France is increasingly attractive to Algerian students. The figures for foreign students enrolled in French higher education institutions during the year 2023-24 show an increase in the number of Algerian students and a decline in the number of Moroccan students.
In total, 430,466 foreign students were enrolled in French universities and colleges last year, an increase of 4.5% over the year, according to figures from the Sub-Directorate of Information Systems and Statistical Studies (SIES), the statistical service of the French Ministry of Higher Education, reported by campusfrance.org.
The number of foreign students in France has been increasing since 2021-2022, due to the catch-up of post-Covid-19 pandemic mobility, the same source points out. The increase over five years, since 2019-2020, is 17%. The proportion of foreigners in relation to the overall number of students in France is 14%.
Moroccans and Algerians still constitute the first and second largest contingents of foreign students in France, but the upward trend of Algerians is confirmed. While Moroccan students have seen their numbers drop by 4% for the second consecutive year, that of Algerians has increased by 7%.
Foreign students in France: the share of Algerians and Moroccans
In October 2022, Élisabeth Borne, then French Prime Minister, revealed on the eve of a trip to Algiers that 7,700 study visas had been issued to Algerian students in 2021.
After the two Maghreb countries, China is the third country in terms of the number of students in France. The Chinese are followed by Italian and Senegalese students.
The ranking of the top ten countries of origin of foreign students remains almost unchanged compared to last year.
With the exception of the Americas, the number of students from all other regions of the world increased. The largest growth was among students from Ukraine (+14%), India (+12%), Romania (+10%), Sub-Saharan Africa (+9%) and Algeria (+7%).
Foreign students in France are increasingly attracted to business schools rather than universities. In five years, the rate of those who enrolled in university has fallen from 69% to 63%, while those who were welcomed by business schools has increased from 10% to 15%.
French higher education institutions remain very attractive. In the Shanghai 2024 ranking, published in mid-August, France came in third place among the countries with the most institutions in the top 50.
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