That France is one of the world's most popular study abroad destinations is surely no great surprise. Read our guide to find out everything you need to know about joining the 6.3% of all international students (as of 2010) studying there.

France occupies a distinct place in our collective imagination. From the urbane sophistication and history of its cities, to its legendary food and wine, to the spectacular scenery – think rugged mountains and verdant forests, golden beaches and azure seas, rolling pastures and mighty rivers – everyone has their own idealized conception of France.

Consequently, it is also the world's most popular tourist destination by far, according to the United Nations World Tourist Organization.

Perhaps your personal image of France involves its proud intellectual and artistic heritage. This is the nation, after all, which produced thinkers such as René Descartes and Jean-Paul Sartre, authors like Marcel Proust and Albert Camus, filmmakers like Jean-Luc Godard and Jean Renoir, and artists like Claude Monet and Paul Cézanne.

On top of these names we can add a whole host of scientists, mathematicians and other researchers, whose names are slightly less familiar, but whose achievements are no less spectacular for it. A total of 49 Nobel laureates places France fourth in the world.

This academic and artistic tradition continues to this day – there are few countries which invest quite as much money into research and education as France. QS’s rankings reflect this: a total of 35 French universities make the 2012/13 edition of the QS World University Rankings, 22 of which are in top 500.

The nation’s two leading universities, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris and Ecole Polytechnique ParisTech, both make the top 50, cementing their reputation’s as two of Europe’s and the world’s strongest institutions. What’s more, tuition fees at France’s leading universities are among the cheapest in the world, with annual fees averaging under US$1,000 per year for domestic and international students alike.

So is France for you then? Well, if you want to attend a high-quality institution in a nation with a proud intellectual heritage which will have the added benefit of making everyone you know jealous, then is the answer could well be ‘yes’.

There are many different kinds of job opportunities in France because of its large economy. Some of the areas with the most opportunity are aerospace, engineering, finance and accounting, healthcare, IT, human resources, logistics, marketing, management, telecommunications and travel and tourism. French is not a required language for all jobs and people do find ones in English, although knowing a little French to get around would be quite helpful for students.

Industries

France is one of the wealthiest countries in Europe and a leading world economy. They specialize in different areas within their economy. Some of the leading industrial sectors in France comprise of telecommunications (including satellites), aerospace, defence, ship building (naval and specialist ships), pharmaceuticals, construction, civil engineering, chemicals, and textiles. These leading industries give foreign students the opportunity to advance their knowledge and profession.

Work Permit

Students studying in France are allowed to work within a limited number of hours. There is a cap of 884 hours per any given year, during an academic year they may not work more than 19.5 hours per week but while on vacation they are allowed to work full-time or 39 hours per week. Students who wish to work in France must obtain prior authorization from the French ministry of labor.