Study in France for Indian Students: Visa, Fees and Funds

Indian students apply to French universities through Campus France's Etudes en France (EEF) procedure: you create an EEF account, build your application, attend a Campus France interview, accept an offer, and only then apply for the long-stay student visa on the France-Visas portal. Campus France India says to apply at least three months before the intake date.

Two money rules changed on 1 August 2026. The minimum proof of financial resources for a French student visa rose from €615 to €877.50 per month, and Campus France India's EEF fee rose from INR 18,500 to INR 20,000. Older guides still quote the old amounts. At a public university, non-EU students pay differentiated tuition of €2,902 a year for a bachelor's and €3,950 for a master's in 2026-27, according to Campus France.

Campus France India's guide sets out the order. First you create an account on the EEF website and note your Campus France registration number. You complete your profile, upload your CV, photograph, passport and academic records, and give your motivation for each programme. A Campus France advisor reviews the file and gives you an interview date. At the interview you explain why you chose France and your institution, and you bring originals plus one set of photocopies of the mandatory documents and the fee receipt.

After your file is validated, universities respond through the portal. When you accept an offer, you print the acceptance letter and start the visa process: complete the online application on the France-Visas portal, book an appointment at a VFS centre and attend in person to give your biometrics, then collect your visa from VFS. After you arrive in France you have three months to finish the OFII online process.

Campus France India says visa fees are not refunded if you withdraw or are refused. Several wording details on its older pages refer to earlier years, so confirm the current calendar on your portal.

From 1 August 2026, Campus France says international students applying for a long-stay student visa must show minimum financial resources of €877.50 per month, replacing the previous €615. The same notice says the amount can be shown through personal savings, a financial guarantor or a scholarship. The France-Visas portal is where you check which documents the consulate expects.

Tuition depends on where you study. At public institutions under the education ministry, non-EU students pay differentiated fees for bachelor's, master's and engineering degrees. Campus France's 2026-27 figures are €2,902 per year for a bachelor's, €3,950 for a master's and €398 for a doctorate. Some pages on the Campus France network still show slightly different numbers, so use the university's own fee page as the final check.

The cheapest route is a public university, where the tuition above is low by international standards, but you still need the monthly funds and your own living costs. Private business schools are the expensive end: Campus France puts their tuition at roughly €6,000 to €18,000 or more a year. For one example of a top school's full costs, see our ESSEC fees guide, and for the business-school route in general see our MBA in Europe guide.

Whichever route you choose, scholarship holders may pay less. Campus France says French government scholarship holders receive a full automatic waiver of the differentiated fee, and other waivers can be granted case by case by institutions.

International students with a valid residence permit can work up to 964 hours a year, which Campus France describes as about 20 hours a week. The limit is counted over the year, so you can work more in holidays and less in term time.

After a master's from a French institution, Indian graduates get a one-year post-study permit to look for work or start a business, and it can be extended for another year, so you can stay up to two years in total. Campus France India says you apply at a VFS centre in India within 4 years of getting your master's degree. Campus France's general page on this permit describes 12 months with no extension, which is the standard rule for other nationalities, so confirm the current terms with your prefecture or Campus France India before you plan around the second year. Eligible degrees are a master's or an equivalent diploma, and the general page also lists professional bachelor's degrees. Until you sign a work contract, that page says you can work up to 964 hours a year.

Do not confuse this with the 5-year visa. Campus France India describes a multiple-entry short-stay visa for Indian holders of a master's or higher degree who studied at least one semester in France, but says plainly that this visa does not allow you to work in France or look for a job.

Campus France India runs the France Excellence Charpak Master's scholarship for Indian citizens and OCI card holders aged 30 or under who are applying for a full-time master's. It lists a living allowance of €860 a month, exemption from visa fees and Campus France fees when applying from India, French student social security, and help with accommodation. It does not cover travel, and the page does not state a tuition waiver.

The 2026 call has closed: Campus France India says shortlisted candidates were interviewed between 13 and 30 April 2026 and the results are final. Watch its scholarship page for the next call.

France is one of the lower-cost options for a degree in Europe if you choose a public university, and the route from India is well defined through Campus France. The recent change is on the money side: €877.50 a month of proof of funds from 1 August 2026, and a higher Campus France fee.

Before you commit, check the funds rule on your portal, the tuition on your university's own page, and the APS rules with the prefecture, because several Campus France pages carry older dates.