ABSTRACT
The French higher education system is overwhelmingly under the control of the central government. Since Napoleon I launched the "Great Imperial University," French institutions of higher learning have been mainly divided into two subsets according to the two following criteria: the legal rules of student admissions and the major goals of the institution. The universities, which now number seventy-two. were and remain largely open to every baccalauréat-holder who wishes to apply to them. They were initially devoted to training future schoolteachers, professionals in law. civil servants, and physicians, but now offer training in a wide variety of disciplines. They are almost tuition-free; fees do not exceed one hundred dollars. In contrast, the grandes écoles, which now number just over 130, select their students through highly restrictive competitive tests. These tests generally require two years of preparatory courses taken at specific institutions called "classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles"(C.P.G.E.). The écoles train their students primarily in engineering. The students enrolled in écoles pay fees. Although the fees are higher than at the universities, they remain well below the real cost per student.
