The breakdown of Tunisian students (estimated at more than 15,000) by discipline in French universities shows that the structure of study choices reflects a highly skills-enhancing form of mobility, concentrated in tracks with strong professional and technical value. While certain nationalities stand out for Humanities (Italy, Germany, China) or for a Law/Economics pairing (Côte d’Ivoire), Tunisia distinguishes itself through a Sciences/Medicine combination, with a particularly sharp peak in medicine.
The figures indeed point to a pronounced concentration in two major poles: Sciences (34.9%) and Medicine (28.7%). Together, these fields account for nearly two-thirds (63.6%) of Tunisian students, indicating a mobility pattern primarily driven by pathways with a strong technical and professional component.
The most striking finding concerns Medicine, where Tunisians reach 28.7%—almost three times the average for all foreign students in mobility (10%). By comparison, the other nationalities presented lag far behind: Morocco (13.9%), Algeria (15.2%), Lebanon (16.4%), Italy (9.3%), Germany (6.0%), Côte d’Ivoire (5.0%), Senegal (3.9%), and especially China (0.8%).
In other words, Tunisian mobility in France is marked by an exceptional medical orientation, which clearly sets it apart from other national profiles.
With 34.9% in Sciences, Tunisians are very close to the overall level for foreign students (33.8%). However, some countries show even stronger overrepresentation: Algeria (50.3%), Morocco (48.2%) and Lebanon (46.9%). Conversely, students from Italy (22.5%), Germany (16.4%) or Côte d’Ivoire (25.3%) are less concentrated in sciences.
Tunisia therefore emerges as a relatively balanced case: strongly science-oriented, but with a distinctive tilt toward medicine that is more pronounced than among its Maghreb neighbours.
Humanities (13.4%) and Economics (13.5%) play a secondary role among Tunisians. This distribution contrasts with the overall average, which is particularly high in Humanities (27.9%).
By comparison, several nationalities have a massive presence in Humanities: Italy (45.5%), Germany (42.6%), China (40.1%). Senegal (30.5%) also far exceeds Tunisia.
In Economics, Tunisia (13.5%) sits in an intermediate range, behind Côte d’Ivoire (24.4%), Morocco (19.2%) and China (19.0%), and below the overall average (16.0%). This confirms that Tunisian mobility is not primarily driven by the humanities and social sciences, but rather by scientific and professionally oriented fields.
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