Tests and Degrees in French as a foreign language

Tests and Degrees in French as a foreign language. Download : 752.18 KB .
Tests and Degrees in French as a foreign language
Five countries host more than half of the world’s international students: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and Germany. France hosts more than 298 900 international students, putting it in third place after the United States and the United Kingdom. International students account for 12% of enrollments in French higher education.
French, an international language
Spoken by 274 million people around the world, French is an official language of 32 states on 5 continents. With English and German, it is one of the working languages of the European Union, the third-most-common business language, and the second-mostcommon language of news. With 125 million learners of French and 900,000 teachers, it is, after English, the most widely taught language on the planet.
Since 2001, the Council of Europe’s CEFR has set reference levels for foreign-language proficiency. The CEFR has become Europe’s standard for language learning, with 6 levels of proficiency for purposes of admission to French postsecondary institutions.
Tests and diplomas in French language required for admission to postsecondary programs
The levels of academic achievement required to obtain an extended-stay visa for study in France were set forth in an interministerial circular (from the ministries of the Interior, Foreign affairs, and Higher education and research) dated January 27, 2006. The criteria included the candidate’s educational level, the quality of the candidate’s prior academic program, and the institutional framework of the proposed program of study in France. Criterion 4 deals with the importance of “language proficiency, with assessment of applicants’ proficiency in French, including applicants who show exceptional academic potential.”
Several tests of French proficiency and diplomas in French language are accepted for purposes of admission into a French institution of higher education
• To enroll in the first year of a program in a university (Licence 1) or school of architecture, international students (from outside the European Union) must follow the so-called preliminary admission procedure, known as DAP. Applicants must demonstrate their language proficiency, normally by taking the TCF-DAP or earning a DELF B2 diploma (or higher). The TEF may be accepted in lieu of the TCF-DAP if the applicant scored at least 14/20 on the written portion of the TEF.
• For enrollments in the third year of university study (Licence 2 or 3), in a Master’s program, (Master 1 and 2), in a Doctoral program, or in one of France’s Grandes Écoles, no uniform requirement applies. Each institution is free to set its own criteria for French proficiency. Prospective students should inquire about the language requirements of the institutions of interest to them. More...