05 - France - Types of institution

Higher education in France is characterised by a variety of institutions with different objectives, structures and conditions of admission. There are three types of higher education institutions: universities, EPAs, and private institutes and schools of higher education.

Universities

Scientific, cultural and professional institutions (EPCSCP): since the enactment of the 1984 Savary law, there are a total of 82 EPCSCPs, two of which are national polytechnical institutes (INP) in Grenoble, Nancy and Toulouse.

Since 1984, they have been organised into training and research units (UFR). They also include internal institutes and schools such as university institutes of technology (IUT), created in 1966, and professional university institutes (IUP), created in 1994. The IUTs created under the conditions of Article 33 of the Law of 26 January 1984  have their own special prerogatives: the director has control of income and expenses and has authority over the entire staff. The institutes can also receive credits or jobs attributed directly by the Minister of Education.

The disciplines taught at each institution are closely related to the decomposition/ recomposition process carried out from 1968-1971.

The largest number of universities is multi-discipline. Often, the universities are institutions created in the last thirty years outside the major university towns. Some of the universities are structured around close pairs of fields such as sciences and health, sciences and arts, medicine and law, law and arts.

About a dozen institutions offer a broader range of disciplines, covering 3 or 4 education sectors.

Another category of university is the Ecole normale supérieure(ENS). There are four in all ENS are considered to be among the most prestigious of the Grandes écoles. They are under the control of the Ministry of Higher Education. Students attending these schools (known as normaliens), or at least those who are citizens of the European Union, have the status of "civil servants in training" and therefore receive a salary for the duration of their studies (currently four years): the admissions test is a test for recruitment into public service. In exchange, the students sign an agreement to work at least ten years (starting with their first year in school) for State or local administrations or public companies. It should be noted, however, that not all ENSstudents are normaliens.

Lastly, there are 18 grands établissements, including the Collège de France, Conservatoire national des arts et metiers (National Conservatory of arts and crafts, CNAM), Ecole Centrale des arts et manufactures (ECAM), Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales (School of advanced social sciences, EHESS), Ecole Nationale des Chartes (ENC), Ecole nationale supérieure des arts et metiers (National school of arts and crafts, ENSAM), Ecole nationale supérieure des sciences de l’information et des bibliothèques (National school of information science and libraries, ENSSIB), Ecole pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Institute of political education, IEP), Institut physique du globe de Paris (IPG), Observatoire de Paris, Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (National institute of oriental languages and civilisations, INALCO), Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (National museum of natural history, MNHN), the Palais de la Découverte, Institut national d’histoire de l’art (National institute of art history, INHA), Paris-Dauphine’s Université de technologie en sciences des organisations et de la decision (University of technology in organisational and decision-making sciences), Ecole des hautes etudes en santé publique (National school of public health, EHESP) and Grenoble’s Institut polytechnique. They are governed by the provisions of book VII of the Education code. These are French higher education institutions mainly recruiting by competitive examination from the pupils of preparatory classes for grandes écoles(CPGE).

University Teacher Training Institutes (IUFM), formerly known as EPA, were integrated into universities, in accordance with the framework and programme law for the future of school of 23 April 2005. As of 1st January 2008, IUFMs are governed by the provisions of article L. 713-9 and are assimilated, for the application of these provisions, with schools integrated into universities (article L 721 of the Education code).

IUFMs located in Corsica, Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Martinique, the Pacific and Strasbourg will be integrated by 1st January 2009 at the latest, for specific procedural reasons.

As previously, IUFMs cater for students who wish to become teachers, trainee teachers in primary and secondary sectors and trainee educational advisers. They also continue to carry out their tasks as part of continuing education.

The education they provide was however redefined by teacher training specifications (order of 19 December 2006) and implementation circular no. 2007-45 of 23 February 2007.

EPA (établissements publics à caractère administratif)

EPAs (public administrative institutions) are very diverse and come under the authority of various ministries. The following are included in this category:

• Scientific grandes écoles come under the authority of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (e.g. the central school of arts and manufacture, the central school of Lyon, the national superior institute of arts and textile industries, the national superior institute of arts and professions, etc.);
• Superior institutes of military education, which come under the authority of the Ministry of Defence: the army, navy and air force institutes (polytechnical institute, special military institute of Saint-Cyr, the naval school, Salon-de-Provence air force institute, etc.); ;
• The national institute of administrative studies (ENA), under the authority of the Prime Minister;
• Superior agricultural institutes, which come under the Ministry of Agriculture. Examples include the Paris-Grignon national agronomic institute and the national superior agronomic institutes, which prepare students for various professions in agriculture;
• National veterinary schools, under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture;
• Superior institutes of artistic studies (art institutes, national superior conservatories, the national superior institute of decorative arts, national superior institute of high arts, the Louvre institute, the national heritage institute, etc.), which come under the authority of the Ministry of Culture;
• National superior architectural institutes, under the authority of the Ministry of Culture.
• National superior engineering institutes (mining institute, national institute of bridges and roadways, etc.)
• The national centre for technical education in Cachan, under the authority of the Ecole normale supérieureof Cachan, is an EPA under the responsibility of the Minister of National Education and the Minister of Higher Education. The national centre for technical education in Cachan operates the training centre for teachers in technical education, the training centre for inspectors in technical education and two administrative lycéesections by a director or principal, assisted by a management council. It also operates a machine tool test laboratory;
• Political studies institutes in the provinces;
• Institutes of corporate administration (IAE), which provide a link between university education and practical business studies;
• University teacher training institutes (IUFM). Educational framework law of 10 July 1989 created an IUFM for each académie. These IUFMs are public administrative institutes connected to the universities of the académie concerned. In application of the new framework and programme flaw for the future of school (23 April 2005), IUFMs are gradually integrated into the universities to which they have been attached. Five of them (Limoges, the Reunion, Reims, Versailles, Aix-Marseille) wish to be integrated in 2007. To this end, a consultation process has been set up, combining all the stakeholders (rectorates, IUFM, universities) in order to list all the issues to be dealt with and come out with the best possible solutions. The IUFM is implementing integration guidelines, which will evolve in time;
• Engineering schools (independent EPAs).
• The Institute of higher education for science and technology (IHEST) was created by decree no. 2007-634 of 27 April 2007 and provides the "education and dissemination of scientific culture in society, and the coordination of the public debate on scientific and technological progress and its impact on society". IHEST is under the authority of the ministers in charge of national Education and higher Education and research.

Besides IUFMs, other EPAs can be connected to an EPCSCP, by decree and at their request, after the national council on higher education and research renders its decision .hey nevertheless retain their legal personality and financial independence.

Private institutions of higher education

There are two types of institutions:

• Private institutes of higher education.There are 13 in France (including 5 Catholic institutes), governed by the Law of 12 July 1875 on the freedom of higher education, which offer general university education programmes;
• Private technical and consular institutes of higher education, totalling 134 (of which 44 private engineering schools and 90 private and consular superior institutes of business and management). The education dispensed by these State-accredited schools is recognised by the Ministry of Higher Education. The engineering schools are authorised to give students the title of engineer and the schools of business and management are authorised to deliver state-accredited degrees.

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