Françoise completed a diploma course at a French university of technology and wanted to study for a degree in Scotland. She was awarded 240 credits at Level 8 for her diploma and allowed to enter the final year of an Ordinary degree.

Françoise arrived in Scotland from her local institut universitaire de technologie - university of technology - in Orleans, France. She wanted a career working for the European Commission in Brussels and decided to spend a year studying in Scotland to improve her English.

"I'd dreamed of coming to Scotland ever since I'd had a pen-friend in the Highlands while I was at school.

"I'd kept up my English studies in school and college, but I was determined to do more. I believe that speaking a second language is fundamental in today's business world. So I looked on the internet to find colleges that might suit me and applied to study."

Françoise had already achieved a comparable French qualification to an HND - Diplôme universitaire de technologie - and the university agreed that the learning she had previously acquired was relevant to her future studies.

She was given a total of 240 credits at Level 8, which meant she could start in the final year of an Ordinary Degree programme.

After 12 months' full-time study in Scotland, Françoise gained a further 120 credits at Level 9 to make up the 360 credits she needed and was awarded a BA Business Management.

"It made such a difference to me to be speaking English every day and to study in English. It's the only way to become really fluent in a language, even though some of the Scottish accents are very hard to translate!

"Scotland was everything I hoped it would be. I've made great friends and I like it so much that I've decided to stay here. The opportunity to get a degree without having to take a full three year programme was really important for me. I just couldn't have afforded to have come here as a student for such a long time."

Françoise is now working for a US-owned electronics company near Glasgow.