Higher Education Policy in France

Proudly Elitist and Undemocratic? The distributed maintenance of contested practices

“…Tracing its roots to the revolutionary Napoleonic period, the modern French higher education system is bifurcated along parallel tracks, with universities on the one hand and Grandes Écoles on the other (Kaiser, 2007; Kipping, Usdiken, & Puig, 2004). Whereas access to universities is open to all holders of a high school diploma, access to the Grandes Écoles is highly exclusive, based on post-secondary preparatory classes ( prépas ) and a highly competitive national concours examination (Eicher, 1997).…”

The Danish UNIK Initiative: An NPM-Inspired Mechanism to Steer Higher Education

“…After 1968, universities had been split into separate universities, especially in metropolitan areas, often along disciplinary lines, and partly in reaction to their growing size. Thus, Paris came to have 13 universities, while in total France counted at least 81 universities in 2005 (Kaiser, 2007). In total, there are more than 300 institutions under the guardianship of several ministries (Cour des comptes, 2011).…”

“…Another characteristic of the French higher education system was the separation of education and research, where research was largely concentrated in laboratories under the national research organisation Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), while for universities and Grandes Écoles, education was the primary mission. Since 1995, cooperation between CNRS and universities has been increasingly institutionalised (Kaiser, 2007).…”

Marketization in Higher Education Policy: An Analysis of Higher Education Funding Policy Reforms in Western Europe between 1980 and 2000

“…Financial support is based on a means test of parental income, with lowincome limits and low sums that are awarded (Glennerster, 2003.). The government grant is designed to cover half of real life and fees expenses at the maximum (Kaiser, 2001.). According to Eurydice report, the student support system in France is 'over-14 Baden-Württemberg is presented as an illustration.…”

“…The aim of this policy is to give more autonomy to universities and to enable them planning security, similarly to the German 'Stability Pact' agreements. HEIs draw up four-year development plans that are transformed into 4-year contracts after negotiations with the education ministry (Kaiser, 2001.). The policy allows for longer-term planning, but since it is not legally binding, the state has been known to go back on it (Eurydice, 2000.…”