The continuous and significant growth of new entrants (415 000 in 2000, 495 000 in 2015, 510 000 in 2022) in the last decades has led to a situation where there are now more students than available places in some Higher Education Institutions. This has also led to situations where new entrants did not have an offer from any HEI to pursue their studies, and in some areas, a random draw had to be done to select students because of the lack of available places. 

On October 30th 2017, the government announced the Plan Étudiant. A new internet registration platform will be set up during the 2017/2018 academic year, which will allow every student a secure a place in a HEI. Random draws will also not be used to place students in programmes anymore. This new procedure, whose name is PARCOURSUP, will be developed around 4 main principles:

1. To ensure the right to pursue higher education: the baccalauréat remains the only required document to enter higher education. Every new laureate will be able to choose the stream he/she desires. However, this requires a higher degree of support for future entrants that need it;
2. A continuous process of streaming: the pre-registration procedure is maintained. During the whole Terminale school year (12th grade), and later during the whole Lycée career of a student, future higher education students will be guided through their streaming choices. Class councils of the first and second quarters will provide an advisory opinion on the project of each student. In Terminale, two referring teachers will provide support to the student.
3. Personalized higher education careers: the teaching staff of HEIs will have to take into account the choices, the knowledge and skills of each student. Based on this information, the teaching staff will support the student in his/her choices while giving him/her complementary teaching that will increase his/her probability of success and/or a rhythm that corresponds to his/her needs (a 4 year bachelor instead of 3).
4. The last word given to the student: each time a programme will propose a personalized path to a future student, the student will have to choose if he/she wishes to register. Besides, wishes on the new platform will not be ranked, contrary to what was done before. Each student may now have several propositions instead of one.

The State will still ensure the social mix and mobility of students, by fixing the number of available places for students in programmes (programmes where the number of demands is higher that the capacity will be able to increase their capacity thanks to a new 5-years financing plan of 500M euros). The Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation will also set different thresholds (a minimum of scholarship students in each programme; a minimum of students with a technological and professional baccalauréat in short cycle programmes). Finally, the procedure will guarantee a number of places for the best performing students of each lycée in every programme to prevent self-censorship.

The law project will also terminate the higher education students’ social security regime and link students to the general regime of the social security. The social security contribution (217 euros in 2017) is also abolished starting September 2018. A unique contribution will be created (of an unknown amount yet) to regroup all fees linked to campus life that students have to pay each year. Students with scholarships will be exempted from this contribution.

Source: French Eurydice Unit