Your first official step will be to contact all of the organisations in your country likely to have information, including the Cultural Department of the French Embassy. Also, remember to check out the specialised Web sites.
The French Embassy's Cultural Department
It provides a free brochure entitled Je vais en France (I'm Going to France), published by CNOUS (French National Centre for University and School Funds). The brochure is available in five languages (French, English, Arabic, Spanish and Vietnamese). It is a true gold mine of practical information in response to the questions you may have prior to leaving or upon arriving: visas, financing your studies, the educational system, housing, health insurance, learning French, etc... with all of the contact information you will need for your official procedures. Some of the same information can be found on the CNOUS Web site.
EduFrance
An agency founded by the Ministries of National Education and Foreign Affairs, EduFrance is responsible for promoting French higher education abroad and offering international students with services to make their stay easier. Its Web site is not to be missed. The information can be accessed in seventeen languages, including Hong Kong and Taiwanese Chinese! You will have a wide range of information, with a catalogue of the educational programmes offered in English, all under your fingertips. A fact sheet about training in computer sciences can be found at the following page. During the international events mentioned on the site, you will be able to directly contact the network of local contact people. Advice and guidance are offered free of charge, but assistance in enrolling in university, finding housing and all other services require payment. By e-mail, you may send questions to EduFrance free of charge. Many documents can also be found at Edufrance.net, in a variety of languages.
Lastly, EduFrance offers you a 20-page booklet, Choisir la France (Choosing France), and a guide, Étudier en France (Studying in France), some 100 pages in length, in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.
Other Helpful Sites
The prime purpose of association Egide is to manage records on French government scholarship holders, whether French or foreign. Its Web site, in both French and English, offers a comprehensive Guide de l'étudiant étranger (The Foreign Student's Guide), with a comparison chart on French and Anglo-American diplomas (www.egide.asso.fr).
See also: the Web sites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (www.diplomatie.gouv.fr) and the Ministry of National Education (www.education.gouv.fr).
Learning about Exchange Programmes
If you are already enrolled in higher education in your country, find out about international exchange programmes. They exist in many countries, and are an excellent way of coming to France to study, using a system that will make your administrative procedures (much) easier.
Tip: Contact establishments in France
In French universities, you can contact the international relations departments (all of the relevant information is provided in the Je vais en France guide). Engineering or management schools are also equipped with the same types of departments. Areas for international relations or international students can also be found on their Web sites. Make them one of your first stops. You will find information in English and, in some cases, also in Spanish. To find the list of school and university Web sites.