Nearly ***** million people were enrolled in a higher education institute in France for the 2023/2024 academic year. University students represented more than half of the student population in France. Engineering and business schools had between ******* and ******* students in their classrooms.

The number of students registered at universities in France has increased since 1980. There were ******* students in French universities in 1980, compared to almost *** million in 2023. Studying at university in France The education system in France is highly centralized and organized by the French Ministry of Education. After graduation, French students could go to one of the 625 universities in the country and choose to follow degree courses on subjects as different as law, sciences, or economics. In 2020-2021, most of students registered at university in France were following an art and humanities degree course. Despite the recent democratization of higher education, it seems that most of university students were sons and daughters of individuals who were executives or had liberal professions like lawyer. Other higher education institutes in France One of the most prestigious types of higher education institutions in France is schools called Grandes Écoles. These schools offer rigorous training and give a highly recognized diploma after five years of study. The majority of students admitted to these institutions first spent two years in preparatory classes and are eligible to enter the school after taking a competitive examination. Other alternatives to university are two-year-long trainings called BTS (technician certificate) or DUT (university degree in technology). In France, more than ** percent of individuals aged 25 and over had an upper secondary or tertiary education attainment in 2022.

In 2023/2024, more than *** million students were enrolled in a higher education structure in France. Since 1980, the number of students has more than doubled. That year there were more than **** million students in higher education in the country, compared to **** million in 2000 and this number has kept rising since then. In 2022, Eurostat showed that more than ** percent of individuals aged 25 and over had attained an upper secondary or tertiary education in France. The democratization of higher education in France The rising number of students registered in higher education in France shows that higher education has become more accessible and widespread within the French population. French public universities are financed by the State and welcomed around *** million students in 2022, of which the majority were following a degree course in Art and Humanities. In comparison, only ******* students were registered at university in France in 1980. The same increase in the number of students has been seen in preparatory classes for entrance to the selective engineering, business, or management schools called Grandes Ecoles. The limits of the attractiveness of the French education system Only two French universities were found in the ranking by Times Higher Education of the top European Universities in 2024. Despite having 625 universities in 2023, France appears to be struggling when it comes to reaching the top universities in Europe. Even though more training is now provided in English, the French language could have been an obstacle to attracting international prestige.

School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) in France was reported at 71.42 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Data about the number of English-language students enrolled in French as a Second Language (FSL) classes. Information is broken down by elementary and secondary panels for each district school board. Includes: * board number * board name * FSL - core elementary enrolment * FSL - core secondary enrolment * FSL - core total enrolment * FSL - extended elementary enrolment * FSL - extended secondary enrolment * FSL - extended total enrolment * FSL - immersion elementary enrolment * FSL - immersion secondary enrolment * FSL - immersion total enrolment * FSL - total elementary enrolment * FSL - total secondary enrolment * total FSL enrolment FSL data is reported by schools to the Ontario School Information System (OnSIS), October Submissions. The following English-language school types are included: * public * catholic To protect privacy, numbers are suppressed in categories with less than 10 students. Suppressed totals or cells that could be used to derive data in suppressed cell are depicted with "SP". Note: * Starting 2018-2019, enrolment numbers have been rounded to the nearest five. * Where sum/totals are required, actual totals are calculated and then rounded to the nearest 5. As such, rounded numbers may not add up to the reported rounded totals. ## Related * College enrolment * College enrolments - 1996 to 2011 * University enrolment * Enrolment by grade in secondary schools * School enrolment by gender * Second language course enrolment * Course enrolment in secondary schools * Enrolment by grade in elementary schools *[FSL]: French as a Second Language

During the 2023/2024 academic year in France, the majority of students enrolled at university were following a degree course in Art and Humanities. There were more than ******* individuals studying areas as diverse as archaeology, philosophy, history, or literature. Who are the university students in France? During the academic year 2022/2023, there were almost 1.6 million university students registered in France. Alongside Art and Humanities, Science was also one of the most popular degree courses among university students in France. The country counted more than 620 universities in 2023, which welcome a majority of French students, even though the number of students coming from other countries has been increasing in recent years. In 2023/24, ** percent of foreign students in France were from Maghreb countries, which include French-speaking countries like Morocco or Algeria. The cost of being a university student France is known for being a country where annual tuition fees for third-level education are rather low compared to other countries like the United States or England. The annual tuition fee for domestic students in France amounts to *** US dollars, while it reaches more than ****** US dollars in England. However, these lower fees do not necessarily prevent students from financial difficulties. In 2019, nearly ** percent of French students stated having financial problems throughout the year, while renting a student studio in the biggest cities of France is becoming more and more expensive.

France: Ratio of female to male students in tertiary level education: The latest value from 2022 is 1.24 percent, an increase from 1.23 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 1.21 percent, based on data from 117 countries. Historically, the average for France from 1979 to 2022 is 1.15 percent. The minimum value, 0.87 percent, was reached in 1980 while the maximum of 1.24 percent was recorded in 2022.

This graph shows the percentage of students enrolled in higher education in France during the academic year *********, distributed by age. It reveals that *** percent of responding students were aged under 18 years old.

This graph illustrates the percentage of students enrolled in higher education in France during the academic year 2019-2020, distributed by nationality. It shows that 86.1 percent of responding students were of French nationality.

Data about the number of students enrolled in second language courses. Information is specific to publicly funded secondary schools at the provincial level. Second language courses include: * APD (Anglais pour debutant) * ALF (Actualisation linguistique en français) * PDF (Perfectionnement linguistique du français) * ESL (English as a Second Language) * ELD (English Literacy Development) * FSL (French as a Second Language) * NL (Native Languages) Data includes: * course code * course description * grade * pathway or destination * enrolment Note: Students enrolled in a course more than once are counted each time they enroll. Source: Course enrolment data is reported by schools to the Ontario School Information System. The following secondary schools are included: * public * Catholic To protect privacy, numbers are suppressed in categories with less than 10 students. Note: * Starting 2018-2019, enrolment numbers have been rounded to the nearest five. * Where sum/totals are required, actual totals are calculated and then rounded to the nearest 5. As such, rounded numbers may not add up to the reported rounded totals. ## Related * French as a Second Language enrolment * College enrolment * College enrolments - 1996 to 2011 * University enrolment * Enrolment by grade in secondary schools * School enrolment by gender * Course enrolment in secondary schools * Enrolment by grade in elementary schools

FR: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data was reported at 97.522 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 97.545 % for 2014. FR: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data is updated yearly, averaging 98.448 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2015, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.426 % in 1990 and a record low of 97.522 % in 2015. FR: Educational Attainment: At Least Completed Primary: Population 25+ Years: Total: % Cumulative data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.World Bank: Education Statistics. The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed primary education.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; ;

This dataset offers a set of statistics on the number of students enrolled from 2006-07 to 2022-23 per public institution under the supervision of the French Ministry of Higher Education: universities, Technology Universities, Large Institutions, COMUE, Normal Graduate Schools, Central Schools, INSA, Other Engineering Schools... Unless otherwise noted, the indicators proposed in this dataset do not take into account double CPGE registrations The number of students enrolled in parallel in IFSI (Institutes for Nursing Training) is not taken into account in the number of institutions. **** The data are taken from the Student Monitoring Information System (SISE). Registrations are observed on January 15, except for the University of New Caledonia, which has additional time to take into account the Southern calendar. Each line of this dataset provides an institution’s statistics for one academic year. This game unitely declines a set of variables on the student (sex, baccalaureate, age at the baccalaureate, national attractiveness, international attractiveness) and the training he mainly follows (cursus LMD, type of diploma, diploma, major discipline, discipline and disciplinary sector). The geographical data provided in this game relate to the seat of the institution and not the actual location of the training followed by the student. Cross-sectional and more detailed data are available in the dataset “Staff of students enrolled in public institutions under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education](https://data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/explore/dataset/fr-esr-sise-effectifs-d-etudiants-inscrits-esr-public/)”. National Framework of Training and Conventions EPSCP-CPGE: impacts on measured workforce changes Two regulatory provisions impact developments from 2018-19 onwards and create statistical breaks: - The new National Training Framework (CNF), put in place for Bachelor’s degrees. The CNF significantly reduces the number of diploma titles. Some of these titles have become more precise, leading to an easier ranking by discipline: this is the case for science licences, less frequently classified in “Plurisciences”, but more in “fundamental sciences and applications” or “sciences of nature and life”. On the other hand, other titles are more general, particularly in literary disciplines (e.g. license mention Humanities) and are more frequently classified as “plurilettres, languages, humanities”. - The progressive implementation of agreements between high schools with preparatory classes for the Grandes écoles (CPGE) and the public institutions of a scientific, cultural and professional nature (EPSCP), of which universities belong, significantly increases the number of LMD license registrations from this year onwards, even if double enrolments were already possible and effective before. University enrolments include these double registrations. These two developments mainly impact the workforce detailed by discipline in L1, which hosts the vast majority of new entrants. The impact on total staff is more marginal. Developments taking into account double listings are at constant regulatory scope. — In 2015-2016 the 2014-15 data for these institutions were renewed: University of New Caledonia, ENS Cachan, ENS Rennes. For more information on this dataset, see dataset documentation.

This graph shows the percentage of students enrolled at university in France during the academic year *********, distributed by social background. The survey reveals that ** percent of the respondents declared having a social background of working class, whereas ** percent of them answered they were from the upper class.

Data about the number of English-language students enrolled in French as a Second Language (FSL) classes. Information is broken down by elementary and secondary panels for each district school board. Includes: * board number * board name * FSL - core elementary enrolment * FSL - core secondary enrolment * FSL - core total enrolment * FSL - extended elementary enrolment * FSL - extended secondary enrolment * FSL - extended total enrolment * FSL - immersion elementary enrolment * FSL - immersion secondary enrolment * FSL - immersion total enrolment * FSL - total elementary enrolment * FSL - total secondary enrolment * total FSL enrolment FSL data is reported by schools to the Ontario School Information System (OnSIS), October Submissions. The following English-language school types are included: * public * catholic To protect privacy, numbers are suppressed in categories with less than 10 students. Suppressed totals or cells that could be used to derive data in suppressed cell are depicted with "SP". Note: * Starting 2018-2019, enrolment numbers have been rounded to the nearest five. * Where sum/totals are required, actual totals are calculated and then rounded to the nearest 5. As such, rounded numbers may not add up to the reported rounded totals. ## Related * College enrolment * College enrolments - 1996 to 2011 * University enrolment * Enrolment by grade in secondary schools * School enrolment by gender * Second language course enrolment * Course enrolment in secondary schools * Enrolment by grade in elementary schools *[FSL]: French as a Second Language

This statistic shows the distribution of students enrolled at university in France during the academic year *********, by degree course and social origin. It appears that more than ** percent of students enrolled at university in a literature, art, or language degree had parents who were executive officers or had a liberal profession.

This statistic shows the distribution of students enrolled at university who stated never having had sex in France in a survey from 2016, broken down by age and by gender. It reveals that ** percent of responding female students and ** percent of male students under 20 years of age in 2016 never had sex.

Data about the number of students enrolled in second language courses. Information is specific to publicly funded secondary schools at the provincial level. Second language courses include: * APD (Anglais pour debutant) * ALF (Actualisation linguistique en français) * PDF (Perfectionnement linguistique du français) * ESL (English as a Second Language) * ELD (English Literacy Development) * FSL (French as a Second Language) * NL (Native Languages) Data includes: * course code * course description * grade * pathway or destination * enrolment Note: Students enrolled in a course more than once are counted each time they enroll. Source: Course enrolment data is reported by schools to the Ontario School Information System. The following secondary schools are included: * public * Catholic To protect privacy, numbers are suppressed in categories with less than 10 students. Note: * Starting 2018-2019, enrolment numbers have been rounded to the nearest five. * Where sum/totals are required, actual totals are calculated and then rounded to the nearest 5. As such, rounded numbers may not add up to the reported rounded totals. ## Related * French as a Second Language enrolment * College enrolment * College enrolments - 1996 to 2011 * University enrolment * Enrolment by grade in secondary schools * School enrolment by gender * Course enrolment in secondary schools * Enrolment by grade in elementary schools

This dataset contains different measures of plosives produced by 16 Norwegian learners of French as a third language during a reading task and a repetition task. The data are extracted from two corpora collected within the framework of the IPFC project (Interphonologie du français contemporain): the Tromsø corpus with high school students, and the Oslo corpus with university students enrolled in a first year course on French phonetics and phonology. The dataset contains four files: A readme file, the word list used during the reading and repetition tasks, a data file containing all measures, and a text file presenting average values and VOT ranges for the individual informants.

The majority of pre-university students enrolled in the academic year 2022/2023 in Romania were studying French as their second foreign language - **** million students, followed by German and English.

Abstract

High quality postgraduate training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related disciplines in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is important to strengthen research evidence to advance development and ensure countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Equally, participation of women in STEM careers is vital, to ensure that countries develop economies that work for all their citizens. However, women and girls remain underrepresented in STEM due to gender stereotyping, lack of visible role models, and unsupportive policies and work environments. Therefore, there is a need to consolidate information on participation and experiences of women in STEM related postgraduate training and careers in SSA to enhance their contribution to realizing the SDGs. The primary objective of this study is to examine the participation and experiences of women in postgraduate training, and their subsequent recruitment, retention and progression in STEM careers in East Africa. A secondary objective is to establish the gender gaps in training and career engagement in selected STEM related academic disciplines in East Africa. The descriptive study will employ a mixed methods approach, including a scoping review, qualitative interviews, and quantitative analysis of secondary data. We will synthesize results to inform the development of an effective gendered approach and framework to improve participation and experiences of women in STEM training and career engagements in SSA. We will conduct the study over a period of five years.

Geographic coverage

Regional coverage (East Africa Region)

Analysis unit

Individual Women in STEM

Universe

Qualitative data: Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in postgraduate training and career Quantitative data: Postgraduate students, faculty, reseachers and supervisors (both men and women) in STEM in Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) member Universitiies

Sampling procedure

The study utilized a purposive sampling technique and targeted all universities that offered doctoral programs in applied sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics. At the time, only 23 of the 74 universities in Kenya—equivalent to 30%—offered doctoral degrees in STEM. It was assumed that a similar or lower percentage would be found in the other five countries, namely Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan.

Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants from purposively selected universities and national higher education commissions and agencies for the study. In universities, all students enrolled in doctoral programs in STEM were considered. Additionally, female and male students' lecturers, supervisors, mentors, and other faculty members and researchers in the identified institutions were also considered for participation in the study.

Purposive sampling of doctoral students, faculty, and early career researchers (post-doctoral fellows within the first six years since receiving their PhD) was conducted using the following inclusion criteria:

Inclusion criteria i. Worked in a STEM field/discipline ii. Enrolled in a doctoral program within a STEM field iii. Early career researchers in a STEM field in research organizations iv. Faculty in a STEM field at a university

Additionally, registrars, postgraduate training coordinators, heads of departments, and officials from national agencies and ministries related to postgraduate training and research were purposively selected from all the identified universities to provide input on existing policies, guidelines, and enrollment data. For each of the mentioned groups, 7-12 interviews were conducted, totaling 60 interviews.

Sampling deviation

Qualitative For the Key informant interviews one participant was interviewed from the engineers board despite the scope being Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) member Universities.

Quantitative The online survey was completed by some researchers not working/teaching in IUCEA member universities

Mode of data collection

Other [oth]

Research instrument

Quantitative data collection A. Online Survey This was carried out through an online survey questionnaire that was circulated via email and other digital platforms such as WhatsApp. The questionnaire had various parts: Part A - Participants characteristics This section mainly collected demographic details such as age, gender, nationality, residence, marital status, income, highest level of education completed, year of study, supervision and mentoship relationship, field of study in STEM (Science, Technology, Enginnering and Mathematics), mode of funding of postgraduate degree,

Part B - Status of Gender equality This section collected information on students enrollment and graduation in masters and PhD in STEM looking at gender distribution,

Part C - Factors that contribute to participation of women in STEM This section collected information on the factors or situations encountered while pursuing career in STEM in your specific discipline

Part D - Strategies for Optimizing Women's Engagement in STEM This section collected information on the strategies can maximize engagement of women in STEM training PhD level and subsequent careers

Part E - Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's progression In this section collected information on COVID-19 pandemic affect on research progress or deadline for submission of thesis, COVID-19 pandemic affect on current research funding, COVID-19 pandemic caused researchers to work from home, working from affected progress in studies, any direct responsibilities caring for children, number of children being taken care of, change of domestic work responsibilities since the COVID-19 outbreak, change of domestic work responsibilities since the COVID-19 outbreak on studies, COVID-19 pandemic affect on access to these research tools which inlude: Computer or laptop, Reliable Internet, Assistive Technology, Laboratory equipment, University Library, Archives/special collections and Access to patients/research participants. It als collected information on: any benefits to COVID-19 pandemic for your work, some ways one thinks their supervisor or line manager could support or help one manage the impacts of COVID-19 on studies

The questionnaire was developed in English and was latertranslated into French to accommodate the French speaking countries i.e Burundi and Rwanda. The French questionnaire was backtlanslated to English to ensure the questions still maintained their original meaning. This work was done by an external consultant and the French questionnaires were reviewed by the research assistant from Burundi and tested among postgraduate students in Light University.

All questionnares and modules are provided as external resources.

Cleaning operations

Qualitative The data was collected through qualitative interviews (In-depth interviews) and focus group discussions. They were audio recorded and the recordings were transcribed on Ms Ofiice.The transcript were subjected to data quality checks and the clean transcripts were anonyzed for data protection.

QUANTITATIVE Secondary data The data was collected from the five countries in an Ms Excel designed data abstraction sheet. The data abstraction sheet helped the universities administrators and rergistrars to directly enter the data only in the required field and for the defined or specific variables. For the dataset that was in hardcopy format the data entry was also done using the data abstraction sheets. The data sets were subjected to data quality checks for data quality. We used a standard template to ensure data editing took place during data entry.

Online survey Data entry was in form of responding to the survey. Data editing was done while cleaning the data.

Response rate

Quantitaive The online survey link was circulated using contacts within universities and research institutions in East Africa via email and social media platforms such as WhatApp hence it is impossible to track those who received the survey and hence it is not possible t calculate the survey response rate.

Sampling error estimates

NA