Students heading to France face campus closures and safety alerts after riots

Chinese students planning to study in France say they are holding on to their plans despite nationwide demonstrations that escalated into violence over the weekend. Safety warnings and campus closures are weighing on applicants, but affordable tuition continues to make France an attractive destination.

Key facts

• Demonstrations across France are over the rising cost of living and declining public services.
• The protests escalated into violence over the weekend.
• Safety warnings and campus closures are affecting prospective students.
• One applicant already holds a student visa for a language programme in Montpellier starting in January.
• Affordable tuition is cited as the reason France remains appealing.

What is happening in France?

Demonstrations have spread nationwide over the rising cost of living and declining public services, and over the weekend they escalated into violence. On Saturday, protesters gathered on the Champs-Élysées with the Arc de Triomphe behind them to demonstrate against the high cost of living in Paris.

Students at Sorbonne Nouvelle University had already marched in a rally in Paris on 29 September.

Who is affected?

Prospective Chinese students are among those weighing up the situation. A 30-year-old woman from Guangdong province, who gave only her family name as Wang, said she had obtained a student visa and planned to go ahead with a language programme in Montpellier starting in January. She said the language school is situated away from the areas most affected by the unrest.

Safety warnings and campus closures are described as factors weighing on applicants, though the source does not say which authorities issued the warnings or which campuses have closed.

Why are students still going ahead?

Applicants interviewed said they remained committed to their academic plans, and affordable tuition is given as the reason France stays an attractive study destination for now.

What this means for travellers

Anyone planning to travel to or study in France should check whether the area they are heading to is among those affected by the demonstrations before making arrangements. The unrest described in the source is nationwide, but at least one applicant has chosen a location away from the worst-affected areas.

No start date for the unrest to end, and no change to French visa or entry rules for students, is stated in the source.