L’Etudiant Study Abroad Fair in Paris, France
7th-8th October 2023, Paris EXPO Portes de Versailles
Universities Scotland's International team, Ela Kossakowska and Dr. David Donaldson, represented the Scottish higher education sector at the L'Etudiant Study Abroad Fair in Paris. We were part of "Team Scotland," which included nine Scottish universities, Connected Scotland, Universities Scotland, and the support of the Scottish Government. The nine universities, there as part of the collaboration, were Abertay University, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Dundee, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, the University of Glasgow, the University of St. Andrews, the University of Stirling and the University of Strathclyde.
Shona Robison MSP, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, attended the fair on Saturday morning. She talked to students, helped promote Scotland and was keen to see how partnerships like Connected Scotland, and its work with Brand Scotland, can open new international opportunities for Scottish Higher Education through collegiate activities. She praised the Connected Scotland partnership and the work it was doing to bring Scottish universities together in their international outreach activities and highlighted the importance of maintaining the strong links that both Scotland and Scottish universities have with France and Europe.
The primary goal in attending the fair was to promote Scottish undergraduate and postgraduate study opportunities to potential French applicants. Approximately 4,000 French students attended the fair, exceeding all initial expectations and indicating a high level of interest in Scottish higher education.
“For a small, specialist institution such as Abertay, attendance at such a well-attended , high-profile education event represented a huge opportunity. Without the support of these collaborative “Study in Scotland” stands such as at L’Etudiant Paris, we simply would not have the ability to paint a much broader, more inclusive picture of what Scottish education is all about, and communicate what we have to offer alongside more internationally recognisable universities.” observed Beth Meehan, Regional Manager from University of Abertay.
“It was great to be representing not just our own Universities, but Scotland as a whole - so potential French applicants could see the full variety and diversity of options open to them in a Scottish education. I had some fantastic conversations with some very promising young people and hope to see some of them in Scotland and Aberdeen soon.” said Adam Hunter Taylor, Enquiry Assistant from University of Aberdeen.
Connected Scotland continues to elevate Scotland's presence on the world stage, emphasizing the need for funding and collaborative efforts to support the success of the Scottish International Education Strategy. The entire Scotland team is enthusiastic about the prospect of returning to the fair next year and introducing even more students to the possibility of studying in Scotland.
Ivar Møller, Deputy Director of Admissions from University of St Andrews noted: “The L'etudiant fair provided an excellent opportunity to see the energy and enthusiasm prospective students in France have for exploring the various educational opportunities on offer. It was an honour for Scotland to be represented so prominently as part of the community at L’etudiant and presenting the many strengths an education in Scotland can provide. We wish all the prospective students who attended every success in their next steps”.
“The L'etudiant event was a great success as far as we were concerned. The quality of conversations we had with students was exceptionally high and the project represented a very welcome opportunity to collaborate with other institutions to showcase the very best that Scottish Higher Education has to offer. We wouldn't hesitate to attend again!” said Matthew Crichton, Senior International Officer and Regional Lead from University of Dundee.