The three Universities of Aix-Marseille, situated in Aix-en-Provence and Marseille for six centuries, are the successors to the original establishments created in the region during the 19th century. Combined, they welcome over 70,000 students per year, 10% of whom are foreign students.

The universities try not to compete for students, rather, they offer expertise in different domains. Arts and Social Sciences are pursued at the Université de Provence Aix-Marseille I; Health, Sport and Economics at the Université de la Méditerranée Aix-Marseille II; Law, Political Sciences, Applied Economics and Business Management at the Université Paul Cézanne Aix-Marseille III. The Exact Sciences, notably Mathematics, Physics, Astrophysics, Chemistry, Biology, Geology, Environmental Studies and Engineering, are spread throughout the three Universities.

[edit] Alumni

• Paul Cézanne - a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter [1]
• Gaston Defferre - Minister of the Interior of France: 1981-1984 [2]
• Toussaint-Bernard Émeric-David - a French archaeologist and writer on art [3]
• Christine Lagarde - Minister of the Economy, Industry and Employment of France: 2007-present [4]
• J. M. G. Le Clézio - a globetrotting French author, professor, and Nobel laureate [5]
• François Mignet - a French journalist and historian [6]
• Frédéric Mistral - a French writer, winner of the Nobel Prize in literature [7]
• Philippe Séguin - President of France's Court of Financial Auditors: 2004-present [8]
• Adolphe Thiers - 2nd President of the French Republic: 1871-1873 [9]
• Joseph Pitton de Tournefort - a French botanist, notable as the first to make a clear definition of the concept of genus for plants [10]

[edit] External links

• http://www.aixmarseille-universite.fr/ Official website of Universities of Aix-Marseille]
• http://www.univ-provence.fr/ (Université de Provence Aix-Marseille I)
• http://www.univmed.fr/ (Université de la Méditerranée Aix-Marseille II)
• http://www.univ-cezanne.fr/ (Université Paul Cézanne Aix-Marseille III)