Numerus Clausus in France?: Paris University Professor Notifies Bucharest University Too Many Jewish

The Dean of the Medical Faculty of Bucharest University is reported in the press here to have received a communication from the Medical Faculty of Paris University, signed by the Dean, Professor Balthazar, which reads as follows:

There are at present 511 Roumanian students studying at the Medical Faculty in Paris. 436 of these are working for a French State Diploma to enable them to practise medicine. This state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue, since at least 400 of these students intend to settle in France and practise here. We find ourselves therefore compelled to take measures to stem this flow of aliens to our Medical Faculty. We intend to introduce a law to this purpose, to which the Roumanian students, too, will be subject. We should like to continue the privileges which have been enjoyed here till now by Roumanian students, but unfortunately this is not possible.

We have classified these 436 students according to their origin, and we find that 20 per cent come from the new Roumanian Provinces, and that 85 per cent. of the total number are of the Jewish faith. We have been informed that a large proportion of these Jewish students are not Roumanian citizens, have no vote and have not done their military service. Is this so? If it is, it would be very easy to refuse to enrol such students. The Roumanian Embassy in Paris has not given us any confirmation on these points. We have no option but to enforce a numerus clausus against these foreign students who are working for the French State Diploma. After the enactment of the numerus clausus only 20 to 30 Roumanian students will be admitted to the Medical Faculty in Paris. The Medical Faculty of Paris University proposes that a Roumanian-French Commission should be set up to select these 20 to 30 students, which would consist of a representative of the Roumanian Embassy in Paris, and of a number of professors of the Medical Faculties of Paris and Bucharest Universities respectively.

The Medical Faculty of Bucharest University has submitted the communication to the Minister of Education, Professor Costacescu, the Press states, for the purpose of obtaining his decision, and the Minister has replied as follows:

The French Medical Faculty should be informed that the Ministry of Education agrees to having a mixed Commission functioning in Paris, which will select the students in the autumn of each year by means of a special examination.

It is explained that the figure 20 to 30 indicated as the number of Roumanian students to be admitted under the numerus clausus means that the maximum number to be admitted to the Medical Faculties of all the Universities in the whole of France is to be 30, of whom the maximum of 20 is to be admitted to the Faculty of Paris University.