Study in France

Key highlights

• Low public tuition — €2,770/year for Bachelor's and €3,770/year for Master's at public universities; many grandes écoles offer scholarships or partial waivers.
• APS post-study permit — 1 year (extended to 2 years for select programmes) for master's and PhD graduates to find work or start a business; convertible to a Talent Passport.
• Campus France procedure — mandatory for Indian applicants via the Études en France portal, including an NOC interview before the visa appointment.
• Two intakes — Fall / Rentrée (September, main; deadlines January–May) and Spring (January, limited programmes).
• Work rights — 964 hours per year (~20 hrs/week) for non-EU students on a VLS-TS visa.
• Scholarships — Eiffel Excellence, Charpak (for Indian students), Erasmus+, and French Embassy scholarships.

Popular programmes

• Master in Management (MIM) and MBA at HEC, ESSEC, ESCP, EMLyon, and INSEAD
• Engineering at École Polytechnique, Mines, CentraleSupélec, and ENSAM
• Luxury, Fashion & Hospitality at Vatel and Ecole Hôtelière
• MSc in Computer Science, AI, and Data Science
• Art, Design, Architecture, and Culinary Arts

Tests & eligibility

• English-taught Master's — IELTS 6.5 / TOEFL iBT 80+ / PTE 60+; GMAT or GRE required for top business schools.
• French-taught programmes — DELF B2 or DALF C1 in French; some public universities require TCF or TEF.
• Academic record — Indian equivalent of 65–75%+ for grandes écoles; 60%+ for most public university master's.
• Financial proof — €615/month for the full academic year (approx. €7,380/year).

Cost of studying in France

France offers one of the widest tuition ranges in Europe — from heavily subsidised public universities to premium grandes écoles. A one-year master's typically runs €12,000–€40,000 all-in, depending on the institution type.

• Tuition (public) — €2,770/year for Bachelor's, €3,770/year for Master's at public universities; many waive or scholarship Indian students.
• Tuition (grandes écoles) — €10,000–€25,000/year at HEC, INSEAD, ESSEC, ESCP, EMLyon, and similar private business schools.
• Living — €800–€1,200/month outside Paris (~€10,000–€14,000/year); €1,200–€1,500/month in Paris.
• Health insurance — register with French social security (free for non-EU students under 28), plus an optional mutuelle top-up.
• Funding — Eiffel Excellence, Charpak (Indian-specific), Erasmus+, French Embassy, and institutional scholarships.

French Student visa basics

• Indian applicants must register and complete the Études en France procedure on the Campus France portal, including a pre-consular NOC interview.
• Apply for the VLS-TS (long-stay study visa, equivalent to a residence permit) at VFS Global once Campus France clearance is issued.
• Visa fee — €99; submit financial proof of €615/month covering the full academic year (~€7,380).
• Validate the VLS-TS online within 3 months of arrival to convert it into a titre de séjour.
• Typical timeline: start Campus France in January–March for the September intake; visa decisions arrive within 2–4 weeks of the consular appointment.