This page compares the education systems of Germany and France.
Education System Overview
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| System Type | Public-private mix; Governance model: Decentralized (federal). School education is primarily the responsibility of Germany’s 16 Länder, which coordinate cross-state matters through the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK). [KMK] | Public-private mix; Governance model: Centralized, with national rules for curricula, qualifications and teacher recruitment, while regions, departments and municipalities manage responsibilities such as buildings, equipment and local services. [French Ministry] |
| Governing Body | Länder ministries of education hold primary responsibility for schools and coordinate through the KMK. At federal level, the education portfolio is held by the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ). [BMBFSFJ] | Ministry of National Education for school education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space for tertiary education. |
| Government Expenditure on Education (% of GDP) | 5.2% of GDP in 2022, the latest value in the World Bank indicator sourced from UNESCO UIS. [World Bank] | 5.32% of GDP (2022, latest available value for general government expenditure on education). [World Bank] |
Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Age Range | Compulsory schooling normally begins in the year a child turns 6. The end point varies by Land and pathway because full-time compulsory schooling may be followed by part-time vocational schooling requirements. [KMK] | From age 3 to age 16. A separate training obligation applies from ages 16 to 18 and can be fulfilled through schooling, vocational training, employment, civic service or an approved support pathway. [Éduscol] |
| Total Compulsory Duration (Years) | 9 years of full-time schooling in most Länder; 10 years in Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen and Thuringia, while North Rhine-Westphalia uses nine or ten depending on the program. For young people not attending full-time upper secondary education, part-time vocational schooling typically lasts another 3 years. [KMK] | 13 years of compulsory instruction (ages 3–16), followed by the separate training obligation through age 18. |
| Pre-primary Education (ECE) Access | Optional; the participation rate for children aged 3 to under 6 was 95.0% on 1 March 2025. [Destatis] | Compulsory from age 3. In 2024, the schooling rate was 98.5% at age 3 and 100% at ages 4 and 5. [French Ministry] |
| Primary + Secondary Education Structure (Years) | Typically 4 + 5–6 + 2–3: primary school normally covers grades 1–4, followed by differentiated lower secondary pathways and upper secondary education. Primary school covers grades 1–6 in Berlin and Brandenburg. [KMK] | 5 + 4 + 3 (Primary + Lower Secondary/Collège + Upper Secondary/Lycée). Pre-primary education normally adds three years before primary school. [French Ministry] |
| Vocational vs. General Upper Secondary Split (%) | — | Approximately 29.3% Vocational / 70.7% General & Technological among lycée students in 2025, based on 661,600 vocational and 1,599,400 general and technological students. [French Ministry] |
Academic Calendar & Instruction Time
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Year Start (Typical Month) | August/September, depending on the Land. | September. [French Ministry] |
| Academic Year End (Typical Month) | June/July, depending on the Land. | July. [French Ministry] |
| Instruction Weeks per Year | Approximately 38 weeks, with calendars determined by the Länder. | 36 weeks. [Légifrance] |
| Instruction Days per Year | About 188 teaching days on average, with variation between Länder and school calendars. [Eurydice] | — |
Grading System
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| Primary/Secondary Grading Scale | Commonly a 1–6 scale, where 1 is the highest grade and 6 is the lowest; practices can vary by Land and school level. | The 0–20 scale is widely used in secondary education, while competency-based assessment is also used, particularly during compulsory schooling. |
| Higher Education Grading Scale | Commonly 1.0–4.0 for passing grades, with 5.0 generally representing failure; institutions may use additional grading conventions. | Commonly 0–20, with 10/20 generally representing a passing mark; higher education programs use ECTS credits within the LMD degree structure. [Campus France] |
Language of Instruction
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Instruction Languages (K–12) | German | French |
| Other Official / Minority Instruction Languages (K–12) | Regional provision includes Danish, Sorbian and Frisian, with Low German also supported in relevant Länder. | Regional languages can be taught through bilingual or specialized programs, including Breton, Basque, Catalan, Corsican, Occitan and regional Germanic languages. |
School Provision & Access (K–12)
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| Public School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | About 91% of students in general education schools attended public schools in 2023/24. [Destatis] | 86.4% in primary education and 78.8% in secondary education in 2025. [French Ministry] |
| Public School Tuition Fee (Annual, Local Currency) | $0 tuition at public general education schools. | $0 tuition. Public primary and secondary education is tuition-free. [French Ministry] |
| Public Schools Nationwide Availability | Yes. Public school provision is available nationwide and organized by the Länder and local authorities. | Yes, with public primary and secondary education provided nationwide. |
| Private School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | 9% of students in general education schools attended private schools in 2023/24, totaling about 801,100 students. [Destatis] | Approximately 13.6% in primary education and 21.2% in secondary education in 2025. [French Ministry] |
| Private Schools (Geographic Concentration) | — | — |
International Schools (K–12)
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| Number of International Schools (Total) | — | — |
| Number of IB World Schools | 79 IB World Schools. [IB] | — |
| Main International Programmes Offered | International Baccalaureate, Cambridge, American, French and other national or bilingual curricula, depending on the school. | International Baccalaureate, International Sections, Cambridge programs and American-style curricula, depending on the school. The IB currently lists French schools offering PYP, MYP, DP and CP programs. [IB] |
Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Teacher Qualification (Public Schools) | Typically university-level Lehramt training, commonly a Master of Education or equivalent state-examination route, followed by preparatory service and a further state examination. Requirements vary by Land. | From the 2026 recruitment session, the main external teacher recruitment competitions opened at Bachelor’s level (bac+3), followed by two years of paid initial training. Transitional bac+5 competitions continue through 2027 for candidates already following the previous route. [French Ministry] |
| Average Class Size (Primary) | 21 students per primary class in the 2024/25 school year. [Destatis] | 21.1 students in elementary classes (2025). [French Ministry] |
| Average Class Size (Lower Secondary) | About 19–26 students depending on school type in 2024/25: 19 at Hauptschulen, 21 at schools with two educational pathways, 25 at Realschulen, 26 at Gymnasien and 24 at schools with three pathways. [Destatis] | 25.7 students in collège classes (2025). [French Ministry] |
| Average Class Size (Upper Secondary) | — | 30.2 students in general and technological lycée classes / 18.4 students in vocational lycée classes (2025). [French Ministry] |
System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| PISA Participation Years | 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD] | 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD] |
| PISA 2018 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 500 / 498 / 503. [OECD] | 495 / 493 / 493. [OECD] |
| PISA 2022 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 475 / 480 / 492. [OECD] | 474 / 474 / 487. [OECD] |
| PISA 2025 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 464 / 465 / 486. The corresponding OECD averages were 463 in mathematics, 461 in reading and 482 in science. [OECD] | 458 / 456 / 483. France performed close to the OECD averages of 463 in mathematics, 461 in reading and 482 in science. [OECD] |
| PISA Performance Trend 2000–2025 | Germany’s 2025 averages were the lowest recorded for the country across its PISA participation in mathematics, reading and science. Compared with 2022, mathematics fell by 11 points and reading by 15 points, while the 7-point change in science was statistically about the same. The longer-term data show lower performance than the levels recorded around the early-to-mid 2010s. [OECD] | France’s 2025 results were lower than in 2022 in mathematics and reading and about the same in science. The 2025 results were among France’s lowest PISA results across all three domains and were below the levels recorded in 2015. [OECD] |
| Strongest Subject Area (PISA 2025) | Science (Score: 486), followed by reading at 465 and mathematics at 464. [OECD] | Science (Score: 483), followed by mathematics at 458 and reading at 456. [OECD] |
Higher Education System
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Higher Education Institutions (Total) | 421 higher education institutions in winter semester 2025/26. [Destatis] | More than 3,500 public and private higher education institutions. [Campus France] |
| Number of Universities (Research Universities) | 112 universities in winter semester 2025/26. [Destatis] | 78 universities and communities of institutions. [Campus France] |
| Number of Universities of Applied Sciences / Colleges | 206 universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen), excluding a further 30 administrative universities of applied sciences, in winter semester 2025/26. [Destatis] | — |
| Main Institution Types | Universities; Universities of Applied Sciences (HAW/FH); pedagogical universities; theological universities; arts and music institutions; administrative universities of applied sciences. | Universities; Grandes Écoles; engineering schools; business and management schools; art and architecture schools; specialized institutions; IUT and STS programs. |
| Tertiary Enrollment Share by Ownership | — | — |
| English-Taught Degree Programmes (Bachelor + Master, Total) | Nearly 2,400 English-taught degree programs were offered by state-recognized higher education institutions in summer 2025, including about 420 bachelor’s and 1,930 master’s programs. [DAAD] | More than 1,600 programs taught in English. [Campus France] |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in National Languages (%) | — | — |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in English (%) | 4% of bachelor’s programs and more than 18% of master’s programs were English-taught in summer 2025. [DAAD] | — |
| Main Global Ranking Used | QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] | Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2026. [Campus France] |
| Universities in Top 100 (Selected Ranking) | 4 in the QS World University Rankings 2027: Technical University of Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Heidelberg University and Freie Universität Berlin. [QS] | 4 in ARWU 2026: Paris-Saclay University, PSL University, Sorbonne University and Université Paris Cité. [Campus France] |
| Universities in Top 500 (Selected Ranking) | 28 in the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] | 17 in ARWU 2026, including the four institutions in the Top 100 and 13 additional institutions ranked from 101 to 500. [Campus France] |
| Universities in Top 1000 (Selected Ranking) | — | 27 in ARWU 2026. [Campus France] |
| National Accreditation / QA Agency (Higher Education) | German Accreditation Council (Akkreditierungsrat), the joint institution of the Länder responsible for accreditation decisions covering study programs and higher education quality systems. [Accreditation Council] | Hcéres (High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education), which evaluates higher education institutions, programs and research units. [Hcéres] |
| International Students (Total) | Approximately 420,000 international students and doctoral candidates in winter semester 2025/26, based on the DAAD snapshot-survey projection. [DAAD] | 443,500 foreign students were enrolled in French higher education in 2024/25. [Campus France] |
| International Students Share of Total Tertiary Enrollment (%) | 12.7% in 2023 under the OECD’s internationally comparable tertiary-student definition. [OECD] | Approximately 15% in 2024/25. [Campus France] |
Education Costs (Indicative)
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| Public University Tuition Fees – Domestic / Regional (Annual, Local Currency) | Typically $0 tuition for bachelor’s and most master’s programs at state higher education institutions; semester contributions still apply. [DAAD] | Approximately $210–$740 per year for standard public Bachelor’s, Master’s and engineering registration fees in 2026/27; some institutions and programs charge different amounts. [Campus France] |
| Public University Tuition Fees – International / Non-EU (Annual, Local Currency) | Typically $0 tuition at many state institutions, but exceptions apply for some non-EU students in Baden-Württemberg and at selected institutions in Bavaria. [DAAD] | Approximately $3,400–$4,700 per year for differentiated Bachelor’s and Master’s fees in 2026/27 at institutions applying the national fee schedule; exemptions and lower fees apply in some cases. [Campus France] |
| Typical Tuition Fees for English-Taught Programmes (Annual, Local Currency) | — | — |
| Language School Costs (Monthly, Local Currency) | — | — |
Major Education Updates & Policy Changes
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2010: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2010–2020: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2020–2024: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2025–2026: Key Updates & Reforms |
General Overview (Narrative)
| Category | Germany | France |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | Germany operates a federal, decentralized education system in which the 16 Länder hold primary responsibility for school organization, curricula and examinations, while the KMK coordinates cross-state standards and recognition. Compulsory full-time schooling begins around age 6 and normally lasts nine years, or ten in several Länder, with part-time vocational schooling requirements applying afterward to some pathways. General education is predominantly public, with about 91% of students in public schools in 2023/24. Germany also maintains a large vocational sector centered on the dual system of workplace and school-based training. In PISA 2025, Germany scored 464 in mathematics, 465 in reading and 486 in science; science was the highest-scoring domain. Higher education comprised 421 institutions in winter semester 2025/26, while state-recognized institutions offered nearly 2,400 English-taught degree programs in summer 2025. Current changes include the phased legal entitlement to all-day primary-school care from August 2026 and DigitalPakt 2.0 from September 2026. | France operates a centralized education system with national curricula, qualifications and teacher recruitment alongside local responsibility for school facilities and services. Compulsory instruction runs from age 3 to 16, followed by a training obligation through age 18. Primary and secondary education follow a 5+4+3 structure, with upper secondary students choosing general, technological or vocational pathways. Most students attend public schools, which are tuition-free. In PISA 2025, France scored 458 in mathematics, 456 in reading and 483 in science; mathematics and reading were lower than in 2022, while science was about the same. Higher education includes more than 3,500 institutions, including universities, Grandes Écoles, engineering schools, business schools and specialized institutions. France had 443,500 foreign students in higher education in 2024/25. Current changes include bac+3 teacher recruitment from the 2026 session, the first early mathematics examination for the baccalauréat in June 2026, and new mathematics programs introduced for seconde and première in the 2026/27 school year. |