Reception of international students: Campus France gathers 300 participants in Nancy for the 10 years of the Seminar of Reception

For its 10 years anniversary, the Seminar of reception by Campus France offers to discuss the changes in the reception of international students in institutions over the last 10 years, and gives the floor to experts, but also participants to identify the improvements to drive in the next years. For the first time, the event is organised at the University of Lorraine, an institution committed in the reception of international students currently registering more than 9,000.

Who is this event directed to?

The Colloque de l’accueil is directed towards all representatives of higher education institutions, and specifically the services of international relations, education, and reception and student life. Every year, this event is an opportunity to put the spotlights on the best practices and assess the legal and regulation changes regarding the reception of international students: residence permits, social security, etc.

Each year, the Colloque de l’accueil aims at responding to the different issues faced by the reception services of institutions by gathering all stakeholders of the “chain of reception”: institutions, ministries and public operators, diplomatic posts in foreign countries, institutional partners, but also cities, regions and associations which are on a daily basis in contact with international students.

With over 412,087 international students in 2024, up 3% compared to 2021-2022, France is currently the 6th world destination for student mobility (see the Key figures of student mobility by Campus France).

Focus region: Greater Nancy, about 10,000 international students

In 2022-2023, the Greater Nancy city authority has welcomed about 10,000 international students, i.e. 14% of students of the city. This number has sharply increased since 2018, with a 37% growth rate, compared to the 25% average for France. Among these students, 90% study in the university (64% at national scale). Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Luxemburg and Italy are the five countries sending the most students in the city (source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Higher Education and Research/SIES 2022-2023).

At regional scale, the Grand Est region has welcomed 31,950 international students in 2022-2023, which represents 7.7% of all foreign students in France. These students make up for 15.5% of all students registered in the region. A great majority (80%) are registered in the university. In the region, the academy of Strasburg attracts most students, with 15,540 foreign students, followed by the Academy of Nancy-Metz with 11,040 students and Reims, with 5,370 (Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Higher Education and Research/SIES 2022-2023).

Check out the “Student mobility in France regions” keynote

Since 2014, the Colloque de l’accueil is a space of synergy between higher education institutions and various administrations in relation with international students, and encourages the streamlining of processes for all audiences while promoting the sharing of good practices of institutions. The organisation of this event at the University of Lorraine shows the importance of reception and integration of international students in the Greater Nancy area, the Grand Est region and France in general.