Internationalization trends in French Higher Education: a historical overview

International audienceFor many policy makers in France, internationalization of higher education is a new subject. “Internationalization: it’s time to invest”, concludes a recent report presented in January 2015 by the French government. “It’s a new challenge for France”, said the organizers of the Congress of the French Grandes Ecoles already in 2010. People have short memories. They have forgotten – or simply do not know – that French universities were pioneers and leaders in internationalization between the end of the 19th and the middle of the 20th century, before being outshone by the United States and some other European countries. How can this be explained