Esther Said:

All about France and the French educational system. (MBA Prospect)?

We Answered:

Education in France is indeed free (or very close to it) for everyone, including a student from the United States. Fees vary from 150€ to 700€ depending on the university and the different levels of education. (licence, master, doctorate)

Of course you will have to find lodgings and feed yourself. There is an organization called CROUS which, among other things, runs cafeterias where you can eat cheaply. Check out their website.http://www.cnous.fr/

I'm not sure about grants for foreigners. I know that there are grants and stipends for French students.

A black foreigner who is an American college student will be treated just fine. The situation of African immigrants from France's former colonies leaves much to be desired.

Paris which is the city I am most familiar with, has a cost of living much like New York City.

Students can legally work although you should be aware that employment may be difficult to find.

You should also be aware that you will have to demonstrate fluency in French to be admitted to a French university. (Ask yourself if you can translate your question and this answer into perfect French without using a dictionary..if not then you are not sufficiently fluent).

I should also point out that the French University system is different from that in the United States in many ways. Degrees are different (medicine is, for example, an undergraduate degree) for one thing. Universities are much smaller and offer almost no extracurricular activities. The teaching and research functions which are combined in Universities in the USA are generally separate in France. University professors are teachers and not researchers. Research is conducted in separate institutions.

You will also find that educational institutions in France are far less forgiving and, from an American point of view, vastly more difficult. Since university is very inexpensive and because anyone who passes the baccalauréat has a right to go to university, they deal with the influx of students by flunking most of them out. In other words, no one is going to cut you any slack.

Still, the value of getting a degree from a French University, the additional language skills that you will acquire, and the benefit of becoming socialized to a European environment are clearly very valuable. So don't let me discourage you in any way. But being forewarned is to be forearmed.

EDIT: Well, it is France so yes, French Universities teach in French. After all, how many American universities use French as the language of instruction?

Of course there are cooperative programs with American Universities for "junior year abroad" types of programs but doesn't seem what you're interested in.

There are also some privately owned, for profit, institutions, mainly concerned with hotel management, that give graduate degrees and instruct in English. But they are not a part of the regular French University system and, again, I get the impression that this is not what you are interested in.

EDIT@Sacha Okay, I admit that I may overstate the situation but the fact is the University research is generally undervalued in France compared to the USA.

Its the national research agencies, such as INSERM, CNRS, and INRA that are better recognized.

Perhaps things have changed with the 2005 Pacte pour la Recherche in ways I am unaware of, in which case I stand ready to be corrected.

Leona Said:

How can a person use scholarship?

We Answered:

NOBODY offers free education in America... u can get grants, loans, etc.. There are some scholarships that are for disabled people.. but they usually require a LOT of work to find..essays, etc.. There are also some for international students exclusively.. I am disabled and i pay a LOT to go to college

Lynn Said:

how does university transfer work out?

We Answered:

go to a COMMUNITY COLLEGE...that way, you can afford attendance and then if you get a 3.5 GPA or above you can get inducted in to Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, then colleges and universities will fund your education better! Guaranteed!

Vicki Said:

i am a student from Andhra Pradesh studying inter first year i want to get a free education for engineerig ?

We Answered:

You can approach any charity organizations that help in education and post your request. They can help you.

Govt helps minorities by giving 2 lacs for engineering. I dont know if you belong to any minority group. If yes, govt will help you.

You can approach Andhra Bank for your educational loan. But you have to give some guarantee like if your father or mother has enough govt service, any security that you can give etc.

Best of luck!

Billie Said:

How do I find a scholarship/university in the usa if I'm living and studying here, but not a citizen?

We Answered:

careers.scienceontheweb.net - try this site. It has info about different US scholarships for college students and their grades requirements.