[00:00.01]France aims to bring more foreign students to its universities [00:06.38]by offering more classes taught in English. [00:11.35]French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced the plan on Monday. [00:17.36]He said increasing the number of foreigners studying [00:21.33] in the country would help build French influence overseas. [00:25.91]France is home to famous universities [00:30.06] like the Sorbonne in Paris and several leading business schools. [00:36.91]The country is a popular choice among non-English-speaking students. [00:43.51]But it ranks behind the United States, Britain and Australia [00:49.06]in the total number of foreign students who study there. [00:53.91]Between 2011 and 2016, the number of foreign students [00:59.28] studying at French universities fell by 8.5 percent. [01:04.80]The country has seen increased competition [01:08.28]from Germany, Russia, Canada and China. [01:12.46]Philippe said that in the education field, [01:17.06]"just as in other economic ones, [01:19.99] the world's balance of power is shifting. [01:23.05]That's why we need to welcome more foreign students." [01:27.81]Under the new plan, France will ease student visa requirements. [01:33.27] Student visa applications also will be available online. [01:38.87]Starting next March, [01:41.31]foreigners who have earned a French master's degree [01:44.79]will be able to receive a residence visa. [01:48.39]The change is meant to help recent graduates [01:51.66]look for work or set up a business in France. [01:56.14]France also plans to increase the costs for students [02:01.53]who come from outside the European Economic Area. [02:06.64]Currently, students in France -- including foreign students [02:11.49]¨C pay (about) 170 euros a year for a bachelor's degree [02:16.67] and 243 euros a year for a master's degree. [02:21.99]Officials said the low cost of education in France [02:26.77]leads students from countries like China to believe [02:31.62]that the quality of a French education [02:34.64]is lower than what other countries offer. [02:38.75]Beginning in September 2019, [02:41.84]non-European students will pay 2,770 euros a year [02:48.46]for a bachelor's degree and 3,770 euros for graduate degrees. [02:55.93]That is still much less costly than some other European countries, however. [03:02.39]Prime Minister Philippe said the costs for foreign students [03:06.69]"will remain well below the 8,000 euros to 13,000 euros charged [03:13.95] by the Dutch or the tens of thousands of pounds paid in Britain." [03:19.39]France will use the extra money to build better education facilities [03:25.08]and increase the number of scholarships for foreign students. [03:30.72]I'm Ashley Thompson.