The French Embassy in India and Campus France have come up with the second edition of Classes Internationales, a groundbreaking initiative unveiled by French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to Jaipur in January 2024 where he announced: “30,000 Indian students in France in 2030. It’s a very ambitious target, but I am determined to make it happen”.
With almost 10,000 Indian students pursuing higher education in diverse fields in French universities, the Times Higher Education’s Employability University Ranking 2025 has ranked almost 19 universities in France in its top 250 universities.
The Classes Internationales programme has been designed in such a way that it provides exclusive pathways to Indian students to study in top French institutes and allows complete beginners or advanced French learners—to access French-taught undergraduate programs after completing an immersive foundational year of French language training and academic preparation.
While at the moment there are over 1700 programmes that are taught in English, with this program that is being offered by 30+ prestigious institutions across France, covering a wide range of disciplines (arts, engineering, social sciences, design and more), students will be able to get direct access to over 200 academic programs taught in French.
Talking to The Statesman, Gregor Trumel, Counsellor for Education, Science and Culture, Embassy of France in India shared, “So far, we have received very positive feedback from students who started their Classes Internationales programme last year. The programme is open to many fields: from science to engineering, design to management, and humanities to cinema, in institutions that offer degrees and/or diplomas recognised by the State of France. These institutions were selected based on the quality of their programmes and their welcome for international students.”
France is ranked third globally in the Shanghai ranking for the number of institutions in the top 20. Enrolling on this programme requires students to focus on strengthening their French proficiency during the preparatory year. Several academic programs are offered in the apprenticeship mode in France, allowing students to split their time: half at the university/school and half in a company in the concerned field. Students can even apply for scholarships available in their bachelor’s programme after completing their Classes Internationales programme.
Since the signing of the agreement on the mutual recognition of degrees between France and India in 2018, a bachelor’s degree (Licence) obtained in France is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in India, a master’s degree obtained in France is equivalent to a master’s degree in India, and a PhD (Doctorate) obtained in France is equivalent to a PhD in India—and vice versa. Additionally, students after obtaining their master’s degree can apply for a one-year renewable post-study visa to search for a job or start their own business.
While France is becoming a top choice for students with 400,000 international students choosing France in 2024, India too, according to Gregor Trumel, with its high-level facilities, centuries of culture, diversity, and innovative people, should be on the list for French students for higher education. Expressing his hope towards how bilateral education would reach new heights within the coming years, he stated, “With more than 400 academic cooperation MOUs currently in place and growing interest from French institutions to establish partnerships with Indian institutions, we expect the number of French students coming to India to rise in the coming years. Asia, as a whole, is positioning itself at the centre of the world, and students who want to shape their careers—especially in engineering and commerce—will naturally prioritise India in their study plans.”
Application deadlines for Classes Internationales
31 March 2025: For students with no prior knowledge of French, allowing time for pre-departure language preparation through Alliance Française.
15 May 2025: For students already proficient at the A2 level or higher.