. This figure has been constantly increasing since 1980, when less than half as many people were studying after their baccalaureate.
This democratization of higher education is due in part to a change in the French economy over the last few decades. Formerly very agricultural and industrialized, the French economy is now
, with jobs to be filled that require increased specialization and therefore an increase in the length of study.
French students are still going to public universities
Higher education in France is fragmented among several institutions: public universities, private schools (business, engineering), and short professional courses.
The university was the institution that received the most students during the 2021-2022 academic year, representing more than half of the student population. They were therefore far ahead of
business and engineering schools, which registered between 173,000 and 250,000 students.
Although universities are popular among most French people, it is the business schools that have the wind in their sails. The number of
students enrolled in these private schools has not stopped increasing since 2000, going from 63,400 to nearly 250,000 in 2023.
Private and public education and social inequalities
The principle of free or quasi-free education is a fundamental principle of European and French education. Moreover, some students are exempt from paying tuition fees. Indeed, scholarships based on social criteria are awarded to students with low family incomes.
The differences in the amount of grants awarded and the number of recipients vary considerably depending on the field of study chosen. For instance, in 2022, more than half of students in higher technician training
were eligible for a grant, and therefore came from a low-income family, compared to only 11 percent of business school students. The inequalities continue to exist in the labor market as well. For example, in 2023, about 44 percent of French people who did not study after obtaining their baccalaureate
were unemployed and looking for work, compared with 12 percent of those who had completed a short-term course of higher education, and nine percent of those who had completed a long-term program.
Academic research in France
Since 2010, the French government's investment in research and development has not increased. In 2010,
around 2.2 percent of GDP was spent on research, in 2022, the rate was the same.
In addition, the
number of PhDs in France has stagnated over the same period, ranging from 11,000 to 14,000.
However, the
number of researchers has increased year after year since 2008, reaching more than 333,000 in 2021.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no
liability for the information given being complete or correct.
Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
data than referenced in the text.
