17 - France - Private education

All private institutions of higher education can request State accreditation, which is a label of quality that the State grants to schools that it deems make a positive contribution to public teaching and offer a good level of education. The following criteria are reviewed in the process of obtaining State accreditation:

  • First of all, teaching programmes: objectives and duration, conditions and level of admission, hours and schedules, teaching methods, composition and quality of teaching staff;
  • Facilities and equipment;
  • Legal status: association, société civile(non-trading company);
  • Financial situation (origin and use of funds).
Accreditation is granted by order of the Ministry of Higher Education, in consultation with the national council on higher education and research. Institutions who are accredited by the State are eligible to receive subsidies, teachers from the public sector (by loan), and their students have the possibility to obtain public-sector scholarships. Accredited institutions can be subject to inspection, and the appointment of the director and teaching staff must be approved by the recteur of the académie.

Authorisation to issue a State-accredited degree can be granted by the Minister of Higher Education to State-accredited institutions. The criteria are the same as for the institution’s accreditation process, however it must meet even stricter requirements in terms of level of education and teaching quality.

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Date: 2009
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