France wants to boost the number of foreign students at its universities by more than half over the next decade and will offer more courses taught in English to attract them.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, announcing the plan on Monday, said increasing the number of foreigners studying in the country would help build French influence overseas.
Home to centuries-old universities such as the Sorbonne in Paris and some leading business schools, France is the world's top non-English speaking student destination, but it ranks behind the United States, Britain and Australia.