The French minister of higher education, research, and innovation, Frédérique Vidal, has recently announced the first 25 higher education institutions (HEIs) to receive the Bienvenue en France label. The Bienvenue en France initiative aims at attracting 500 000 international students to France by 2027. The label is one of the main elements of the Bienvenue en France strategy and is a government-certified national standard attesting the highest quality in international student support services. The label is granted by Campus France on the basis of the following criteria:

• The quality and accessibility of information designed for international students;
• Support services (orientation, integration, advising, etc.);
• Academic programs;
• Housing;
• Campus life; and
• Post-graduation follow-up.

At the same time, the minister announced that, in the context of the initiative, out of 178 applications submitted by 82 HEIs, 152 projects were selected for funding, totally amounting to EUR 5 million. The selecting commission was composed of representatives from the Ministry, Campus France, CNOUS, CPU, CDEFI, CGE and students organisations. The selected projects focus on one of the following themes: buddy programmes; foreign language courses; FLE courses (French as a foreign language) and programmes supporting refugee students.

Some examples of the awarded projects include:

• the Online Welcome Desk Paris Region: Université Paris 13, which aims at facilitating international students in their administrative and bureaucratic procedures, before and during their stay, through an online platform managed by local experts.
• The Degemer mat e UBO: Université de Bretagne Occidentale, whose objective is to implement a buddy programme by matching international and local students with first-arrived international students.
• The COME ! Choose Orléans for the best Mobility Experience: Université d'Orléans aims at supporting international students, including refugee students, through intensive French language courses and an academic guide for non-French speaking refugees. 

Photo source: campusfrance.org

French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and InnovationCampus France