During the 1990s and the 2000s, the French governments have launched the modernization plans of French universities (in French, plans de modernisation des universités françaises).^[1]

Investments of the state had been important, especially for the development of new academic centers before and after May 1968. However, these two modernization plans have been more publicized.^[2]

This plan was adopted by the Council of Ministers on 23 May 1990. With initial funding of 32 billion of French francs over five years (1991-1995), it would increase the number of premises, while the number of students was increasing.^[3] In 1994, operations were paid via the Contrat de projets État-région (Project contract state-region). The final funding was 40 billion francs (U2000 plan: 16.6; U2000 reported in CPER: 15.7, new operation in CPER: 8).^[4]

This scheme has helped to build 3.5 million square meters of new buildings for higher education and research, including:

• Eight new universities,
• 196 departments of UIT and 24 full UIT,
• 7 European centers (become PRES).

U3M plan, which combines state and local authorities, is a large-scale plan of the order of 50 billion of French francs.^[5] It is part of an overall approach, the schema utility of higher education and research. Like its predecessor, this plan has been largely funded through the CPER 2000-2006 (42 billion francs).^[6] It was more than build new premises but to rehabilitate the existing. A special effort was made to student life, 25% of the funding went to libraries, restaurants and dormitories.^[7][8]

The Campus Plan (in French, Plan campus), differs from the other two by at least two points:

• it concerns a limited number of campus;
• it is done with public-private partnerships.^[9]

Of the 35 billion euros of large loan,^[10] 22 are for higher education and research. In particular:

• Excellence initiatives (initiatives d'excellence) : 7.7 billion
• Campus plan (Plan campus) receives 1.3 billion
• Equipment of Excellence (équipements d’excellence) receive 1 billion
• Laboratories of excellence (laboratoires d’excellence), 1 billion.
• Each of these programs is organized by a tender in which institutions must meet. The Campus du plateau de Saclay (Saclay campus) receives a billion of euros.

• La gestion de leur patrimoine immobilier par les universités, condition d’une autonomie assumée (Management of their property by universities, provided autonomy assumed) (^{[permanent dead link]}) (Cour des comptes)
• Jean-Léonce Dupont, Voyage au bout… de l'immobilier universitaire (Jean-Léonce Dupont, Journey to the end... of the university buildings), 18 March 2003 () (Sénat)
• « Le programme U3M (université du troisième millénaire) » Bernard Toulemonde, Le système éducatif en France (U3M program (University of the Third Millennium)), La Documentation française, Paris, 2003, (ISBN 2-11-005380-1), p. 104