Student enrollment in public higher education institutions under the supervision of the French Ministry of Higher Education

This dataset provides the number of students enrolled in public higher education institutions under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education from 2017-18 to 2024-25.

The data is sourced from the Student Tracking Information System (SISE). It includes initial training, work-study programs, continuing education leading to a degree, and distance learning. Enrollment figures are recorded as of January 15, except for the University of New Caledonia, which has an extended deadline to account for the southern hemisphere academic calendar.

For more information about this dataset, please refer to its documentation.

National Framework for Degrees and EPSCP–CPGE Agreements: Impact on Measured Enrollment Trends

Two regulatory measures have influenced the trends observed since 2018-19 and introduced statistical discontinuities:

• The new National Framework for Degrees (CNF), implemented for bachelor’s degrees, significantly reduces the number of degree titles. Some of these titles have become more specific, making classification by discipline easier—such as science degrees, which are now less frequently categorized as "multidisciplinary sciences" and more often as "fundamental and applied sciences" or "natural and life sciences." Conversely, other titles are more general, particularly in the humanities (e.g., bachelor’s degrees in humanities), and are more frequently classified under "multidisciplinary humanities, languages, and social sciences."
• The gradual implementation of agreements between high schools offering preparatory classes for elite schools (CPGE) and public scientific, cultural, and professional institutions (EPSCP), including universities, has significantly increased the number of enrollments in LMD bachelor’s programs starting that year, even though dual enrollments were already possible and in effect. Enrollments counted at universities include these dual enrollments.

These changes primarily affect detailed enrollment figures by discipline in the first year of bachelor’s studies (L1), which welcomes the majority of new students. The impact on total enrollment is more limited. Trends accounting for dual enrollments are measured under a consistent regulatory scope.

Due to the dataset’s size (nearly 3 million records), it is advisable to export the data in stages (e.g., year by year) and to prefer the CSV format.