Collège de France, state-supported research institution and centre for adult education in Paris. Founded in 1530 by Francis I, it was originally the Collegium Trilinguae (College of Three Languages). It offers lectures by scholars chosen for eminence in their particular fields without reference to academic qualifications. Professorial chairs are not necessarily permanent, and fields of instruction are emphasized somewhat according to the trend of the times. The college does not grant degrees or certificates and requires neither matriculation nor fees. Distinguished lecturers, among others, have been Jules Michelet, Ernest Renan, Henri Bergson, Paul Valéry, and Claude Lévi-Strauss.