Prime Highlights
- Choose France Tour to visit Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Bengaluru through October.
- France targets hosting 30,000 Indian students by 2030 under the partnership.
Key Facts
- Campus France is France’s official agency guiding students through study-abroad admissions and visas.
- Indian student enrolment in France rose to 9,100 in 2024-25, up from 13th to 11th globally.
Background
India and France have embarked on efforts to increase cooperation in higher education and innovation by carrying out a series of events in at least four cities that involve more than 50 French institutions. The outreach comes as Indian enrolment in French higher education continues to rise, reaching 9,100 in the 2024-25 academic year, according to Campus France, the official French government agency promoting overseas education.
Campus France operates under the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Higher Education and serves as the mandatory first step for students applying to study in France.
The Choose France Tour will cover Mumbai and Pune in the second week of October, followed by New Delhi and Bengaluru in the third week of October. The tour holds significance as India and France work to deepen their Special Global Strategic Partnership in education, innovation and artificial intelligence.
French Ambassador to India Thierry Mathou described the year as an exceptionally dynamic one for the India-France partnership, adding that the tour would carry this momentum forward.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France in June, the two nations signed 19 agreements on innovation, adopted the India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030, and formed a Joint India-France AI Working Group. Modi also invited French universities to set up campuses in India.
France aims to host 30,000 Indian students by 2030. Campus France data shows India moved up from the 13th to the 11th largest source of international students in France. Visa records, including exchange and short-term students, place the current figure at 12,000.
Participating institutions include CentraleSupélec, Mines Paris-PSL, ESSEC, ESCP and Université Paris Saclay, among others. Campus France India will offer counselling on courses, scholarships, visas and student life during the tour.
