That France is one of the world’s most popular study abroad destinations is surely no great surprise. Read on to find out why so many international students choose to study in France – and what to do next if you want to join them.

France conjures up a distinct set of associations in our collective imagination. From the urbane sophistication and history of its cities, to its legendary food and wine, to the spectacular scenery – think rugged mountains and verdant forests, golden beaches and azure seas, rolling pastures and mighty rivers – everyone has their own idealized conception of France. This is reflected in its status as the world’s most popular tourist destination, according to the United Nations World Tourist Organization.

Perhaps your personal image of France involves its proud intellectual and artistic heritage. This is the nation, after all, which produced thinkers such as René Descartes and Jean-Paul Sartre, authors like Marcel Proust and Albert Camus, filmmakers like Jean-Luc Godard and Jean Renoir, and artists like Claude Monet and Paul Cézanne. On top of these names we can add a whole host of scientists, mathematicians and other researchers, whose names may be slightly less familiar, but whose achievements are no less spectacular.

If you’re keen to visit France not just as a holiday-maker but as a student, French universities, student cities, and how to get started with applications, costs and visas.

France’s strong academic and artistic tradition continues in the modern day, helped by the fact there are few countries which invest as much in research and education. Global university rankings reflect this. A total of 39 French universities are included in the QS World University Rankings® 2018, of which 11 are within the global top 300. The nation’s two leading universities, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris and Ecole Polytechnique ParisTech, both make the world’s top 60 at 43rd and 59th respectively, cementing their reputations as two of Europe’s and the world’s leading institutions.