2023 key figures: europe is the leading host region for mobile students
Throughout the world, 6.4 million students were internationally mobile 2020, Unesco data’s most recent year. This number reached an all-time high due to a 32% growth over the last five years. Their first destination is the European Union. France also attracts an unprecedented number of more than 400,000 students, presenting an 8% raise compared to the previous year. Those numbers prove that France has been able to remain an attractive option for students, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting mobility issues. The 2023 edition of the Campus France Key Figures presents and analyses the new trends of student mobility that arose across the globe, resulting from crises and conflicts and pushing students to exile, from Ukraine to Iran, Afghanistan to Syria.
France 6th-ranked host country for mobile students
According to UNESCO’s Institute for statistics, France hosted the 6th highest number of international students. It was preceded by the major Anglophone countries – the US, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, which benefit from the appeal of their educational offerings in English – and Germany. Behind France, China, Japan and Turkey are implementing proactive strategies for attracting young, talented individuals from throughout the world. Even if the data only provides a partial picture, the pandemic has had an impact that varies from country to country: France, where the number of students continued to increase in 2020, was unaffected, unlike the United States, Australia, and even the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which are among the 20 top destinations worldwide for mobile students.
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More mobile students come from Asia than from any other region
Three Asian countries continue to be among the world’s top countries of origin for mobile students: China, India, and Vietnam. More than one million Chinese students study abroad, which is nearly two times more than the number of Indian students (520,000), and eight times that of Vietnamese students (130,000). France is also the 6th-ranked country of origin for international students, and the number of French who go abroad continues to increase (+25% over five years).
Due to its demographic weight, as well as a secondary education that is becoming more democratic and improving in quality, the Asia-Pacific region draws the interest of the top destination countries for global student mobility. The top host countries compete for the talented individuals who are from this region and employ their higher education as a tool of influence.
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The European Union, top destination in the world for students
In 2020, the European Union remained the top host region, ahead of North America, and the second region of origin for students, behind the Asia-Pacific region.
Lastly, we note that according to the Erasmus+ data from 2021, France was the 3rd most chosen country by the program’s students and personnel, behind Spain and Germany and ahead of Italy and Poland.
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A strong rebound in the number of international students in France
The number of international students enrolled in France grew by 8% in 2021-2022, and has now exceeded the 400,000 mark: It is the strongest growth recorded in more than 15 years, notably due to the increase in the number of European students (+21%) and exchange students (+46%). This strong rebound was confirmed by the recruitment prospects report for the year 2022-2023, which showed a 21% increase in visas issued for studies and internships compared to 2021, a year of decline due to the pandemic.
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Who are the international students in France?
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In 2022, French higher education was especially involved in supporting and integrating Ukrainian students in exile, 2000 of them have benefited from having an academic refuge in France. |
The most represented nationalities among the 400,000 students are Morocco, Algeria, China, Italy, and Senegal. North Africa-Middle East is the most important area of origin (29%), with the second being Europe (25%). Over five years, the strongest increase was among students coming from sub-Saharan Africa (+40%).
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Two-thirds of international students are enrolled in a university (65%), followed by business schools (14%), engineering schools (7%) and high schools (notably, 5% in preparatory classes). Overall, 13% of students in France are from abroad, a level that reached 38% among PhD students (-2 points over one year). Île-de-France is host to more than one-third, ahead of Auvergne Rhône-Alpes and Occitania
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In 2021-2022, more than 9400 international students and interns benefited from scholarships from the French government, representing 22% more than the previous academic year.
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