Emmanuel Macron sketched before the hour an element of his program of probable future candidate for his re-election? During an intervention on January 13 before university presidents, the Head of State publicly questioned the relevance of increasing university registration fees, and more broadly of reviewing the operation of these institutions. “We will not be able to stay in a system where higher education is priceless for almost all students”, he argued, alarmed in particular by the “student precariousness” and reminding “that a third of the students are on scholarships”.
The reactions of the student unions were not long in coming, the Unef denouncing on Twitter a future “privatization” of the University. However, beyond the controversy caused by the words of Emmanuel Macron, one observation is shared by most players in the university world: French universities only have a limited budget, which has slowly been reduced over time. years while the number of students enrolled there has increased by 10% in five years, reaching 1.6 million in 2020, according to the Court of Auditors.
In France, unlike other countries, such as the United States or the United Kingdom, it is the State that finances almost the entire budget of public higher education establishments. With, as a result, degraded study conditions and insufficient funds for research. Should we, therefore, and as proposed by the Court of Auditors in a report published last year, increase registration fees to give more resources and autonomy to French universities? ? And above all, to what extent and according to which model ?
Let’s zoom out. In Europe, university policies vary greatly from country to country. If, in France, the registration fee is 170 euros per year in license and 243 euros in masters, they are free in Sweden, reach an average of 75 euros in Germany and climb to more than 10 300 euros in England, according to a report by Eurydice, a European network devoted to education and overseen by the European Commission. The English system (not the UK, Scotland and Wales being responsible for their own universities) is one of the only examples on the continent of a system where universities are largely funded by students.
Back in 2006: English universities, which have experienced an explosion in the number of students, have a greatly reduced budget, financed mainly by the State. The British government then decided to make a change in philosophy: the registration fees, which had been low until then, were revised upwards. To pay for them, the majority of students take out a “income-contingent repayment loan”, guaranteed by the State, and the amount of which must be reimbursed after their studies. In fact, most students will repay an amount equivalent to 9% of their annual salary, only if it exceeds 27,000 pounds (about 32,500 euros), until the loan is fully repaid. The poorest generally benefit from an additional loan, also repaid according to their income at the end of their studies.
The balance sheet of the English experience? “A success from the government’s point of view”, analyzes Gill Wyness, professor of economics at the University College of London and specialist in the subject. “In terms of budget, it worked since universities now have their own funds and more autonomy”, she details. As tuition fees increased, the British government gradually withdrew financially.
The number of students has meanwhile “continued to rise despite the fears of some”, according to Gill Wyness. Better, “enrollment of the poorest students has not dropped”, same “if it should be noted that they are much less numerous than those from the wealthy classes”. The other undeniable effect of the reform is the high indebtedness of English students, who find themselves with a debt of 55,000 euros on average at the end of their studies.
Should we be inspired by this model? In France, the defenders of the increase in registration fees advocate a more limited increase. In its report, the Court of Auditors suggests setting them at 730 euros for undergraduate students and 887 euros for master’s students. The Montaigne Institute, a liberal think-tank which has also published a report on the subject, is aiming for 900 euros for a license and 1,200 euros for a master’s degree. Alain Trannoy, economist at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) and author of a column published in 2018 in The world, supports this idea. “I think this change is necessary, when we see that universities are getting poorer and are less and less competitive internationally”, he explains, questioned by franceinfo.
This lack of funding also affects research, according to Alain Trannoy, who directed the Aix-Marseille School of Economics for several years. “I had all the trouble in the world recruiting people, especially given the salary gaps with foreign countries”, he recalls. In addition to a moderate increase in tuition fees, the economist proposes the introduction of contingent loans, as in England, and advocates a major overhaul of the scholarship system, so that it concerns more students.
But the English model is far from unanimous. “It even costs the UK government more, since some students never repay their loans [quand leur salaire ne dépasse les 32 500 euros annuels]“, emphasizes David Flacher, economist at the Compiègne University of Technology. To prevent the government from completely disengaging, Alain Trannoy proposes that “For every euro invested by students, one euro is invested by the state. This would increase the university budget by 50%.”
To the English model, David Flacher prefers that of the Scandinavian countries. “In Norway, the state covers 95% of expenses relating to higher education. In France, it is 80%, we can do more! he explains. In our country, higher education is not very expensive, only 20 billion euros per year. If we wanted all undergraduate students to be funded at the same level as those in the preparatory class, it would only cost 5 billion more.
What model would Emmanuel Macron like to draw inspiration from? Contacted by franceinfo, the Elysée denies having a reform project in mind. “The president has taken stock of what has been done and has launched avenues, that’s all”, we assure you. No question of “remove scholarships” but rather to make them “more efficient”. And if the registration fees were to be raised, scholarship students would continue “of cours” to be exempt. Explanations that do not reassure David Flacher: “For me, things are clear, Emmanuel Macron wants to move towards the English model”, laments the researcher.
“What is being proposed is a model where some universities will become poorer and be put in competition with others.”
David Flacher, economistat franceinfo
If the method of financing universities is so tense, it is also because the subject says a lot about our conception of higher education. “In England, the government considered that it was up to the students to pay for their own education and not to society as a whole., explains Gill Wyness. The logic was that since most of those who go to university come from the upper classes, if education is free, then all taxpayers are paying for the education of a wealthy minority.
This vision is rejected by a large part of the French academic world, which would prefer draw inspiration from other European countries. “Take Denmark: not only are studies there free, but the state is trying to ensure that students are given as much financial autonomy as possible., emphasizes David Flacher. For me, universities provide a service to all of society, particularly in terms of research.”
Whatever the direction chosen by the next government, it will in any case have to deal with a French particularity: the existence of preparatory classes and the grandes écoles, such as Sciences Po, which capture far more public funding per head of student than universities, as the magazine explained The Student.
“We have to deal with this system, which is explained by our history, Judge Alain Trannoy. But in the long term, I think that we must bring together the grandes écoles and the universities, in particular to integrate the preparatory classes. David Flacher goes further, judging that he “we will eventually have to bring together the grandes écoles and universities”. And if finally, beyond the increase in registration fees, it was the whole organization of the university system that had to be rethought? A reform “of the organization, in particular on the autonomy of the universities”, should be put in place, suggests Alain Trannoy.
Will the subject print during the presidential campaign? On the left, especially among the Greens and the Insoumis, we would prefer to give more resources to universities and increase the level of scholarships. On the right, if Valérie Pécresse qualified Emmanuel Macron’s remarks as “provocation”, she announced that she wanted to continue the reforms of university autonomy, started when she was Minister of Higher Education between 2007 and 2011. What promise passionate debates.