In order to understand the policy issues at stake in teaching at University level in France, it is necessary to have an overview of the overall organization of the tertiary education sector. This is because universities in France do not represent the only education options in post-secondary education. We will start by a brief account of the organization of the general educational system in primary and secondary schools in France. Most schools are run by the state (the few private schools usually have a contract with the state and a similar organizational structure) and most teachers are civil servants with tenured positions. The programmes including curriculum, content, objectives, activities, time organization, etc., are national.