Attention bargain shoppers!
Each university student costs French taxpayers 9132 euros on average per year, while tuition fees amount to only 175 euros for a bachelors and 235 euros for a masters. As a result, the number of foreign students--in particular from China--has been rising. In 1999 2000 Chinese students enrolled in French universities; this year it's 22,000!
Jean-Pascal Gayant, writing in Le Monde, asks if it still makes sense to subsidize relatively affluent foreign students in a time of economic crisis. China has evolved. Perhaps France should too.
Don't count on French universities to be able to discuss this calmly and come up with a solution, he warns. Their budgets depend on the number of students, and they have no incentive to risk ruffling feathers by suggesting tuition hikes or quotas. A former university vice-president, Gayant suggests that it may be time for law makers to get involved in order to preserve the tradition of welcoming foreign students in universities that have become "Chinese auberges"*.
These fees concern France's public universities, including the Sorbonne.
Tuition is higher at private universities, engineering, business and professional trade schools.
It is so expensive for international students to study in France. I know, I did it! I had to return to the U.S. because it was becoming TOO expensive. I'm surprised so many Chinese are doing it. That's great but I wonder how people can afford to during this economically trying time.
Posted by: Danielle | 13 March 2010 at 10:59
I do think they need to re-evaluate. I am from NY and if you are not a resident of NY your college tuition i much more higher than if you are a resident of NY
Posted by: NYer | 23 February 2010 at 15:55