France sees a record rise in foreign students

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The number of international students registered in France rose by 8% in 2021-2022, and went over 400,000: it is the highest growth in 15 years, thanks to the growth of the number of European students. A clear rebound confirmed by recruitment outlooks for the year 2022-2023, with applications on the rise by 18% compared with the pre-pandemic period.

More than 400,000 foreign students in France, up 8% from the previous year

After a year of stagnation in 2020-2021 in the context of the pandemic (-1%), the number of foreign students registers for the year 2021-2022 the stronger interannual growth since 2005: +8% (source Ministry of Higher education and Research/SIES). Including apprentices in higher education, the threshold of 400,000 foreign students in France has just been crossed (400,026).

Foreign students enrolled in higher education in France in 2021-2022

Source: MESR/SIES, 2022

TOP 10: Significant rise in students from neighboring countries in Europe

Among the top 10 countries of origin of students in France, the most significant increases are those of Italian (4th origin, +16%), Spanish (7th, +25%) and Lebanese (9th, +30%) students.

Some origins, which had previously been on the decline, have been on the rise again over the past year (Germany, +17%; USA, +50%). Only mobility from China and Vietnam are still decreasing, with respectively -2% and -4% over one year.

Greatest increase from Europe and the Americas

In terms of areas, figures show a particularly marked recovery over the last year for the Americas, Europe and the Middle East-North Africa (MENA):

Americas: with +15% students, this is the zone that is experiencing the strongest growth, particularly thanks to North America, with a number of students up by 43%. The number of students in Latin America and the Caribbean rose by 14%, and in South America by 4%.
Europe (+13%) has seen the strongest growth over one year after the Americas and is back to a level 10% higher than before the pandemic. Non-EU countries - which now include the United Kingdom - are up by 25%, and EU countries by 9%.
The Middle East and North Africa, the leading zone in terms of the number of students received, increased by 10% over one year and by 32% over five years. And there’s a particularly significant increase from the Middle East (+17%).
Sub-Saharan Africa registered a 5% increase, below the average of 8%: the increase in the number of African students had in fact continued in 2020-21 (+6%). Over five years, the increase remains strong (40%) and above the average (21%).
Asia-Oceania, where student numbers have only increased by 1% over one year, remains the region most affected by the mobility restrictions linked to the pandemic. But after a 9% drop in 2020-21, the situation is stabilising. While China, Vietnam and Australia are in decline, a recovery is emerging in India (+9.5%), Japan (+12%) and Sri Lanka (+17%).

More and more business schools students

Though figures are rising in all institutions, they have jumped in business schools, which have seen an increase of 18%. Foreign students increased by 7% in high school courses, 6% in universities, 5% in art and architecture schools, 3% in engineering schools and 7% in other institutions.

Record number of applications for 2022/2023

This rebound recorded during the academic year 2021/22 seems to be confirmed for the 2022/23 year: at the end of August 2022, more than 140,000 students from 70 countries worldwide had applied via “Etudes en France”. A record number on the rise by 18% compared with the pre-Covid situation [1].

[1] Increase calculated on a like-for-like basis in countries where the “Etudes en France” procedure already existed in 2018/19, reference year before Covid.