France: A New Destination for Higher Studies
With the UK losing sheen as a destination for
higher studies, other European countries such as France are becoming popular.
There are now more than 800 masters programmes
taught in English, in all fields, across universities in France, besides
affordable tuition fees.
“France is the best choice for Indian students
who want to study in an international environment and get acquainted with the
European way of learning and doing business. For instance, more than 50% of the
faculty and student body at HEC Paris or Sciences Po Paris are not French,“
said Caroline Guény-Mentré, attaché for scientific and university cooperation,
Campus France in India.She added, that globally , France is the third most
popular destination for international students with great research facilities
and easy access to world-renowned academics.
Significantly , the Indian student community has
been growing in France with about 3,000 having gone there for higher education
in 2014, a jump of 15% compared to 2013 and of 50% over the past five years.
“In 2015, we are aiming for an even higher growth, especially if the rupee-euro
exchange rate remains as favourable as it is now,“ said Guény-Mentré.
To encourage this
trend, the French government recently announced advantages for foreign students
who wish to stay in France to gain work experience.François Richier, the
ambassador of France in India, announced the grant of five-year visas to all
Indian alumni of French institutes who hold a masters or any post-graduate
degree.
“The five-year
visa granted to Indian alumni of French masters and PhD programmes will allow
them to travel freely be tween India and Europe that is, not only France, but
the entire Schengen area, including Germany , Italy or Switzerland,“
Guény-Mentré said. She added that families would be able to avail themselves of
the visas.
“Indian students
thus know they will be able to maintain all the connections they will have made
during their studies in France.They can also apply for a visa extension of one
year to look for a permanent position in France, in keeping with their field of
studies,“ Guény-Mentré said.
The fact that
higher education in France is considered more affordable than many other
western destinations also attracts students from India. “For a two-year masters
course at our institute, the tuition works out to about 9,000 a year and all other
expenses at 600 a month.
During the course, international students can do paid
internships and after their courses, they can join PhD programmes or jobs with
private companies where they will earn an average salary of 1,500 per month to start
with,“ said Eric Climent, a joint director at Institut National Polytechnique
de Toulouse, a university that offers various courses in engineering and
sciences.
Shreyas Aithal an
engineering student from Manipal University who is now doing a MBA at ESCP
Europe, chose the course because it is spread over five different European
cities. “I am now doing my first year in Paris but will later go to the other
campuses as well which will give me an exposure to the business environment
across Europe. Besides, US business schools usually have a requirement of
longer work experience before joining the MBA courses. I had work experience
for a year before I joined this course and the average is same for most of my
class. The other advantage is that we are allowed to work for 20 hours a week
while doing this course,“ Aithal told ET.
Ishani
Duttagupta ET9FEB15
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