The reform was initiated by Nicolas Sarkozy soon after his election as President of France, in line with his campaign policies.
The reform programme was modified by the subsequent François Hollande government in 2013, with the introduction of the Law on Higher Education and Research.
The new law aimed to rationalise the geographic coverage of higher education courses and research areas, encouraging merging of some institutions.
National limits on certain professional and technical degrees were introduced, along with measures that permitted greater selectivity of students, in alignment with high school academic achievement.
Most recently, the "Law on Orientation and Academic Success" was enacted in 2018, extending the measures begun by the Hollande reform.