Study in France from India in 2027: Campus France, fees in INR, interview and visa

Campus France India describes two routes: « Candidature » (applying to programmes through the platform) and, far more common, a long-stay visa file after an unconditional acceptance letter from a French institution. In the second case there is no national deadline: submit your Études en France file as soon as the letter arrives and at least three months before the intake date.

The « Candidature » calendar linked on the official procedure page is the one for 2021-22; no current calendar is published to be confirmed. Of the 8,398 Indian students who came to France for higher education in 2024-25, 5,331 were in business schools (MESR-SIES).

1. Create your Études en France account (your number looks like INXX-XXXX), complete the file and submit it; correct any anomaly Campus France flags.
2. Once validated, pay the INR 20,000 fee through the official link and declare the payment on the portal. Do not use a payment link sent by a third party, including your agency.
3. Attend the academic interview, if applicable, in person on your allotted slot, with all original documents and one set of photocopies.
4. Wait for the automated email saying you can proceed to VFS. Campus France issues no NOC.
5. Fill in France-Visas, book VFS only after that email, and give your biometrics at a VFS centre.
6. On arrival, validate your VLS-TS online within 3 months (€100 tax).

Exempt from the Études en France and visa fees: French government scholars (Eiffel, MOPGA), Charpak, YUDAP, listed co-financed scholarships, the Franco Indian Education Trust and Erasmus Mundus; Raman Charpak scholars are exempt from the visa fee only. Everyone still pays the VFS service fee. There is no refund if you withdraw; refunds apply only to the listed scholars, until 30 June of the following year. Visa fees are not refunded if the application is withdrawn or rejected.

Campus France India states that more than 1,400 higher-education programmes are taught in English, so French is not needed to earn a degree; the language requirement is set by each institution (usually an English test for English-taught programmes). Advisers often ask whether you are learning French: the 13 Alliances Françaises and the Institut Français en Inde teach it, and a few months of classes give you a good answer.

You book VFS Global only after the Campus France email. The document list comes from the France-Visas assistant. Campus France India announced that, effective 1 August 2026, the minimum proof of financial resources is €877.50 per month, replacing €615. Show regular inflows and where the money comes from: students refused for « information incomplete or not reliable » often had a loan sanction letter with no disbursement, or a lump sum deposited just before the appointment. See proof of funds.

« Visas are granted at the sole discretion of the French Consular Authorities. » If you are refused, the appeal goes to the CRRV within 30 days: see visa refusal and appeal.

Campus France India acknowledges that students use agencies and asks you not to use any payment link « communicated to you by a third party, including your agency ». Many refused students who later reread their file found an SOP, a cover letter and Études en France motivations that did not tell the same story, sometimes written by an agent. Whoever helps you, write your SOP yourself and know every line of your file: the interview checks it.