Partnership and collaboration have always formed a strong part of the ethos of higher education institutions, both as providers of education and as research centres. As the market for education becomes more globalised, and students from across the world seek to receive an internationally excellent education which prepares them for a career in a variety of countries, the importance of international academic partnerships will continue to increase.

Imperial College London is consistently rated as one of the UK's and Europe's best universities. Focusing on Science, Engineering, Medicine and Business, the College has a reputation for excellence in both research and teaching. The College has a total of just over 15,500 students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level; the majority of these study full time. The College prides itself on the diversity of its student body and seeks to ensure that the most able students are recruited to its courses regardless of their background. The student body in 2010/11 was made up of students from 158 countries. Students from France form a strong part of the College community; in 2010/11, 4 per cent of incoming undergraduate and postgraduate students were French. France provides Imperial with more non-UK students than any other country apart from China.

Student Exchanges and ‘Study Abroad’ Programmes

Imperial's most long-standing and substantive academic associations with France are its exchange programmes. Currently, the majority of those for undergraduate students involve a full academic year of study.