Higher Education in...

Imbued with a 1000-year tradition of Scholarships and Grants, the French government has a longstanding policy of equal treatment for domestic and international students. For every admitted student, the French Ministry of HE pays the difference between the true cost of this quality education between 10,000 to 15,000 a year. As a result, every admitted student to any French university in the public sector, will only pay a fraction of the tuition fee, under 200 a year for a Bachelor’s Degree, irrespective of the subject chosen.

In addition, every student regardless of his/her nationality, enjoys the same assisted benefits such as health insurance, housing assistance and reduced transport fee.

Among the 295,000 foreign students of all nationalities currently studying in France, more than 58,000 come from over 40 countries in Asia. Currently, there are network initiatives in the process of signing cooperation agreements with HE institutions in Sri Lanka, including the Universities of Moratuwa and Peradeniya

Dasith De Silva who has a Masters in Physics in English, at the Ecloe Normale Superieure-Ulm Paris, said of his time in France, “The best place to study Physics is in France. A lot of Masters programmes are offered in English, especially in the Sciences. One of the aspects of studying in French institutions is the ability to interact with professors and students from other universities. I shall be doing a year's study at Pierre and Marie Curie University, which is very important to me, as you do not just study in one place.”