Study in France

Science and Technology

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:58:00 +0000

# France will be the site of the world's first nuclear fusion reactor, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor
# Seven of France's top ten exports to the U.S. are industrial or high technology products.
# France is the fourth largest producer of automobiles in the world (Renault, Peugeot, Citroën) and the third largest exporter.
# France is fourth in research among countries of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (after Japan, Germany, and the US).
# France is a major world research center in the field of high energy physics.
# The French are a world leader in medical research: the AIDS virus was first isolated by French doctors.
# The French are a leader in medical genetics (the Human Genome Project is located in Paris).
# The French are the world's third manufacturers of electronics equipment.
# European leader in aerospace (Aérospatiale, Arianespace, Airbus...).
# Most commercial satellites are put into space on French Ariane rockets.
# The fastest train (TGV) is French.
# The smart card was used on a large-scale basis in France.
# The ocean liner Queen Mary II was built in France.
# France is the world's third military power (after the US and Russia), and has the world's second largest defense industry (i.e. exocet missiles, radar technology.)
# The French have nearly 15,000 troups on peace-keeping duties in 15 countries including Afghanistan, the Balkans, and the Ivory Coast.
# France is the world's second largest builder and exporter of civilian and military aircraft and helicopters (Airbus is the world's second largest fleet of commercial airliners, and many of the US Coast Guard helicopters are made by Aérospatiale in Toulouse.)
# France has one of the most advanced systems of telecommunications in the world. Fiber optics were invented in France.

List of Universities in France

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:57:00 +0000

*

American University of Paris
*

College de France
* Ecole Centrale Paris
* Ecole Centrale de Lyon
* École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées
* École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris
* Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de St-Etienne
* Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Electronique, d'Electrotechnique, d'Informatique et d'Hydraulique de Toulouse
* Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Ingenieurs en Construction Aeronautique (ENSICA)
* Ecole Nationale Superieure des telecomunnications de Paris (ENST)
* Ecole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile (ENAC)
* École Nationale des Telecommunications de Bretagne
* École Normale Supérieure
* Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon
* École Polytechnique
* École Supérieure D'Électricité
* École Supérieure D'Ingénieur en Électronique et Électrotechnique
* Ecole Supérieure en Sciences Informatiques
* Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Paris
* European Institute of Business Administration
* Institut National de Physique Nucleaire et de Physique des Particules
* Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon
* Institut National des Sciences Appliquees de Toulouse
* Institut National des T?l?communications
* Institut Supérieure D'Electronique du Nord
* Institut d'Informatique d'Entreprise
* Institut des Mathematiques Appliquees de Grenoble
* Strasbourg University
* Université Paris IX Dauphine
* Université d'Aix-Marseille III
* Université d'Angers
* Université de Caen
* Université de Franche-Comté
* Université de Marne la Vallée
* Université de Provence
* Université de Savoie
* Université de la Méditerranée
* Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille
* Universite Lumiere Lyon
* Universite d'Orleans
* Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour
* Universite de Technologie Compiegne
* University of Picardie
* University of Rennes 1
Nantes University

Scholarships and Grants

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:59:00 +0000

Scholarships and Financial aid available for International Students in France

Problems that may arise due to lack of finance may be overcame by various trusts and grants available. Many organizations are ready to finance you if you have some extra talent or you are good on your studies. These grants will be very helpful for continuing your higher studies in France.

Some of the grants available are:

French government grants
Grant applications are handled by the cultural service of French embassies abroad. For more information, contact the cultural service of the French embassy in your country, as well as the web site of the French ministry of foreign affairs.

Grants by your own country's government
for study abroad or for study in France in particular. In some countries, private foundations and educational institutions offer financial aid for study abroad.

Grants from international and non-governmental organizations
For more information: UNESCO publishes a directory of grants in its publication, Study abroad.

Scholarships and grants from the French government

A.1 "Lavoisier" scholarships
DL2005: 14/03/2005

www.egide.asso.fr/fr/programmes/bfe/lavoisier/
www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/education/universitaire/boursiers/Domaine/docmae.html

For a stay outside of France for 5-12 months, for research, further study or specialisation, by a French doctoral student (including cotutelle student). Max monthly grant of 1524 €

A.2 "Citere" grants
DL2005: 14/03/2005

www.egide.asso.fr/fr/programmes/bfe/lavoisier/citere.jhtml
www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/education/universitaire/boursiers/Domaine/docmae.html

For a stay of 12-18 months, outside France, for research or further study by a young French graduate employed in the private sector.

A.3 "Aires culturelles" grants
DL2005: 20/05/2005

www.recherche.gouv.fr/appel/2004/ac.htm

Grants to support short visits abroad by French doctoral candidates in humanities and social sciences.

A.4 "Cotutelle" grants from the French Ministry for Research
DL2005: 20/05/2005

www.recherche.gouv.fr/appel/2004/ct.htm

A 5100 € grant for Australian or French students in a cotutelle program. The grant is given to the French university and used in priority for travel expenses.

A.5 "Excellence" and "Major" scholarships from the AEFE (agence pour l’enseignement français à l’étranger)
DL2005: 15 may 2005

www.aefe.diplomatie.fr/aefe/Texte.nsf/0/04d02ab6b107fa40c1256c9100598017?OpenDocument#BE*

Undergraduate scholarships for students from the French high schools abroad. In Australia, only the students from Telopea in Canberra and Condorcet in Sydney can apply. This scholarship program is not open to French nationals.

A.6 "Eiffel" postgraduate scholarships DL2006: 13/01/2006

Postgraduate scholarships in the following fields: engineering, law, political sciences, economy, management. The application is filed by the French university on the behalf of the foreign student.
For further information: www.egide.asso.fr/fr/programmes/eiffel/

A.7 Ministry of agriculture; alimentation, fishing and rural affairs scholarships www.agriculture.gouv.fr
http://www.educagri.fr

The French Ministry of agriculture offers grants and scholarships for French nationals who want to do a study project or internships abroad.

A.8 "Eiffel" doctoral scholarships

New program from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs aimed at doctoral students registered in a cotutelle. For more information (in French) www.egide.asso.fr/eiffel-doctorat

A.9 « Charcot » scholarships in medical sciences.

This scholarship of up to one year is open to young academics and researchers working in the field of medical sciences. The « charcot » scholarships support a project in medical research.

Scholarships and grants from French institutions of higher education

B.1 ENS - ULM grants
DL2005: 15 March 2005

www.ens.fr/international

Three years scholarships for foreign students (including Australian students) to do a program in humanities or sciences at the ENS (Ecole normale supérieure, rue d’Ulm, Paris). The applicants should be in their final year of undergraduate studies for the humanities program or the 2nd or final year of undergraduate studies for the sciences program.

B.2 ENS- CACHAN grants
DL2005: 15 April 2005

www.ens-cachan.fr/

Postgraduate scholarships to do a master or Phd at the ENS (école normale supérieure) in Cachan.

B.3 ENS- LYON grants
DL2005 : 15 April 2005

www.ens-lyon.fr/international

Eiffel programme overview

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 01:31:00 +0000

October 2007

For greater clarity, the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs is introducing a single application procedure for its Eiffel Scholarship and Eiffel Doctorate Scholarship programmes.

The new Eiffel programme thus covers two types of course:

* Master’s postgraduate degree course
* Ten-month co-tutored or co-managed component (preferably second or third year) of PhD course

The objectives of the Eiffel excellence programme run by the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs remain unchanged. The first is to offer French higher-education opportunities for future public- and private-sector decision-makers in three priority areas: science; economics & management; and law & political science. (The Eiffel programme does not address students seeking careers in teaching or research; other programmes are available for students in these situations.) The second objective is to reach students from emerging countries (with priority on Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and new members of the European Union), though the PhD scholarships also address students from industrialized countries.

The Eiffel programme helps French centres of higher education attract high-calibre overseas students. Only French centres may submit applications. If an application is successful, the centre is required to enrol the candidate on the stated course.

1/ Objectives of Eiffel programme

Eiffel excellence scholarships are awarded to high-achieving overseas students to whom French centres of higher education would like to offer a place on a Master’s or PhD course. The courses taken by these students in France ultimately target positions of responsibility in the public or private sector, rather than careers in teaching or research.
The French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs gives priority to candidates from emerging countries (starting with Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and new members of the European Union), though the PhD scholarships also address students from industrialized countries.

Applications from students currently studying outside France will be given priority over those from students already studying in France.

2/ Areas of study covered by the Eiffel programme

Eiffel grants cover the following subject areas:

* Engineering sciences for the Master’s course, and sciences in a broader sense for the PhD course (engineering sciences, exact sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry) life sciences, nano- and bio-technologies, environment sciences, and information & communication sciences).
* Economics and management.
* Law and political science.

3/ Academic levels covered by the Eiffel programme

French centres of higher education putting forward candidates for Eiffel scholarships undertake to enrol successful applicants on one of the following types of course:

* Master’s course
* PhD course co-tutored or co-managed with partner higher education centre in the student’s country of origin

Candidates must not be aged over 30 (in the year of selection) for a Master’s scholarship or over 35 for a PhD scholarship.

4/ Ineligibility factors

* Holders of other French government grants (including welfare coverage grants),
* Previous applicants for Eiffel grants, even in a different subject,
* Applicants not presented by a French centre (i.e. applications by students themselves, or submitted by a non-French centre)
* Duplicate applications, i.e. students proposed by more than one French centre.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications must be submitted with all the supporting documents listed on page 5 of the application form, and bear the official seal of the French higher education centre plus the signature of the official head of the centre (university dean, school director, etc.), formally certifying the statement of the centre's international outreach policy. The quality charter must also be initialled separately to mark formal acceptance.

5/ Application procedure

Applications for Eiffel grants are submitted by French higher education centres from a shortlist of outstanding students they would like to enrol on their courses. Applications are not accepted from students themselves, or from non-French centres.

Centres submit applications on behalf of candidate students consistent with programme objectives, in accordance with instructions and guidelines issued by French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

6/ Selection procedure

Selection is performed by a commission made up of three specialist committees (one for each of the three subject areas covered by the programme). Committee members are not allowed to assess applications submitted by their own centres.

Committee members are not allowed to assess applications submitted by centres with which they have professional links.

Selection is to three criteria:

* Academic excellence of applicant, as attested by achievement to date (rated on a scale of 10 and weighted with a coefficient of 3).
* International policy of centre submitting application, operations addressing the geographical region in question, calibre of host unit, and suitability with regard to the application (rated on a scale of 5 and weighted to a coefficient of 3).
* Cooperation policy of French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, especially as regards the priorities set for different countries under the programme (rated on a scale of 5 and weighted to a coefficient of 1).

The commission assesses applications, rates them to these three criteria, and applies the weighting coefficients to produce a score out of 50. It then sets a pass mark and selects nominees to the following principles, on the basis of the number of grants available:

* At least seventy percent of the grants are awarded to the highest-scoring applicants (main list).
* The remainder go to higher education centres whose nominees scored above the pass mark but were not selected on the main list.

The commission then draws up and publishes the list of successful applicants.

7/ Notification of results

The list of successful applicants will be published on-line (www.egide.asso.fr/eiffel).

Results will be notified to the heads of the higher education centres concerned.

The commission's decision is final, and no discussion will be entertained regarding this decision or the reasons behind it.

8/ Schedule

The schedule for the 2008 Eiffel programme is as follows:

* Application forms available online: September 2007
* Applications to be submitted by 11 January 2008
* Results announced in week beginning 24 March 2008

Results are published in March to enable students to give the French offer full consideration along with any other offers they might have; the best students will often have competing proposals (including offers on funding their studies) from other countries.

9/ Duration of Eiffel scholarship

Master’s course: The Eiffel scholarship is awarded for the duration of the course culminating in the qualification specified in the application, provided the student fulfils the academic requirements of each year.
Upon request by the French host centre, Eiffel scholarship allowances for non-French-speaking students may be extended to cover preliminary French language training of up to one year.

The centre submitting the application must clearly state the overall programme duration, including any compulsory practical courses or internships in France or elsewhere.
PhD course: The Eiffel scholarship is awarded for a maximum of ten months, with no additional language training period.

10/ Amount of Eiffel scholarship

The Eiffel (1) programme does not cover tuition fees, though the higher education centres concerned are invited to apply the best possible financial conditions to Eiffel scholarship-holders.

Enrolment fees at state-run higher education centres are waived for students on French government scholarship programmes such as this.

Master’s courses: Eiffel scholarship-holders on Master’s courses receive a monthly allowance of EUR1,181. In addition, the programme meets various expenses including return travel, health insurance and cultural activities. Scholarship-holders might also be eligible for additional accommodation allowance.

PhD courses: Eiffel scholarship-holders on PhD courses receive a monthly allowance of EUR1,400. In addition, the programme meets various expenses including return travel, health insurance and cultural activities. Scholarship-holders might also be eligible for additional accommodation allowance.

11/ French embassy assistance

If they wish, higher education centres may contact French diplomatic services (cooperation and cultural departments) for assistance in identifying potentially suitable applicants.

(1) Except for preparatory course in French, if applicable

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has commissioned Égide with management of the Eiffel programme.

Égide
28 rue de la Grange-aux-Belles, 75010 Paris, France
Phone +33 (0)1 40 40 59 30
Practical information available on Égide website: www.egide.asso.fr/eiffel

Égide will take charge of paying students' grants, and of answering enquiries from students and higher education centres regarding the Eiffel programme.

E-mail: eiffel@egide.asso.fr

Emploi Généraliste

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 01:08:00 +0000

emploi.enligne-fr.com
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job.enligne-fr.com stage.enligne-fr.com debutants.enligne-fr.com
jeunes-diplomes.enligne-fr.com
juniors.enligne-fr.com
seniors.enligne-fr.com
temps-partiel.enligne-fr.com

Engineering courses under the ministry of the economy, finance and industry

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 00:40:00 +0000

Engineering courses under the ministry of the economy, finance and industry

An extensive training system comes under the aegis of the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry, which exercises supervision in three ways : directly, in the case of the "Ecoles des Mines", the Telecommunication Schools and the IFP School of Petroleum and Engines ; indirectly, in the case of the CCI Engineering Schools, through its supervision of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry; jointly with the Ministry of Education, in the case of the Electrical Science School .

I - ENGINEERING SCHOOLS COMING DIRECTLY UNDER THE MINISTRY OF THE ECONOMY, FINANCE AND INDUSTRY :

1 - 1 " ÉCOLES DES MINES"
1 - 2 TELECOMMUNICATION SCHOOLS (ECOLES DES TÉLÉCOMMUNICATIONS)
1 - 3 IFP SCHOOL OF PETROLEUM AND ENGINES (ECOLE DU PÉTROLE ET DES MOTEURS)

II - CCI ENGINEERING SCHOOLS

III - ELECTRICAL SCIENCE SCHOOL : SUPÉLEC

IV - PROVISION FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS

1 - 1 ÉCOLES DES MINES

The existence of the six "Ecoles des Mines" is bound up with the history of the French Republic. They have accompanied some of its major stages: the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, the rapid growth of computer science in the 1970s and finally the birth of the new technologies in the following decade. Their names form part of history from the time that they were dedicated to the exploitation of mineral resources in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Today they are establishments providing general engineering courses covering the entire range of industry and service requirements.

In terms of status, the six "Ecoles des Mines" are public administrative institutions under the supervision of the General Mines Council (Conseil général des mines). Over the past ten years the total number of students has more than doubled, and two new schools have been opened, in Nantes and in Albi-Carmaux.

At the start of the 1999 academic year, the six schools had 4300 students, of which 3150 were on engineering courses, 400 were doing specialist master's degrees, and the remainder (some 750) were student researchers involved in industrial research work.

The two Ecoles Nationales Supérieures des Mines (in Paris and Saint-Etienne) provide three-year courses which turn out engineers with top-level skills who are qualified for management and design positions. The two schools recruit their first-year students through a highly selective competitive examination jointly with the Telecommunications, Civil Engineering (Ponts et Chaussées), Aeronautics and Space, and Advanced Technology Schools.

The four Ecoles Nationales Supérieures des Techniques Industrielles et des Mines (in Alès, Douai, Nantes and Albi-Carmaux) train highly qualified engineers for business needs and production responsibilities in the fields of industry, mining and civil engineering. The schools in Paris, Alès, Douai, Nantes and Albi-Carmaux also train engineers for government service (the Corps des Mines in the case of Paris, and industrial and mining engineers in the case of the others).

The courses offered are general courses with the option of specialising in a wide range of scientific and technical fields, including:

* Earth sciences, mining and quarrying
* Environmental science and technology
* Process engineering - Energy engineering
* Materials science and engineering
* Applied mathematics, automation and computer science
* New information and communication technologies
* Industrial engineering
* Management, economics and social sciences.

These schools have developed various cooperative links with over 250 foreign universities in more than 150 countries. They take foreign students for undergraduate and postgraduate study and have made it compulsory for all French engineering students to spend some time abroad (placement or academic exchange).

The schools are now offering new training products specifically aimed at foreign students, with the development in particular of a three-semester course taught in English (two semesters of teaching and one semester of practical training) and leading to a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering.

Further information, details of degree courses, and a presentation of fields of research can be found on the schools' web sites.
internet addresses :

- ECOLE NATIONALE DES MINES DE PARIS (ENMP) (75)

- ECOLE NATIONALE DES MINES DE SAINT- ETIENNE (ENMSE) (42)

- ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE DES TECHNIQUES DE L'INDUSTRIE ET DES MINES DE DOUAI (ENSTIMD) (59)

- ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE DES TECHNIQUES DE L'INDUSTRIE ET DES MINES D'ALES (ENSTIMA) (30)

- ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE DES TECHNIQUES DE L'INDUSTRIE ET DES MINES D'ALBI CARMAUX (ENSTIMAC) (81)

- ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE DES TECHNIQUES DE L'INDUSTRIE ET DES MINES DE NANTES (ENSTIMN) (44)

1 - 2 TELECOMMUNICATION SCHOOLS (ECOLES DES TÉLÉCOMMUNICATIONS)

The Telecommunication Schools Group (GET), designed to meet the challenges of higher education in information technology, includes the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications de Paris (ENST Paris), the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications de Bretagne (ENST Bretagne), and the Institut National des Télécommunications d'Evry (INT Evry).

Courses are provided by some 400 full-time teacher-cum-researchers and over 1000 outside contributors. In 1997, the GET had 2080 students in basic training, of whom some 200 were from abroad.

Through the group's impetus, the schools have benefited from pooling of methods and resources as well as development of joint projects.

The schools provide a three-year training for telecommunication engineers and managers. Studies can be continued in the telecommunications research school or through specialist degree courses.

The GET has a hundred or so technical and research laboratories covering various fields: communications, systems architecture, electronics, computer science, networks, multimedia systems, teleworking, languages and international culture, etc.

The engineering students at ENST Paris and ENST Bretagne are drawn from the classes preparing for entrance to the grandes écoles. The joint Mines-Ponts-Télécom competitive examination provides access to eight schools, including ENST Paris and ENST Bretagne.

ENST PARIS :

This, the original school, was founded in 1878. Still a pioneer in the telecommunications field, it covers the whole range of information and communications science and technology: computer science, electronics, networks, signals and images, and communications.

The principal task of ENST Paris is to train civil engineers as well as engineers for the Interministerial Telecommunications Service.

Each year 120 of the best candidates in the Mines-Ponts-Télécom competitive examination choose to enter the ENST. For the second year, the school selects engineering graduates from the Ecole Polytechnique and universities at home and abroad.

A range of over 250 teaching modules allows the engineering student to plan his professional career. ENST Paris offers a programme of thirteen specialist master's degrees accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Ecoles. It has established the only telecommunications research school.

Closely engaged with the business world through its development of company placements, the School also has a strong international roots.

Over 20% of students are foreign, coming from 50 different countries. ENST Paris is involved in a number of European programmes and offers five courses with double degrees, developed in collaboration with leading European universities. The fact that the School belongs to numerous national and international networks is reflected in its links with over 80 universities and research centres throughout the world.

ENST BRETAGNE :

Founded in 1977, ENST Bretagne provides practical training (on its Brest and Rennes campuses) geared to the international market and sponsored by industry.

The 'Young Engineers' programme allows engineering students to do a one-year business placement in France or abroad between their second and third years. This programme is chosen by one student out of four.

Cross-cultural learning and exposure to international influence are cornerstones of ENST Bretagne policy: 20% of the teaching staff come from abroad, there are over 30 nationalities on the two campuses, and a third of all students do their end-of-course placement abroad.

ENST Bretagne coordinates EUNICE (European Network of Universities and Companies in Information and Communication Engineering), set up to promote academic exchanges and strengthen scientific cooperation. EUNICE has 21 members in 13 different countries.

The research work conducted by the 100 teachers-cum-researchers in the School's ten departments covers the entire telecommunications field, including economics, applied linguistics, and biomedical and ocean engineering.

L'INT EVRY :

For some 20 years, INT Evry has had the distinctive feature of combining two grandes écoles on the same campus:

- Télécom INT, a general engineering school.
- INT Management, a management school providing a standard training supplemented by high-level skills in new information and communication technologies.

The first-year entrance examination consists of the papers used for the Mines-Ponts-Télécom joint competition.

Télécom INT and INT Management offer students a one-year business placement between their second and third years as well as a degree course in business creation.

The classes provided by 320 business professionals and the numerous partnerships formed with companies ensure that the trends and constraints of the business world are taken into account.

International influence is reflected by advanced teaching in languages and foreign cultures, by the requirement to undertake placements abroad, and lastly by the presence on campus of lecturers and students of more than 20 different nationalities.

Various partnerships have been established with some twenty European, Asian and American universities.

Some 30% of research work conducted at INT Evry takes place under contract with industry. INT offers five specialist master's degrees.
internet addresses :

- ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE DES TELECOMMUNICATIONS DE PARIS (ENST PARIS)

- ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE DES TELECOMMUNICATIONS DE BRETAGNE (ENST Bretagne)

- INSTITUT NATIONAL DES TELECOMMUNICATIONS D'EVRY (INT EVRY) (91)

1 - 3 IFP SCHOOL OF PETROLEUM AND ENGINES (ECOLE DU PÉTROLE ET DES MOTEURS)

The IFP School, located in Rueil-Malmaison (Hauts de Seine), is an integral part of the Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP), an internationally renowned centre specialising in industrial research and development as well as in training and information in the fields of petroleum, gas and IC engines.

The IFP School offers young engineers and industry professionals specialist courses lasting from 3 to 24 months, taught in French or English, in the fields of petroleum, gas, petrochemicals and IC engines.

Courses lead to internationally recognised qualifications:

- Taught courses covering the whole of a particular field (exploration, production, refining, etc.) lead to an engineering diploma and a Master of Science degree.

- Research programmes lead to a DEA (Diplôme d'Etudes Appliquées - one-year postgraduate research diploma) or doctorate (thesis).

Over 10 000 former students work in the oil, gas and automotive industries as well as related industries (oilfield products and services, petrochemicals, chemicals, engineering, finance, etc.) and are to be found in 100 countries across all 5 continents.

Candidates must have an engineering diploma or equivalent qualification (having spent five years in higher education, or four at the very least). Foreign students account for 50% of total student numbers.
internet address :

L’ECOLE DU PETROLE ET DES MOTEURS

II - CCI ENGINEERING SCHOOLS

The 16 CCI engineering schools listed in the appendix train some 4000 engineers for industry every year, in close collaboration with business. The aim is to give students not only the necessary technical skills but also a feeling for management and a taste for responsibility, innovation and personal interaction.

Most of the schools take holders of qualifications gained after two years' study following the baccalauréat (Diplôme d'Etudes Universitaires Générales 'A' and 'Maths Spé', Brevet de Technicien Supérieur and Diplôme Universitaire de Technologie). Some schools accept holders of various types of baccalauréat (C, D, E, F2, F3 and F5), while other take candidates with a scientific or technological maîtrise.

Two methods of selection are used: competitive examination, and acceptance on the basis of qualifications. Length of training depends on the student's standard upon entrance:

- 5 years for holders of a baccalauréat.
- 3 years for students having completed two years' study after the baccalauréat.
- 2 years for holders of a maîtrise.

Teaching takes the form either of full-time classes with a number of placements in industry, or of sandwich courses, including apprenticeship schemes.

The schools offer special courses in the following fields: electrical engineering, industrial engineering and plant management, electronic and computer engineering, materials design and application, industrial plastics technology, textile industries, computer science and telecommunications engineering, electrical engineering and electronics, industrial automation, etc.

The training provided is tested in various ways: theory examinations, vivas for placement reports and industrial projects, and continuous assessment for workshop and laboratory work.

The CCI engineering schools issue engineering diplomas recognised by the Commission du Titre d'Ingénieur. Career prospects vary. In the short term, the graduate may hold a position as a production, design, process or business engineer. Later, he may become a design manager, manufacturing director or director of technological research and development.

16 CCI ENGINEERING SCHOOLS and their internet address :

- INSTITUT SUPÉRIEUR DE PLASTURGIE D'ALENÇON (ISPA)
61 ALENÇON-DAMIGNY

- ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE D'INGÉNIEURS EN ÉLECTROTECHNIQUE ET ÉLECTRONIQUE (ESIEE)
80 AMIENS

- ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE DES TECHNOLOGIES INDUSTRIELLES AVANCÉES (ESTIA)
64 BAYONNE

- ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE DES INDUSTRIES TEXTILES D'ÉPINAL (ESITE)
88 EPINAL

- INSTITUT SUPÉRIEUR DES MATÉRIAUX DU MANS (ISMANS)
72 LE MANS

- ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE D'INGÉNIEURS DE MARSEILLE (ESIM)
Groupe ESIM-IMT
13 MARSEILLE

- INSTITUT SUPÉRIEUR DE MICRO-ÉLECTRONIQUE APPLIQUÉE (ISMEA)
Groupe ESIM
13 MARSEILLE

- INSTITUT SUPÉRIEUR DU BETON ARMÉ (ISBA)
Groupe ESIM
13 MARSEILLE

- ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE D'INGÉNIEURS EN ÉLECTRONIQUE ET ÉLECTROTECHNIQUE (ESIEE)
93 NOISY LE GRAND

- ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE D'INGÉNIEURS EN GÉNIE ÉLECTRIQUE (ESIGELEC)
76 MONT SAINT AIGNAN

- INSTITUT POLYTECHNIQUE DU HAINAUT-CAMBRESIS (IPHC)
59 HAUTMONT

- INSTITUT D'INGÉNIERIE INFORMATIQUE DE LIMOGES (3 IL)
87 LIMOGES

- ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE D'INGÉNIEURS EN INFORMATIQUE ET GÉNIE DES TÉLÉCOMMUNICATIONS (ESIGETEL)
77 AVON-FONTAINEBLEAU

- ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE DE PRODUCTION INDUSTRIELLE (ESPI)
93 NOISY LE GRAND

- ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE D'INGÉNIEURS EN SYSTÈMES INDUSTRIELS AVANCÉS RHÔNE-ALPES (ESISAR)
26 VALENCE

- INSTITUT POUR L'ENSEIGNEMENT DES ETUDES ET LA RECHERCHE EN INFORMATIQUE ET ÉLECTRONIQUE (IEERIE).
30 NIMES

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© Ministère de l'Économie, des Finances et de l'Industrie, 22/04/2003

MS or PhD? GRE? GRE Subject? TOEFL ? TSE? Resume? Statement of Purpose?

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:59:00 +0000

1 DECIDE PROGRAMME
- MS or PhD?
2. CHOOSE A SECTOR OF INTEREST
3. TESTS
- GRE?
- GRE Subject
- TOEFL
- TSE
4. RESEARCH ABOUT UNIVESITIES
- Number of Universities to apply to?
- Selecting Universities
- Contacting EDUFRANCE
5. ACTUAL APPLICATION PROCEDURE
- Application Forms
- Status Table Format
- Transcript of Academic performance
- Letters of Recommendation
Whom to get recommendation from?
- Statement of Purpose
- Resume
- Financial Statement
- Photocopy of GRE/ TOEFL/ TSE Score sheets
- Other Documents - papers and certificates
- Precautions to be taken while sending the admissions material
- Importance of different application components
6. WAITING THE WAIT
- The process your application goes through
- The Scholarship business
7. SAYING YES
- What if your application is rejected?
8. PREPARING TO LEAVE

1 DECIDE PROGRAMME

MS or PhD?

First of all, PhD does not mean more money. The richest dude, Gates, was a college dropout, so may be you are wasting your time even in the undergrad school. PhD can potentially take you higher with lesser amount of effort later in life as compared to MS. But with some hard work later, MS can surpass any Joe PhD. In terms of what you would have to pay is that, as things stand today, 2005, there is almost no financial support from universities for MS at the time of admission. Depending on different college you may get support later but that's just counting chickens before eggs are even laid. For PhD, more often then not you'll get financial support at the time of admission itself. Why is it so? Well .. all these universities and professors who support students pay from the research grant they get from different funding agencies. Now these funding agencies want results for their money and thus there is certain amount of pressure to deliver on professors and thus they want student who can be committed to their research for a longer duration of time and thus probably deliver better. Academic work for MS is like undergrad but of course more advanced, for PhD its mostly research. As far as credentials required are concerned, PhD is tougher to get into because firstly, there are fewer seats, at times even one or two in a particular field, and secondly, because of funding, some morons blindly apply to PhD increasing the competition. Do not apply to PhD ONLY because you may get funding here.

2. CHOOSE A SECTOR OF INTEREST
- Go through internet site of edufrance and try to get the best suitable programme for you

3. TESTS
Graduate Record Examination
Already lots of resources are available on net about GRE so I am not going to reproduce all the information. Following are the links which might be useful:
1. http://www.gre.org/gendir.html General Test Official Site
2. http://www.greguide.com A big site with tons of info.
3. http://www.800score.com/gre-guide.html Another famous site for GRE
4. http://www.wordhacker.com/en/download.htm A useful software which may help
5. http://www.testmagic.com/gre/ Excellent stuff on GRE
6. http://www.petersons.com/testprepchannel/gre_index.asp GRE Practice Tests
7. A free sample test from KAPLAN A must
Practice CDs for GRE are available from ETS - The official version, KAPLAN, Princeton Review, Petersons etc. You can get them easily in CD markets in Delhi or Mumbai.

Books for GRE:
1. Barron's GRE
2. The Big Books
3. Norman Lewis' book

Graduate Record Examination - Subject Tests
Cost: $150
Tests are administered in following topics, click for more information.
Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology
Literature in English
Biology
Mathematics
Chemistry Physics
Computer Science
Psychology

GRE Subject tests
1. http://www.gre.org/pbstest.html Subject Test Official page
2. http://gradschool.about.com/cs/gresubjecttest/l/blgresubject.htm An introduction

The Test of English as a Foreign Language
Cost: $140
Links:
1. http://www.ets.org/toefl/ The official TOEFL site
2. http://esl.about.com/cs/toefl/a/a_toefl.htm An introduction - not great.
3. http://www.testmagic.com/Knowledge_Base/TOEFL/ Excellent stuff with few tests.
4. http://www.petersons.com/testprepchannel/toefl_index_grad.asp Tests & sample questions
5. http://www.ets.org/toefl/learners/cbt/sampletest.html Very Useful downloads
Practice CDs are available from ETS-official version, it will be mailed to you within a few weeks of your registration.

Test of Spoken English
Cost: $125

Links:
1. http://www.ets.org/tse/ The official TSE site
2. http://www.englishjobmaze.com/exam-tse.htm An introduction
3. http://www.testmagic.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=39 This forum link is THE best
4. http://www.ets.org/tse/sampletest.html The sample test that one MUST go through

4. RESEARCH ABOUT UNIVESITIES
Number of Universities to apply to?
Have a short break after the tests and then get right back into the game. The first job now is to decide the that how many universities you want to apply to. Though as prepared we may be with our research and everything about universities, there is a certain random element which is out of our control and thus applying to a larger number of universities, strangely, does improve your chance to get into a good grad school.

5. ACTUAL APPLICATION PROCEDURE
1. Application
Generally, most the universities have an online application process so you need to fill out the online form and pay the application fee (via credit card).
2. Transcript of Academic performance
This is basically the report card from all the colleges you have attended.
It need to be official i.e. on college letter head with proper seal and signature and also needs to be sealed in an envelope.
3. Letters of Recommendation
These are supposed to tell the admissions committee about what a few experienced people who themselves have been through graduate school and who have had a chance to work with you closely and observe you think about you. So the important thing is to get the recommendation from someone who knows you and your capability to work.
4. Statement of Purpose
One of the most important section of you application is the statement of purpose or personal statement. This is a channel through which you can talk to the admissions committee and tell them why they should admit you. People believe that one should write very hi-fi flowery language in the SoP which is completely wrong. It needs to be a true representation of your abilities and for that no flowery language will do any good. Write it in a straight forward manner. I do not want to elaborate much about SoP here because it is very well documented around the net. Here are few links which might be useful:
1. http://www.statementofpurpose.com/ Name says it all
2. http://www.infozee.com/application-issues/essays-sop.htm Some sample essays
3. http://www2.sjsu.edu/faculty/gcallaghan/graduate/winningstatement.htm Useful stuff
4. http://www.accepted.com/grad/personalstatement.aspx The Do's and Don'ts
5. http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~whuang/other/purposeadvice.html A very interesting account by a professor at RPI with some advice to faculty also.
6. http://www.greguide.com/sop.html Even this one is pretty decent
7. http://essayedge.com/ This is paid ... if you can pay.
8. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/5353/classes/purpose.html Another guide but for Psychology
9. http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/admin/admissions/purpose.html An official account as to what it should be. This is what a typical university expects.

DO NOT read any body else's SoP before you write yours because once you have read other's SoP, there is no way you can maintain the originality in your own.
Take sufficient time to complete it. Start at least a month before SoP would actually be required. Go through revisions.

6. Resume
Some of the universities also ask for applicant's resume. It is yet another channel for communication but this can only be used for factual description. In fact resume, when used cleverly in conjunction with SoP, provides you a chance to improve your SoP. The way to do this is that you mention every factual detail about you academic or otherwise life that you would like the admissions committee to know in the resume. Now when writing the SoP do not duplicate any information you mentioned in the resume and this will give you more space for talking about boring factual details. You can tell admissions committee about the inside stories about those facts in the SoP. Again, like SoP, there is tons of resources available for Resume on net. Following links may help too:
1. http://www.resume-help.org/college_admissions_resume_example.htm
2.http://www.ishaglobal.com/info/Admission_College_Resume_Sample.htm I am not sure whether this is free or not.
3. http://gradschool.about.com/od/curriculumvita/ This is useful.
4. http://www.collegegrad.com/resumes/resumes.shtml Very useful.
You can check out my resume on About me page. I do not know how far they conform to the guidelines mentioned in above links.

7. Financial Statement
This is a very important part of your application

8. Photocopy of GRE/TOEFL/TSE Score sheets
Some universities mention that they wont except photocopied scorecards and must be sent original scores through ETS. Without any respect for what they say, you must invariably include a photocopy of your scorecards with your admission material. Reason being that ETS is notorious for delays in delivering of score or not delivering them at all and thus in such situations the admissions committee can at least proceed with the photocopies and you can sort things out with ETS in the meantime.

9. Other Documents - papers and certificates
You can also include your papers or some certificate if the university explicitly asks for it. The best way to show such stuff is to put these papers, reports etc. on a website and include the URL in the resume.

Precautions to be taken while sending the admissions material:
1. For addresses and names on various envelopes use printed labels.
2. Make sure to indicate your name, email address and identification number (if any) on each and every document that you send out.
3. Use a binder clip to group all the recommendation letters together.
4. Write a short and crisp forwarding letter. Make sure to include each and every piece of paper that you are sending in the letter. A sample is here.
5. Arrange the material inside the envelope in a plastic bag (to protect stuff from water) in the order mentioned in the forwarding letter.
6. Do not include any document other than asked for by the university. Nothing pisses the overworked clerk at the university than thinking about what to do with extra documents. Photocopies of scores is an exception to this rule.

Importance of different components of your application
What I am going to mention here is based on my personal experience and my discussions with some people involved in the actual process. The most important thing, interestingly, is a hypothetical product, your_GPA x reputation_of_your_undergrad_school. As the reputation of your undergrad school is something which you cannot exactly quantify, but still you at least have a good idea about it in your own country. Further, the reputation of your school is somewhat beyond your control so that makes your GPA very important, or rather the most important thing. This is so because your GPA tells the admissions committee about your cumulative evaluation over four year by eminent faculty members who themselves have been through grad school. Next to GPA comes publications if any, in scholarly journals or conference proceedings. Here the reputation of the journal or the conference is of utmost importance. In fact if you have really decent publication it can even make up for your GPA. These publication are given so much importance because grad school is basically about research and publications are a proof of your expertise in research. Keep in mind that doing mere internships at fancy labs and center would not help much unless you can corroborate that experience with publications. The GRE and TOEFL scores are only marginally important and are generally used only for cutoff purpose in initial stages of the process. The recommendations become important based on two things - who wrote it and what he wrote. Now the fact is that very few manage to get recommendations from Noble laureate or Turing award winners so generally the person recommending you would not be known to the person reading the recommendation so what is written in the recommendation becomes more important. It should ideally not just be about your grades and you being the favorite student. Yours SoP is as important as you make it. Its a little lower in the order of importance list because, things like GPA and GRE scores are required to be sufficiently high so that committee even reads your SoP. But once your other credentials are strong enough that committee gets to your SoP, it becomes the most important component because through this you can talk to committee and make them look at you beyond some numbers on your resume.

6. WAITING THE WAIT
Once the university receives your application, it will send you an acknowledgement email. It will contain information about whether you application is complete or not or incase something is missing, they'll ask you to send it. Keep this email very securely as it may contain identification information for your application which can potentially be misused.

7. SAYING YES

say yes to all offer to choose best in last

8. PREPARING TO LEAVE

Working in France while a student

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:35:00 +0000

International students have the right to work in France if they have a residency permit and are enrolled in an institution that participates in the student health plan of the French social protection system (Sécurité Sociale). Even first-time visitors to France and students enrolled in the first year of postsecondary education enjoy the right to work.

The work week in France (annually averaged) is 35 hours. French law allows international students to work no more than 884 hours in a given year. That translates to half-time employment (19.5 hours per week) during the academic year and full-time during vacations.

EduFrance, along with French educators and policymakers, does not believe that full-time work is consistent with student status.

Supplementing your income by working while studying is a common practice.

You won't be able to meet all of your expenses by working half-time, but you should be able to earn extra spending money.

The minimum hourly wage in France (known as the SMIC, for salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance) is 7,61 Euros gross, that is, before withholding of mandatory social-benefit taxes, which come to approximately 20 percent of the gross payment.

Working in France after your studies

At the end of your course a firm can recruit you even if you aren't a national of the European Community.

You must request a change of status (from being a student you become a salaried employee) and in order to do so, you have to follow a specific procedure.

According to your place of residence, you will obtain the necessary information concerning how to put together your application from the town hall, main police station, sub-prefecture or prefecture.

You must present, among other documents, a work contract or an offer of employment from a French company.

To assess your application the administrative services will take into consideration a certain number of criteria, such as the company's motivation, your profile or the length of your studies.

When your application is accepted you will be issued with a temporary residence permit for workers.

Student visa

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:44:00 +0000

Visa process for Indian students

Following individuals require a student visa Students going to France to study on:
Full time course
Erasmus -Mundus course,
Student exchange programme
French language course ( summer courses etc)
Short term internship programme,

will need to apply for student visa.

Getting the Student Visa is a three-step process

First Step – to create an online CampusFrance registration file on www.india.campusfrance.org
You may need the help of a CampusFrance counselor to do so please contact the CampusFrance office closest to you You may schedule an appointment through the online file or by calling or mailing the CampusFrance counselors

Second Step- to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) through the visa interview by the designated official:

In Delhi: the Attache for Scientific & University Cooperation In Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune: the Director of the respective Alliance Française or Language attaches in some cities. Documents required to obtain the NOC are listed further below.

Third Step - After the interview, submission of passport at the main embassy for stamping : Students who obtain the NOC at Delhi, Calcutta and Chandigarh are required to submit their passports at the French Embassy at New Delhi

Students who obtain the NOC at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai proceed to the French Consulate in Mumbai.

Students who obtain the NOC from Chennai proceed to the French Consulate in Pondicherry.

Documents required for NOC Interview.
Following documents are required in 2 sets of photocopy and originals for verification.
1. A letter of registration / admission from a French Academic Institution.
2. Proof of resources for tuition fees and 500 Euros/month for living expenses for the period of stay (1 year) for housing, food, medical expenses, transport etc.,) OR A sponsorship letter for accommodation from the city where you are going for your studies and supporting documents showing availability of a minimum of 250 Euros per month for living expenses.
3. Proof of accommodation in France for the period of stay.
4. Short Bio-data.
5. 4 passport size photographs with light background.
6. Copies of your degrees / diplomas and certificates (+2/BA/BSc/BE/MA/MSc)
7. Copy (first 2 pages) of valid passport for the entire period of stay in France.
8. Air ticket or Reservation print out of Air ticket.
9. For short and long duration stay in France the student should take a comprehensive "overseas medical policy and repatriation policy" for 3 months and a copy to be attached.
10. A demand draft of Rs 4000 in favour of “CEDUST” payable at New Delhi .This is the CampusFrance registration fee to be submitted on the day of the Visa interview or on a prior date.

After the NOC interview, the student will be given a presentation letter and with the same he/she would need to submit the passport at the Embassy on a predefined date. The Passport will be returned duly stamped in 2 working days or a week at the latest. The French Embassy student visa fee is 50 euros (in equivalent Indian Rupees , to be paid in cash at the time of depositing the passport). © CampusFrance 2005

What about scholarships ?

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:37:00 +0000

Information on French government scholarship programs is available on the following sites:

www.india-campusfrance.org
www.egide.asso.fr
www.cnous.fr
www.onisep.fr
www.cefi.org
www.fnege.imaginet.fr

Other scholarship programs

Other agencies, foundations and institutions (CNRS, Ministry of Research, Fondation de l’Ecole Polytechnique, etc.) offer special scholarships to students at the doctoral and post-doctoral levels.

France to offer more seats for Indian students

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:06:00 +0000

26 Jan, 2008, ,Ishani Duttagupta, TNN

NEW DELHI: Educational ties between India and France are very high on the agenda of the French Presidential delegation. Valerie Pecresse, French minister of higher education, who is part of the delegation, told ET that efforts are on by her government to hike the number of Indian students in France, from the current level of 1,700 to at least three times that number every year.

“To make France a more attractive destination for Indian students, we have recently eased the work permit rules whereby students who finish a course in France can stay back for six months to look for a job on their existing student visas. And, once they get a job their work permits will be processed while they remain in France,” Ms Pecresse told ET.

She added that the French government was also funding French language courses for students in India who wished to go to France for higher education to enable better cultural integration. Work permit rules are likely to be eased further for Indian students in France in the coming months, the minister, who is on her second state visit to India, said.

The Indo-French Consortium of Universities, which has been announced during the French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit, will establish joint doctorate and masters degrees between universities in the two countries and will also try to create twinning programmes.

“France has many well-known institutions for engineering and technology and we’re trying to reach out to Indian students in these disciplines. We hope to position France as a centre for higher education and research in various fields of science and technology among Indian students who are planning to study overseas,” Patrick Chezaud, president of Universite Stendhal and one of the architects of new consortium told ET.

Even as authorities on both sides are working on mutual recognition of qualifications and joint degree programmes, the French embassy in India has announced 40 new incentive grants that will be reserved for masters students who go to France as part of the programmes established under the new consortium.

The French education ministry will also fund air fares for French students and faculty members to visit India under the programme.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Education/France_to_offer_more_seats_for_Indian_students/articleshow/2732890.cms

Indian students studying in France

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:48:00 +0000

Links to websites of giving various information about studying in France. To add your link here, please contact us

General Information about France:

Resourceful Links for Students:

Associations & Organizations:

Programs taught in English
http://www.edufrance.net/adm/xadm-catanglais.htm

Thales lures more Indians to France's top grad schools

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:40:00 +0000

Friday, February 01, 2008 By Vishnu Makhijani*=)

French defence and electronics major Thales will give more scholarships to high-performing Indian students as it seeks to attract the 'world's best talent' to France's top-notch graduate schools.

The company is offering 35 scholarships this year to students from India, Brazil, China and Russia under its Thales Academia Initiative that was launched in 2006.

'The initiative is designed to attract the world's best talent to continue and complete their education within France's higher education establishments,' Thales chairman and CEO Denis Ranque said.

Each scholar will receive a Thales Academia grant of 13,000 euros, in addition to a French foreign ministry package that includes a visa, and social security and housing support.

'They will be personally mentored by a Thales manager and offered an internship with the group, Ranque, who rarely interacts with the media, told IANS during a visit here.

'This is part of our global corporate social responsibility effort. We asked ourselves what we could do for others. The answer lay in helping the youth of countries like India learn the latest technologies and sharpen their skills,' Ranque explained.

A number of establishments have already signed up for the Thales Academia Initiative. They include some of Europe's most prestigious graduate schools, such as members of the ParisTech network, as also the premier HEC and ESSEC business school.

If needed, the scholars will receive free intensive French-language training from their local Alliance Fran�aise in India before they leave for France.

'They will then be invited to follow an advanced specialised course in engineering, science or business management at a renowned French university or graduate school of their choice,' Ranque said.

Says Thales country corporate director for India Fran�ois Dupont, 'We hope to see this programme develop from strength to strength each year, with even more possibilities opening up to talented Indian students.

'It is important to create such links between France and India and also between higher education and industry. Students have the opportunity to spend work placement time with us, which along with giving them a very useful experience of industry also allows them to create a network of contacts with the company,' Dupont added.

Thales Academia's first year saw 21 scholars pursuing courses as varied as a Masters of Computer Science to a Masters of International Risk Management. Indian students represented 20 percent of the 2006 intake. Eight Indians availed themselves of the scholarship in 2007.

Thales, which expects orders of 250-300 million euros from India during 2008, has a broad footprint in the country's defence and civil aviation sectors.

Earlier this month, it signed a deal believed to be worth $50 million to convert four to six Indian Navy minesweepers into state-of-the-art mine hunters.

Through DCNS, a company in which it has a 25 percent stake, Thales is also engaged in the construction of six Scorpene submarines at Mumbai's Mazagon Docks, even as it is hopes for a repeat order later this year for another six submarines.

The French government holds a 75 percent stake in DCNS.

Thales, which views India as a major R and amp;D base, plans to ramp up its 150-strong IT operations at Chennai to 1,000 in the next few years.

'The Chennai centre looks after our global software operations with a small amount of work being done for our projects in India,' Dupont said.

Thales has also floated two joint ventures with two Indian companies - Rolta and Samtel - to develop a range of IT-based solutions for the defence and civil aviation sectors.

Globally, Thales employs 22,000 R and amp;D engineers out of a total workforce of 68,000 employees in 50 countries with 2007 revenues forecast in excess of 12 billion euros.

http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20080201/95035.htm

Address book

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:30:00 +0000

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs relies on three main operators for its international activities for foreign students:

The EduFrance agency

The main objectives of the EduFrance agency are to promote France’s advanced training offering abroad, and to offer foreign students a service providing information, guidance and enrolment assistance so they can pursue their graduate studies in France.

The agency brings together 180 members (universities, grandes écoles, and institutes), which pool their experience and knowledge for the benefit of foreign students.

EduFrance publishes a directory of France’s training offering, created in partnership with the members, featuring more than 1,000 training courses (graduate studies, multilingual studies, European courses, foreign language preparation, tutoring, and professional training, etc.).

Read the dossier about the EduFrance agency

*****

Scholarships and grants are administered primarily by two organizations:

The CNOUS (Centre National des Œuvres Universitaires et Scolaires / Ministry of Education organization responsible for student support on practical day-to-day matters)Placed under the supervision of the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research, the Centre National des Œuvres Universitaires et Scolaires (CNOUS) runs the CROUS network. Its objective is to give all students the same chances to access and succeed in higher education by assisting them in their day-to-day matters.

The CNOUS aims to make students’ lives easier in many areas: food, accommodation, scholarships and grants, social and cultural actions, opening up to the world, etc.

Address Sous-Direction des Affaires Internationales
6, rue Jean Calvin B.P. 49
75222 PARIS CEDEX 05
Tél. (01) 44 18 53 00 Fax : (01) 55 43 58 00 
Courriel : sdai@cnous.fr
Internet : http://www.cnous.fr

EGIDE (Centre français pour l’accueil et les échanges internationaux / French centre for welcoming foreign students and international exchange)Each year, the Egide association organizes the welcome and stay of more than 30,000 students, professionals, scientists and guests invited from all over the world, who have come to train, get informed, or stay in France, as well as sending 10,000 French experts and researchers abroad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ leading operator involved in administering scholarships and grants from the French government, Egide is closely associated with governmental directions in this area of international cooperation.

Address
28, rue de la Grange aux Belles
75010 PARIS
Tél. (01) 40 40 58 58 Fax : (01) 42 00 70 08
Courriel : contact@egide.asso.fr
Internet : http://www.egide.asso.fr

http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france_159/studying-in-france_2192/address-book_5011/index.html

A Quick Overview

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:25:00 +0000

A quick review of the French Higher Education system reveals a few distinctive features, the most noticeable one being the Grandes Ecoles. The very first Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees was set up in 1747, followed by the Ecole des Mines in 1873 and the Ecole Polytechnique in 1794. The Grandes Ecoles were founded as an alternative to the broader education provided by universities. These prestigious institutions would educate the engineers and statesmen who were to form the future elite of French Society.

Despite their name, most of the Grandes Ecoles are actually quite small, enrolling fewer than 1,000 students. Some of these schools have recently opened their courses to international students, who are strongly encouraged to apply for these first-rate programmes

The Higher Education structure consists of a large number of universities. France can claim one of the world's first universities, La Sorbonne, founded in Paris in the 13th century. The idea was also taken up in the Italian city of Bologna and in Oxford and in Cambridge in England. At the time, students were free to roam from country to country and language was no object as all the teaching was done in Latin. So Europe is not such a new concept after all and thanks to the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) you too can now roam around Europe in search of an international education!

Besides Grandes Ecoles and Universities, there are University Technology Institutes and also Higher Technician courses can be found either in Lycees or Universities.

France also has on offer an amazing array of high calibre courses ranging from DESS to MBAs in the fields of hotel management, fine catering, oenology, luxury goods management, fashion, publishing techniques. In order to discover more about these courses, please visit the recommended websites and if necessary seek assistance from French representations in the UK.

The French Higher Education system has developed good links with the private sector. Most courses include a training period in a French company, which frequently leads to permanent employment. French universities benefit from close links with local industries and the experience of a foreign professional environment is always an asset for an international student. As a result, France attracts many students from abroad every year.

The main categories of Grandes Ecoles are:

Business Schools (Ecoles de Commerce)
There are more than 100 business schools offering a 3 or a 4 year programme. The Business Schools curriculum builds on a common foundation course and leads to specialisations such as auditing, finance, marketing, international trade, human resources and accountancy. Tuition fees can vary widely but generally range from £2,000 to £4,000 per year.
MS (special Masters Degree): Students can choose from 260 MS subjects at approximately 100 engineering and business schools. The course duration is 12 to 15 months. An MS qualification is not so much a full diploma as a standard excellence. Entry requirements: at least 5 years HE and one degree-level qualification. Applications are considered on the basis of their academic record, an interview and the results of written and oral tests. Tuition fees are around £6,000.

MBA (Masters of Business Administration): Unlike an MS Degree, the MBA is a general qualification recognised all over the world. Basic MBA subjects include marketing, finance, management and human resources. The course duration is 1 or 2 years. Entry requirements: at least 5 years HE and one degree-level qualification, plus a minimum of two years experience in industry. Applications will be examined by an admissions committee. Tuition fees are £5,000 to £15,000.

Schools of Engineering (Ecoles d'Ingenieurs)
A list of Engineering schools is available on:

www.cefi.org
www.industrie.gouv.fr/pratique/format/sp_ecol-en.htm

Approximately 250 Ecolesa d'Ingenieurs, some of which are housed within universities, offer a 3 - year curriculum that is approved by a national commission. Some Engineering schools, such as the Ecole Polytechnique, the Ecole Centrale and the Ecole des Mines, offers a general course which enables engineers to handle all management functions in industry. Others take a more specialised approach in subjects such as agronomics, chemistry, biology and information technology. An engineering diploma gives access to a Matere (equivalent to a Master's degree).

Most Ecoles d'Ingenieurs have admission routes for international students, whose level is determined by their prior studies in France and abroad. Annual tuition fees are approximately £400.

The "n+1" programme is targeted at students who have at least a bachelors degree. It offers them the possibility of obtaining a Masters degree (equivalent in France to a "Diplome d'Ingenieur). Studnets are offered the opportunity to extending their skills outside the traditional scientific and technological dimensions of an engineering qualification to areas such as economy, sociology and management that will be part of their future careers. This is achieved through cultural and linguistic adaptation programmes and qualifying work placements. www.nplus1.tm.fr

Institutes of Political Science
(Instituts d'Etudes Politiques or IEP)
The standard course has two stages: the first lasts 1 year and provides foundation in economics, social sciences, history, law, international relations and communications. During the second year long stage, students can specialise in public services, economy and finance, communications and human resources or international relations.

There are nine IEPs in Aix-en-Provence, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Paris, Rennes, Stratsbourg and Toulouse. The most prestigious is Sciences Po Paris, which offers recently re-designed courses. Admission takes place through a competitive examination and students can choose between the standard programme or the foreign students programme. The enrolment fee for the first year is £600.

Ecoles Normales Superieures
The ENS (ENS Ulm and ENS Cachan in Paris, ENS Lettres et Sciences Humaines in Lyon and ENS Lyon for Sciences) train HE teachers for 4 years in sciences, technology, applied arts, humanities, economics and social sciences. They are highly selective and prestigious HE institutions. Entry requirements: at least 2 or 3 years HE. Selection is by competitive examination. There is a special foreign visitors status for students on international exchange programmes.

Ecole Nationale d'Administration known as l'ENA (Higher Civil Service School)
ENA has two sites in Paris and Stratsbourg. Students take courses for 27 months in both institutions. It is the most prestigious and the most selective of the Grandes Ecoles. Entry requirements: Since it was first founded, ENA has offered an international programme specifically for foreign students. Applicants must be civil servants, state employees or (exceptionally) students studying to take up civil service positions in their country of origin. They must hold an HE diploma and be under 35 years of age. They must have an excellent written and spoken command of the French language. They must also have a good understanding of French and European society and a keen interest in international affairs. The list of Grandes Ecoles is available on www.cge.asso.fr

At first glance

What you can achieve - In the United Kingdom - In France
After two years - HNC, HND - DEUG, DUT, BTS
After three years Bachelor (BA or BSc) or BA/BSc Honours - Licence
After four years - Bachelor (Hons). Master - Maitrise
After five years - Master - DEA, DESS Mastere
After eight years & more - PhD - Doctorat

For registration purposes it is useful to know that just as university studies in the UK are divided in undergraduate and postgraduate levels, academic studies in France are divided in cycles. The first two years, which provide a fairly broad foundation course in the chosen subject, are the first cycle, known as premier cycle. The third year, (licence), and the fourth year (maitrise) are the second cycle. This cycle gradually leads students into a more specialised knowledge of their subject. Finally, the third cycle, or Troisieme cycle, starts with an introduction to research, (DEA diplome d'etudes approfondies or a highly specialised business orientated diploma known as DESS diplome d'etudes superieures specialisees), addressing subjects in the fields of science, technology or industry. It ends with a doctorate (doctorat), which is the equivalent of a PhD.

Fees: Tuition fees for the academic years in universities range from £80 to £500 for preparing a national diploma (including access to libraries), plus £100.00 for social security.

Tuition fees in Grandes Ecoles may vary from one school to another. You will need to inquire individually. However, you will find some guidance in the section "Admission to a Grande Ecole".

Admission to the French Higher Education System

General conditions for EU students
From 2001 onwards, EU students should contact the French institution of their choice directly for information regarding courses, registration procedures, diplomas equivalence and student accommodation. It is recommended to apply before March in order to secure a place.

For the premier cycle, level of French university students would normally enter university with the Baccalaureat, but if you have followed a different route you will need to insure that your qualification is equivalent.

Standard requirements for entry at University would be a minimum of either; 2 A levels or GCSEs in five different subjects (grade C or above), or three A-levels or GCSEs in 4 different subjects (grade C or above). Entry at 2nd or 3rd cycle level will be based on previous academic qualifications acquired in a foreign university.

Contact the university of your choice and ask for an application form as well as for a dossier de validation or dossier d'equivalence. A reasonably good command French is also required as it is the medium of instruction in most French institutions. The DALF (Diplome Approfondi de Langue Francaise) is accepted by all French universities as proof of competence in French and provide exemption from university language tests. Please contact the French Institute for more information about DALF on 020 7581 2701.

Non EU Students
Will need to follow a different procedure for admission to a French University and to obtain a visa/residence permit. Please contact the French Consulate on 020 7073 12000 to apply for a visa and contact the Cultural Department of the French Embassy, on 020 7073 13000, in October/November for admission procedures.

Admission to a Grande Ecole
Admission to a Grande Ecole is selective and the procedure is designed by the Grande Ecole itself, be it scientific literary or business orientated. There are two main procedures based on either previous academic qualification or on a competitive examination (concours). In the latter case, the students must prepare the concours by spending two or sometimes three years in special training courses, classes preparatoires offered by many institutions . These classes can be divided into three main areas of study: literature, science, economics and business. To enter a classe preparartoire students must hold he Baccalaureat, preferably with distinction, with top grades in the subjects to be studies, as well as good references.

As they are internationally orientated and promote exchanges between French and Foreign students, several Grandes Ecoles have devised specific schemes to allow foreign students to by-pass this selective process and enter some of the most prestigious institutions through other routes.

http://www.intstudy.com/india/frenchhe.htm

How can you receive a scholarship from the French government?

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:22:00 +0000

Grants issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Grants from the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Research
Grants being offered within the framework of European programmes
Grants from the Academic Agency for the French-speaking world (Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie)
Grants from international institutions, non-governmental organizations and foundations.
Grants from regional authorities
Grants from foreign governments

Grants issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

- Grants issued by French Embassies abroad

French government grants are delivered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for studies, training courses or language courses in France. Most of them are issued by the Department of Cultural Initiatives and Cooperation of France’s Embassies and consulates abroad. Whatever their country of residence may be, candidates must, before their departure and sufficiently in advance, apply directly to this Department located in their country of origin in order to obtain complete information on these grants: granting conditions, selection schedule, and application documents to be handed over.

For more information

Apply to the Department of Cultural Initiatives and Cooperation from your country of residence’s French Embassy or French consulate

There are various categories of grants: study grants, training course grants, high-level scientific course grants.

For more information on the various categories of grants
Specific programmes

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also delivers grants within the framework of specific programmes that directly depend upon its Paris services (Direction Générale de la Coopération Internationale et du Développement, Direction de la Coopération scientifique et universitaire, Sous-Direction de la Coopération universitaire et de la formation professionnelle, Bureau de la mobilité étudiante).

Eiffel excellence grants

The “Eiffel excellence grant” programme, which was created in 1999 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is intended for the best foreign students who wish to pursue their higher education in France for the final three years of their degree course or for their postgraduate studies, in three great fields: engineering science, economy-management, law-political science.

Applications must absolutely be submitted by a French school in which their registration has already been accepted.

This programme is also devised to support French schools’ international initiatives, giving them a particularly attractive tool for identifying and selecting the best students who enrol for their courses.

EGIDE manages the Eiffel programme.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ presentation of the programme

For more information: EGIDE website

-* PhD Eiffel excellence grants

In 2005, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs created a new programme, PhD Eiffel, in order to complete the already existing Eiffel system by extending its scope to doctoral education, in accordance with the directions chosen by the Prime Minister.

This programme’s aim is to encourage PhD students who are in co-supervision or co-tutoring to come to France by ensuring the continuity of the Eiffel programme.

Applications from students who live in emerging countries (Asia, Latin America, new EU member states, Russia) but also in countries with a high scientific and academic potential are encouraged.

The PhD Eiffel programme makes it possible to offer foreign PhD students the possibility of spending one year in France (preferably the 2nd or 3rd year of their thesis).

EGIDE manages this programme.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ presentation of the programme

For more information: EGIDE website

Major excellence grants

In September 2000, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs created the Major grant programme to add to the programme of excellence grants given by the AEFE (Agence pour l’Enseignement Français à l’Etranger), which targets former foreign students in French lycées abroad.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ presentation of the programme

For more information (in french)

The Major grant programme makes it possible for students whose excellence grant from the AEFE is coming to an end to pursue their higher education in France after the first cycle of university courses. On certain conditions, it indeed allocates them an additional three-year grant to study in the grandes écoles (prestigious higher education schools) or in university during the final three years leading to a master’s degree (bac + 5).

The CNOUS manages this programme.

For more information

CNOUS website

Grants for theological studies

The grant programme for theological studies concerns students who wish to follow theology courses in French colleges. It gives grants to French-speaking postgraduate students, those studying religions coming first, or eventually to students doing the final three years of a degree course when they are from a country that does not have the required infrastructures.

The CNOUS manages this programme.

Outline, and application documents

For more information

CNOUS website

Charcot grant programme

In partnership with 5 French university-hospital centres (Strasbourg, Lyons, Paris, Marseilles, Bordeaux), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers one-year grants every year for education through clinical research in hospital services. Applicants must be less than 40 years old, French-speaking or English-speaking and of teacher and researcher level (or future teacher and researcher level) in their country of residence abroad.

Excellence grant programme in the medical field

Charcot grant programme 2008-2009 - Application form (PDF, 42 kb)

The CNOUS manages this programme.

For more information

Partnership agreement with the THALES company for welcoming and supporting the best foreign students

New: the minister of Foreign Affairs and the chairman and managing director of the THALES Group, Mr Denis Ranque, signed a partnership agreement that allows the financing of 24 Chinese and Indian students since September 2006.

For more information

Grants from the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Research

According to their nationality or their status, some foreign students may also lay claim to financial backing from the French Ministry of Education: travel grants, revenue-based aids, grants for doctoral studies.

For more information: Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Research (in french)

Grants being offered within the framework of European programmes

The SOCRATES/ERASMUS and LEONARDO European programmes make it possible to grant, within the context of projects being laid out by schools, mobility aids for students who go and study or do a training course in a different country from the European Union.

For more information

The Socrates-Leonardo da Vinci agency ensures the promotion of Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci programmes over the French territory.

For more information

Grants from the Academic Agency for the French-speaking world (Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie)

The Academic Agency for the French-speaking world has aid programmes to help students, teachers and researchers.

For more information

Grants from international institutions, non-governmental organizations and foundations.

For more information

Trilingual guide (English, French and Spanish): “Study Abroad”, published by the UNESCO.

For the financing of PhD thesis or postdoctoral studies: Andès guide (Association of French doctors)

Grants from regional authorities

Regional councils and other regional authorities can offer mobility grants to foreign students.

For more information on regional authorities’ initiatives abroad Database for French regional authorities (in french)

Grants from foreign governments

Some countries award grants making it possible to study abroad. Students can enquire for details at their country of origin’s Ministry of Education or at the body responsible for grants.

http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france_159/studying-in-france_2192/how-can-the-project-be-funded_4965/

Guide for Indian Students Coming to France

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 03:09:00 +0000

Well, you are looking for higher studies in France. The very first thing I suggest is to contact EduFrance desk in India. They will provide you with all up to date information. Don't hesitate to ask silliest doubts (You may feel so!). They will answer all your queries.If you opt for EduFrance service your life is easy and your admission process is no more a head-ache.

But, if you decide to come independently OR you have secured admission yourself, have landed in France and/or facing administrative hurdles, then you may have to spend more time on administrative matters. This is here...at this stage...the guidelines/ pointers which I have put on on this page will help you. None the less you will find important pointers to inexpensive shops, guidelines for getting telephone connections, calling India through cheap calling cards, etc., to make your stay in France pleasant. Keep visiting this BLOG

Visa procedures

Visa procedure changes are frequent. The source of most authentic information is the French embassy site in India. Follow the link to get more details.

What to carry from home?

You will be required to carry lot of documents. Get them translated to French before arriving here. Allianz France in India offers translation services. They charge you per word. (about Rs. 4/- or so). It seems costly in India but translation service charges in France are exorbitantly high.

Documents that you MUST bring in original + French translation are

Your birth certificate
Very very important!! Your age is solely determined by this certificate. And it has to be produced to get residence permit. Even birth date on passport is not considered as valid proof.
But if you have landed in France and forgot to get your birth certificate, contact Embassy of India in Paris. They will issue a certificate of birth by referring to the birth date mentioned on your passport and is accepted as birth certificate by French offices. But then for this you will have to personally visit Embassy of India in Paris.

Your academic record sheets + certificates

Salary slips of last 12 months (If you were salaried person)

These will be required when you will opt for social security.

About 20 Photographs (Size: French VISA recommended)
In France, only French VISA size photographs are accepted for all administrative purpose. Again, getting photographs in France is costly. So better get it done in India.

Now, for other stuff for day to day life

Thermal wear
Good jacket for winter

Leather jacket if you can afford. Leather items are very costly in France. But jacket is must for winter.

A rain coat / Umbrella

Umbrella is really of no great help in Toulouse as winds are very strong.

Sport and/or leather shoes / Chappals/ Slippers

Slippers are must as floor gets cold in winter. They are costly in France (about 5 euros minimum.)

Alarm clock/ table piece
If you plan to cook for yourself

Pressure cooker

Small saucepan/ frying pan

Getting residence permit

You can only apply for a residence permit (Titre de séjour) if you plan to stay in France for more than three months. Residence entitlement for shorter stays is automatically covered by your short-stay visa (or Schengen short-stay visa), which may allow single entry or multiple entries into France.

However, if you are entering France on a long-stay visa, you must (unless specified otherwise on the visa) apply for a temporary student's residence permit as soon as you arrive in France.

Temporary residence permit for students
Holders of a long-stay visa allowing application for a residence permit (carte de séjour) are required to make the application within three months. The carte de séjour will be issued for a specific period of up to one year, depending on the length of your stay. If your course is longer than one year, you will have to apply to renew the carte de séjour when it expires.

How to obtain a carte de séjour ?

To apply for a carte de séjour, you will be required to fill in the form (Link) and supply number of documents (many of which will be the same as those you supplied for your visa application):

Certificate of enrollment at institution of higher education.
Proof of accommodation (rent bill/gas or electricity bill for last 2 months issued on your name or certificate from person who is lodging you).
Proof of financial resources.
Two black-and-white face-on photos (It costs about EUR 4.00 for four photos at an automatic "Photomaton" booth such as those often found in town halls or train and underground stations.)
One stamped addressed envelope (first class mail: EUR 0.54).

Citizens of non-European-Union countries will also need to supply the following items:

Medical certificate, which is delivered after a medical examination at the Office des migrations internationales (OMI). [Plan/Map to reach OMI]
One EUR 55 OMI stamp.

Once the application has been processed, you will be invited (by post or by phone call) to come and collect your carte de séjour in person. The application processing time varies greatly (from one to three weeks, usually). Till you receive your carte de séjour , you will be provided with the recipicess carte de séjour (Receipt of carte de séjour). It is valid for three months. If you do not receive your carte de séjour in three months, you will have to apply for the renewal of the recipicess carte de séjour to Prefecture along with two photographs. It is quiet common that many students don't receive carte de séjour in first three months. Don't panic! As long as you have valid recipicess you are legal resident in France.

Renewal of residence permit (Titre de Sejour)

Documents required for the renewal of titre de sejour (ORIGINALS AND PHOTOCOPIES)

Valid passport (identity, valid visa)
Last residence permit (titre de sejour)
University or institutiion enrollement certificate or student card
Proof of residence

Electric bill/Gas bill, fixed phone line bill for last 3 months

Housing certificate and a copy of the residence permit or the national identity card for the hosts, if you are hosted by the French family.

3 identity photographs (French VISA format 3.5 / 4.5 cm)
Proof of monthly resources ( not less than 430 € / month ) for the last 3 months.
Recent diploma/ degree certificates
If you are student and working / salaried

Temporary work permit for students

Medical certificate issued by the ANAEM for first renewal
Family book (Carnet de famille ) if change in the family situation

In case, your scheduled appointment date is not suitable and you are in urgency to renew your titre de sejour, you need to justify your need with valid documents to Prefecture authorities. The valid reasons could be death of your family member, surgery, etc. For all medical reasons you need to provide doctors certificate. Upon production of appropriate documents, prefecture authorities may process your application before the scheduled date.

Social Security System

All people with employee (salarié) status in France are covered by a standard national health insurance scheme, known as sécurité sociale. Students meeting certain conditions are covered by a student-specific variant of this scheme, known as the régime étudiant de la sécurité sociale.
If you have sécurité sociale coverage, this will automatically extend to your spouse and children (provided they are not students or employees themselves).
People who are not entitled to sécurité sociale coverage are required to take out special coverage, known as assurance personnelle.
Both the sécurité sociale and the assurance personnelle schemes provide basic health insurance coverage, with partial reimbursement of medical expenses. Most people choose to take out additional insurance (assurance complémentaire) to improve the reimbursement rate.

Health insurance for people on educational visits to France
Because foreign students do not have employee status, they are not entitled to standard sécurité sociale coverage and must therefore, if spending more than three months in France, subscribe to the universal health-insurance coverage scheme (couverture maladie universelle, CMU), unless they are entitled to the students' health insurance scheme (régime étudiant de la sécurité sociale).
Whatever form of basic coverage they have, they are recommended to take out additional insurance (assurance complémentaire, or mutuelle complémentaire) for better reimbursement conditions.

Standard Social Security System

Who is entitled?
For coverage under the students' social security scheme (régime étudiant de la sécurité sociale), you must meet two conditions:

You must be under 28 years of age.
You must be enrolled at an institution of higher education approved by the French sécurité sociale system.

If you meet all two conditions, all you have to do is register.

Where to register?
Students register for coverage under the sécurité sociale scheme through a students' mutual insurance company (mutuelle étudiante), at the same time as they enrol at their institution of higher education (university, grande école, etc.). Several mutuelles handle this procedure; you will be given a list to choose from when you enrol with your institution of higher education.
The annual cost of the régime étudiant de la sécurité sociale for the academic year 2006-2007 amounts to about EUR 160.

Couverture maladie universelle (CMU)

On 1 January 2000 France introduced the CMU scheme, which would provide health insurance for all persons with stable and legal residence in France (uninterrupted residence for at least 3 months).

This insurance cover is free for households with taxable revenue under EUR 6,849 per year.

To register for coverage under the CMU scheme, contact your local Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie (CPAM) office.
For a list of CPAM addresses, see the AMeli

For information on the CMU scheme:

phone 0 820 904 208 (toll free) Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00 or Saturday from 09:00 to 12:00
visit the AMeli

Reimbursement rates

The French sécurité sociale system only reimburses about 70% of medical expenses on average. This is why most people take out assurance complémentaire with a mutuelle, which makes up virtually all of the remaining 30%.
Sécurité sociale reimbursements are as follows:

fees paid to doctors with conventionné status: 70% of standard sécurité sociale rate
fees paid to nurses and physiotherapists: 60% of standard sécurité sociale rate
fees paid to laboratories for biological tests: 60% of standard sécurité sociale rate
medicines: 65% of standard sécurité sociale rate (though some "non-essential" medicines are reimbursed at 35%, and other pharmacy products are not reimbursed at all)
glasses: 65% of the cost of the lenses at standard sécurité sociale rate (there is virtually no reimbursement on the frames)
radiology and dental care: from 65% to 70% of standard sécurité sociale rate
hospital care: 80% reimbursed for first month and 100% thereafter (less a flat rate of EUR 10.67 per day)

The standard sécurité sociale rate can lag far behind actual expenditure. For example, a pair of glasses is officially rated at about EUR 8.50, whereas the actual cost is at least EUR 90. This, again, highlights the importance of taking out additional insurance cover.

Reimbursement procedure
The patient usually pays the doctor's fees directly to the doctor, then requests reimbursement (by mail or in person) from the mutuelle, the insurance company. Reimbursement can take from two weeks to a month.

In 2000, France introduced the Carte Vitale system to streamline the health-insurance reimbursement procedure. All members of the health-insurance scheme were issued free of charge with cards, and most doctors and other health care professionals (pharmacists, nurses, etc.) are equipped with special computerized card readers that transmit patient and treatment data directly to the sécurité sociale office. This shortens reimbursement time down to a few days.
Hospitals apply a direct reimbursement (tiers payant) system, which means the patient only has to pay the portion (known as ticket modérateur) that is not covered by the sécurité sociale. Some pharmacies apply the same system. To use this direct reimbursement system, you should contact your mutuelle or insurance company.

Additional private medical insurance (Mutuelle/Assurance complémentaire)
Most people in France take out additional health insurance coverage (assurance complémentaire) to improve the rate of reimbursement of medical expenses. But additional health insurance is not compulsory. Additional health insurance is taken out with one of France's numerous mutuelles, which are mutual insurance organizations.

Students' mutual insurance organizations
Students' mutual insurance organizations (mutuelles étudiantes) all offer basic coverage under the standard students' national health insurance scheme (régime étudiant de la sécurité sociale), plus additional insurance coverage.

La Mutuelle des Étudiants
La Mutuelle des Étudiants has branch offices in all university towns. Its head office is in Paris:
137, bd Saint Michel
75005 Paris
Internet: www.lmde.com
La Mutuelle des Étudiants offers assurance complémentaire coverage from EUR 66 to 219 per year.

L'Union nationale des Sociétés Etudiantes Mutualistes régionales (USEM)
USEM is the national coordinator for a network of regional mutual insurance organizations, which go under different names in different towns: The Paris office is named SMEREP, and regional offices may be named Smeso-VITTAVI, MEP, MGEL, SMEBA, SMENO, SMERRA, SMECO or SMEREB. All offices practise the same prices and offer the same services.
For address details, see USEM - Union nationale des Sociétés Etudiantes Mutualistes régionales - web site.
Internet: www.usem.fr
or call USEM on +33 (0)1 56 54 36 36.

Extended insurance coverage
Many of the organizations that offer health insurance coverage will also offer other insurance services, such as house insurance, car insurance, and third-party liability (covering accidents caused by the policy holder and involving third parties).

Getting work permit

Indian students must apply for a temporary work authorization, or APT (autorisation provisoire de travail). The APT is issued for a maximum period of nine months, and is renewable. For university holidays, the APT is issued for a maximum period of three months.
To apply for an APT, contact the Service de la Main d'Oeuvre Etrangère at the Direction Départementale du Travail et de l'Emploi et de la Formation Professionnelle (DDTEFP). The website run by the Ministry of Employment lists the addresses of all DDTEFPs in France

Students applying for authorization are required to produce the following documents:

promise of work (certificate de embouche) signed by the employer
Certificate of employment (certificate d'emploi)
temporary residence permit (carte de séjour temporaire or reciepeces)
valid student's card
written request

With an authorization from the DDTEFP, a student from any country is entitled to work under the same conditions as a student from a European Union country.

Student grants based on social criteria

These grants (bourses sur critères sociaux) are intended for students under 26 years of age, with limited family resources, pursuing their initial training in an establishment under the authority of the Ministère de la Jeunesse de l’Education Nationale et de la Recherche. For more details refere to CNOUS website.

Housing contract
(unpublished paragraph...will add it soon)

Opening an bank account ( Source Eigide)
If you are a foreigner staying in France for more than three months, you are entitled to open a bank account.

If you are staying for less than three months, you may open an account at a savings bank (Caisse d'Épargne) or at the Post Office (La Poste). The savings banks have a large network of branches and there is a post office in most French communes. Savings bank and post office accounts are managed in exactly the same way as accounts at commercial banks.

To open a bank account, you will need to show the three following documents:

valid passport
carte de séjour
proof of address: telephone or electricity bill, rent receipt, certificat d'hébergement (official document stating that you are staying with a private resident, obtained by your French host from the local mairie), etc.

Approximately 10 days after opening the account, you will receive a chequebook and/or a credit card.
Chequebooks are usually free of charge. Credit cards, which are usually valid for two years, cost between EUR 15 and EUR 30 per year, depending on the bank and the type of card.

If you are a student below 25 years, you can avail special account benefits for the student. Few to mention are negative account balance, credit facility, nominal maintenance fees etc. Do ask for student account when you are opening an account. Some of the popular banks are Le Credit Lyonnais (LCL), BNP, and La Poste

When you open an account, you may be offered an overdraft facility. Overdrafts can be expensive: when your account balance is negative, the bank charges you interest (agios). If you exceed your authorized overdraft limit, you risk withdrawal of cheque and credit card facilities (interdiction bancaire). This means you will have to pay for everything in cash, including bills, rent and all purchases.

If your chequebook is lost or stolen, contact your bank branch during working hours to make a stop-payment orderopposition). Outside working hours, you will need to call the lost and stolen cheque service at the Banque de France (08 36 68 32 08) and give them your bank account number to register a stop-payment order.
Opening a bank account is generally free of charge, though some services (like a stop-payment order if your chequebook or credit card is lost or stolen) carry fees. Some banks also charge for closing an account.

Transport (Bus/Metro/Train fares)

Toulouse has good network of buses and metros. There is only one ticket for bus and metro. You can access bus and metro with the same valid ticket. Students less than 28 years old get 70% discount on daily/weekly/monthly passes and student above 28 years get 40% discount. To avail these discounts you will have to apply for tisseo identity card (carte pastel) in tisseo offices/ authorized agents. Carte pastel is a smart electronic card which is not just an identity card but is also your ticket. You can credit desired journey (desplacement) to this card using the credit/debit card.

One can also purchase indivisual journey tickets from ticket distribution counters at metro station or selling points at certain bus stops (list included in the end).

Presently, the fares are being revised. Please refere to the website of transport departement to get upto date fares.

Where to recharge your chart Pastel? The slot-machines of the subway stations, the Points Tisséo Sale, the Tisséo Relays, in the terminals of recharging of the subway stations

Getting internet connection

There are number of internet service provider in Toulouse. Usually, there are attractive offeres for internet connection along with the ADSL TV and ADSL phone which offeres unlimited telephone call to France metropolitian. Few services even offer free calls within Europe and to United States of America (USA) and Canada. This is achieved through ADSL modem and decoder. These modems are popularly known as "BOX". So you wil find Darty Box, Free box, Live Box etc advertised by its parent telecom company.

Live Box

This ADSL service is by France Telecom partnered with Orange.

Neuf box (Cegtel Telecom)

This is second largest telephone provider company in France after France telecom.

Making telephone calls to India (Cheaper ways)

Using calling cards

You can make cheap telephone calls to India using calling cards from landline or public telephone. From the feedback I received from different Indian users in Toulouse, the best card is "Euro Latina" card, available from 6.5 to 7.5 Euros in Toulouse. You can purchase this cards in telephone shops (they usally carry the name TAXIPHONE). You can get the same card for as low as 5.8 euros in Paris. Using call back option one usually gets about 200 minutes for calling to Bangalore, 135 minutes for calling Mumbai, etc. The call duration credit depends on the call destination and wether you call to landline or mobile number. In general with this card the calls destined for India costs about 0.04 to 0.05 euro/minute.

France telecom also offeres calling cards which are available in tabac shops and post offices for 7.0 euros. It offere 60 minutes call duration credit for India.

Using VOIP calling services

There are number of internet based services which offer you cheap calls to India using VOIP. They charge as low as 0.03 euros/minute and most of them provide free calls within Europe if you buy credit with them. Few of them I know are VOIPSTUNT, JAXTR, etc. Check their websites for latest calling rates. However, you need have an access to internet and PC with multi-media card, headphone, /speakers and mike to make these calls.

The higher education system in France

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 02:20:00 +0000

The French Higher Education system has a large variety of universities, schools and colleges, offering students both short and long higher education courses, with generalist and professionalised branches. It is based on a complementary three-tier system comprising:

Universities
‘Grandes écoles’
Specialised schools.

The minimum requirement to enrol in Higher Education in France is a diploma of completion of secondary studies, the ‘baccalauréat’ or its considered equivalents. The study organisation and entry requirements vary according to the type of institution and the kind of course studied. Most of the degrees awarded are state/national degrees

France is adopting the new European degree system, known as ‘LMD’: Licence-Master-Doctorate, or the ‘Bologna process’. ‘LMD’ offers students curricula which are harmonized throughout Europe:
“Licence” (three years of higher educational study),
“Master” (five years)
“Doctorate” (eight years).
Each degree is divided in semesters and is made up of a number of modules, with modules equivalent to a specified number of credits. A total number of credits must be obtained to validate the degree. The credits are transferable between institutions within Europe and can be capitalised over the long term.

"http://europa.eu.int"

In France, the academic year begins in September or October and ends in June or July (with some exceptions).

Standardization across Europe : new programmes

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Three programmes of study will standardize higher education across Europe :

licence (six semesters, 180 ECTS credits) :
two years of study per course
+ one year of specialist study
= licence
graduate level (bachelor’s degree)

master’s (licence + four semesters, 120 ECTS credits):
one year of study after the licence (one-year master’s degree)
+ one year of highly specialized study (two-year master’s degree)
= professional master’s degree (formerly the Diplôme d’Études Supérieures Spécialisées or DESS) or research master’s degree (formerly the Diplôme d’Études Approfondies or DEA)
postgraduate level

PhD (master’s + 180 ECTS credits):
three or four years of study
= PhD

Standardization across Europe : reforms implemented

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:58:00 +0000

Three reforms have been undertaken to make higher education programmes more comprehensible :

the new “LMD” (licence, master’s and PhD) structure for higher education programmes

the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), which makes it possible to validate and count periods of study, particularly those spent abroad, toward a student’s degree

the structuring of the academic year into semesters and the adoption of the modular system

Higher education in France : standardization across Europe

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:57:00 +0000

There are four objectives for a gradual system reform, which should be complete by 2010 :

make it easier for students to move around within Europe and increase their employment prospects
make it easier to understand what the various higher education programmes consist of in order to standardize qualifications across Europe
introduce a degree of fluidity among higher education programmes and encourage universities, grandes écoles and specialist schools to work together
make it easier for a student to resume studies or to continue studying when moving around Europe or elsewhere in the world

Higher education in France : the current duration of further study

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:55:00 +0000

Because higher education has not yet been completely standardized across Europe, the duration of further study in France depends on the type of institute and varies according to the diploma the student is working toward :

at universities, which award general university diplomas:

for a Diplôme d’Études Universitaires Générales (DEUG) : two years
for a licence: three years
for a maîtrise : four years
for a Diplôme d’Études Supérieures Spécialisées (DESS)
or a Diplôme d’Études Approfondies (DEA) : five years
for a PhD: a minimum of eight years

at the grandes écoles : three to five years,
depending on the entry level

at the specialist schools : two to seven years,
depending on the type of course

Higher education in France : the grandes écoles and specialist schools

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:52:00 +0000

The higher education possibilities available to students in France include studying at the grandes écoles and other specialist schools and institutes :

the grandes écoles, a very selective system :

these include schools of engineering, business, management, political science and administration
admission is via a competitive examination after two years of classe préparatoire or on the basis of exam results (with stage exams) after two, three or four years of higher education

specialist schools and institutes :

these offer training in specific areas such as the arts, architecture, paramedical services, journalism, radio and television, social services and more
students are awarded State diplomas or the institute’s own diplomas/certificates

Higher education in France : the 87 universities

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:51:00 +0000

Most students in France study at universities (nearly 1.5 million of France’s 2.2 million students), which :

are public and open to everyone, with stage exams throughout the duration of the courses
lead to nationally recognized qualifications (licence, master’s and PhD) and prestigious university diplomas
offer various types of course (short, long, vocational and long-live education) in many different areas (including law, economics, management, administration, literature, languages, the arts,
social sciences, health, technology and more)
are centres of excellence for French research

Higher education in France : the institutions

noreply@blogger.com (breakblog) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:49:00 +0000

Students in France attend three main types of institution, spread all over the country :

universities
grandes écoles
specialist schools and institutes