It's a way of measuring France's influence that the French themselves are largely unaware of: Thirty of the world's heads of state or government in power in 2023 undertook their higher education in France.
The ranking of the most influential states in this respect, drawn up by the Higher Education Policy Institute, a British think tank specializing in university policy, puts France in third place behind the US (where 65 world leaders were educated) and the UK (58 leaders). Behind France comes Russia, where 10 world leaders were trained, followed by Switzerland, Australia, Italy and Spain.
At a time when questions of sovereignty and attractiveness are being widely debated, the issue of welcoming foreign students to our country is more often than not viewed negatively as an "immigration" issue rather than recognized as a means of extending our influence and enhancing our global appeal.
Following in the footsteps of the far right, who tend to see every foreign student as a potential illegal immigrant, Senator Roger Karoutchi (Les Républicains) of the Hauts-de-Seine region just west of Paris succeeded, in fall 2023, in pushing through an amendment to the immigration law bill mandating foreign students to pay a deposit to obtain a residence permit for study. This sum is refundable upon the student's departure from the country. The measure was a bait to attract right-wing and far-right voters to the proposed law. Higher education officials opposed the amendment and it was eventually rejected by the Constitutional Council because it bore no relation to the purpose of the bill. However, this rejection does not prevent it from being proposed another time.
"Honestly, it's not a good idea," admitted Emmanuel Macron, most of whose friends nevertheless voted for it. "I think we need to keep attracting talent and students from all over the world." The cliché of foreigners using student status to circumvent residency rules was reinforced by the debate. It does happen but remains a minority phenomenon: 80% of students who arrived in France in 2010 left the country or became French citizens 10 years after their first residence permit was issued. Those who remain make up no less than half of legal labor immigration, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its 2023 report on international migration.
A particularly unfortunate blunder
Another slip-up was the suspension of issuing visas and scholarships, at the start of the 2023 academic year, for students from Sahelian countries affected by military coups. This suspension, caused by the closure of consulates, could have been seen as punishment following the putsches, a particularly unfortunate blunder at a time when young Africans are questioning France's African policy.
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