14% of students in French higher education are foreign nationals

France remains a top destination for students from all over the world. There are now over 412,000 in the country, up 3% over one year and 17% over five years[1]. Students from the continent of Europe (EU and non-EU), sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa represent the largest contingents - see Appendix 1. The number of Asian students in France remains stable, thanks in particular to the increase in the number of Indian students, which offsets the decrease in the number of Chinese students on exchange programmes. Globally, France maintains its 6th place among host countries for student mobility (Appendix 3). 

Morocco, Algeria and China are still the three main countries of origin of international students in France (Appendix 2), and 21 of the top 25 contingents of international students are increasing in 2022-2023, with a particularly strong rise in the number of Italian, Spanish, Lebanese, Congolese and Indian students. The number of Ukrainian students has also doubled in one year (+111%), an increase linked to the continuing war.

French students prefer neighbouring or French-speaking countries

In 2021, more than 105,000 French students went abroad to study for a degree. This figure has risen by 16% since 2016, making France the 6th most popular country of origin for internationally mobile students. Their destinations are mainly neighbouring or French-speaking countries: Belgium, the UK, Canada, Switzerland and Spain (Appendix 4). France is also the leading country of origin for Erasmus+ students and staff, with almost 53,000 people leaving in 2022, an increase of 36% in one year. Their preferred destinations are Spain, Germany and Italy.

 
Worldwide, mobility for study purposes is resuming after the pandemic-related hiatus

The latest comparative data available at the global level is for 2021, a year in which the number of mobile students stagnated due to the pandemic. The number of students enrolled in the United States, Australia, Canada, China and Japan fell to an all-time low, according to data published by UNESCO's statistical institute, the OECD and Eurostat (Appendix 3). But the impact of Covid has been far from uniform: the UK, Germany and Turkey have continued to attract more and more students in 2021, while France has maintained its numbers. 

The various national reports available since 2021 show that mobility has picked up again and that more mobile students have returned to the main host countries. However, recently announced changes in public policy and measures to limit the number of mobile students in certain major host countries - namely Canada, the UK, and the Netherlands - could slow the growth in student mobility.

[1] Students of foreign nationality enrolled in French higher education for the 2022-2023 academic year. This includes apprenticeship students in higher technician sections.