of the students live at home (in fact, that is expected), which certainly doesn't help to a "campus" experience.

Just to add a couple more points.

The failure rate is horrendous. At my local university in the Paris North East  suburbs, only about 30% of the students pass from the first year to the second (for the biology DEUG at any rate).

Another thing, because the cost is virtually free, most people enroll at at university on leaving school (they are entitled to do so provided they have passed the Bac) and many of them do not take it at all seriously. It's worth it just for the health insurance and to be entitled to the transport card ("Imagine-R") and other advantages.

Answer 6

Laurence B is absolutely right. You must not only take a proficiency test in French, you must also show that you have the equivalent of the Baccalauréat (French high school diploma).

Be ready for a shock too adjusting to the grading system. Although grades are out of 20 and not 100 like here, a 60 % is considered quite good, 70 % good and 80 % very good. No positive reinforcement in the French system.

If you don't work hard, you fail, since you don't pay and are therefore not a client, they are not there to satisfy the "client". The failure and drop out rates are much higher. Selection is not made by money but by results.

Also, in most places you won't get that nice campus experience like in America. In France you go to your classes and then you go home. It doesn't mean there can't be a friendly atmosphere, I had a blast in college and I loved it, but I just wanted to warn you that it's very different and what differences to expect.

Answer 7

Yeah it's true but you need to pass the french test before hand. Also expect the classes to be extremely crowded. It's not like in the States where you get that one on one attention. In France the teachers don't care about you. If you can't keep up the pace or don't understand something then you have to work it out yourself in your own time. Not always easy.