How to enroll in a master's program in France

The French university system is different from ours: first of all, it is important to understand the differences between universities and high schools (Grande Ecole): education in the former is usually much cheaper but considered less prestigious in France, the latter is usually more expensive but gives more opportunities in the labor market. Outside France, however, the situation may look different: say, the Sorbonne is considered less prestigious than many high schools, but it is better known abroad. In 2019/2020, a bachelor's degree at universities cost 2,770 euros, a master's and a postgraduate degree 3,770 per year. Schools of higher education set their own tuition prices, so you need to check the website of the program you are interested in. In addition to universities and high schools, there are also specialized schools such as architecture, theater, etc. Their admission rules can vary greatly, so it is necessary to study each specific case.

Universities

In France there is a unified system for applying to universities, which is quite convenient. You need to fill in the application forms for all universities you are interested in on Campus France website. You will need a standard set of documents – CV, motivation letter, certificates of language proficiency. If you intend to study in French, you'll need at least DELF B2, and for some specialties – DALF C1. If the program is in English, IETLS 6.5-7 will be enough. Before you send the documents, it is worth to read about the rules of registration, adopted in France – they are slightly different from Russian and, for example, from American. It must be said that over the past couple of years, the website Campus France has become much more convenient – now you can find a lot of useful information there, so do not ignore it.

Higher Schools

Higher schools have the right to set their own admissions procedures. For example, you may be asked to submit scores from standardized exams (if you're applying to a master's in management, it may be the GMAT). In some cases, schools may conduct interviews via Skype to clarify your motivation, experience and other details of interest to them. But most importantly – most of the higher schools will accept documents from you directly, rather than through the system of Campus France, so you have to look for information about admission on the website of each school separately.

Since higher school tuition can be quite expensive, it is worth thinking about scholarships in advance: often the deadlines for scholarships can come 1-2 months before the deadline for applying to the higher school itself – if you do not know about it in advance, you can lose the opportunity to receive any financial assistance from your university. Each high school usually has its own scholarships, though they don't always cover 100% of your tuition.

There are also universal scholarships: such as the French government scholarship, which covers up to €5,000 in tuition fees and provides a monthly stipend. It can be received by any master's student, either from a university or from a high school. It is important that the scholarship is for one year, and you can get it even if you are already studying in France – for example, you have finished the first year of your master's degree.

In order to apply, you will need to provide:

• resume,

• letter of motivation,

• recommendations.

In regards to recommendations, if you just finished your bachelor's degree it's worth asking your professors at your university: they should describe your academic abilities and personal qualities. It is important to choose people who know you well, who not only write clichéd lines about how well you did in their course, but also have something to say that makes you stand out from the crowd when you apply. If you are applying for masters after several years of work, it is worth asking to write a recommendation from one of your supervisors, but be careful: people outside academia are often not very good at understanding exactly what to write in letters of recommendation.

In your motivation letter, it is extremely important to explain why you want a master's degree in the first place, as well as why you chose to go to France in the first place. Your choice should never look random (even if it really is random). All documents can be submitted in both English and French, but the latter will always be preferable, even if your master's program – is in English.A major advantage of many scholarships – assistance in obtaining housing, which is especially relevant if you are going to study in Paris. For example, if you win a French government scholarship you will automatically get a place in a dormitory. If you look for an apartment on your own, you may find that it is almost more difficult than enrolling in the master's program. But that's a topic for a separate article.

Alexander Zhuravlev

Student Schwarzman College Tsinghua University in Beijing

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