France is one of the most popular European countries for international students who choose to study a degree abroad. France has several prestigious universities that charge relatively low tuition fees and in most cases, they are open to all students who have simply passed their baccalaureate exam.Apart from excellent teaching and academic environment, in France, you can also benefit from a safe study environment. Despite recent events, students and foreigners are still interested in studying and travelling to France. In France, the most common concerns are street crime, specifically pickpocketing and thefts. Targeted areas of pickpockets and muggers are the areas frequented by tourists, and Paris is on top of the list for this kind of crimes. Most of the recorded thefts occur at major department stores and thefts from vehicles take place mostly in southern France, especially between the cities of Perpignan and Menton (near Monaco).Other forms of crimes include: residential break-ins, robberies and credit card skimming. Robberies that involve physical assault are rare, but you should take into consideration that they can occur, mostly in major urban areas.The credit card skimming practice is on the rise in France, especially in high volume tourist areas and around automated service stations.