Campus France Application Process for Indian Students: 2026 Step-by-Step Guide

  • Last Updated on: August 5, 2026 by
  • Swapna Kanchikacherla
Campus France Application Process
Campus France Application Process

The Campus France application process is the pre-consular procedure Indian residents complete through the Etudes en France (EEF) platform before applying for a long-stay student visa, and it covers any course longer than 90 days. Your admission route varies: participating public institutions take applications through EEF, while many private schools admit you directly, after which you still complete the pre-consular stage. For applications submitted from 1 August 2026, the minimum monthly resources you must show rise to 47% of the gross French minimum wage, about EUR 877.50 (roughly INR 96,950), per the French government’s decret n 2026-526. This 2026-27 guide walks the route end to end, including the funding patterns we see flagged most often in our own case files. Start with the key takeaways.

Written by
Swapna Kanchikacherla
Head of European Desk
Specialises in Germany and France student admissions and visa documentation, with a focus on Campus France, APS, blocked-account and proof-of-funds files.
9 Years, 1100 Visas
Reviewed by
Sridhar Kongara
Managing Director
Mr. Kongara Sridhar, Director of AOEC India, has over 12 years of experience in overseas education consulting, admissions, and student visa guidance.
Over 12 years Experience

Key Takeaways

  • The Etudes en France (EEF) pre-consular procedure is required for any course over 90 days; doctoral candidates apply direct.
  • Applications to public-university programmes connected to EEF run through the platform: 3 Licence 1 choices, up to 7 outside-DAP. Non-connected and private programmes may admit directly.
  • Campus France India has announced the EEF fee rising to INR 20,000 on 1 August 2026.
  • From 1 August 2026, proof of funds becomes 47% of gross SMIC, about EUR 877.50 monthly, and is indexed.
  • Differentiated tuition is EUR 2,902 (Licence) and EUR 3,950 (Master); exemptions may reduce it to EUR 178 or EUR 255.
  • Clearance is not the visa: pay EUR 50 at VFS Global, then EUR 150 to validate the VLS-TS on arrival.
Table of Contents
What is the Campus France (Etudes en France) process, and who must use it? Scroll here ↓ DAP or HDAP: which route are you on, and how many programmes can you pick? Scroll here ↓ When should you start the Campus France process for a September intake? Scroll here ↓ Step by step: building your Etudes en France account and submitting your file Scroll here ↓ What happens in the Campus France interview? Scroll here ↓ How much does the Campus France application process cost in 2026? Scroll here ↓ From clearance to visa: the VLS-TS and your first weeks in France Scroll here ↓ Where do Indian files run into trouble, and how do you protect yours? Scroll here ↓ Frequently Asked Questions Scroll here ↓

What is the Campus France (Etudes en France) process, and who must use it?

The Campus France process, delivered through the Etudes en France platform, is the pre-consular route Indian residents complete before applying for a long-stay French student visa, for any course over 90 days. In 2024-2025, France hosted 443,500 international students, up 3% in a year, per Campus France's international student report, a rising field you compete inside.

Here’s what that means for your plan. If your programme runs beyond 90 days, and every bachelor’s, master’s, and most exchange terms do, the Campus France application process is not optional. How you get admitted depends on the institution: participating public universities take applications through the EEF catalogue, while many private schools admit you directly. Both routes still require the applicable Etudes en France pre-consular steps before the visa application, including an academic interview where one is required. Our overview of how to study in France shows where this step sits beside course choice and budgeting.

9,100

Indian students in France Campus France, 2024-25

11th

India's source-country rank (13th in 2024) Campus France, 2025

30,000

India target by 2030 Franco-Indian roadmap

France’s Franco-Indian roadmap, announced by Campus France in its 2030 target statement, aims for 30,000 Indian students by 2030. Whatever that does to demand, applying early is simply practical: interview slots and popular seats are finite. Almost every Indian applicant sits inside this route, since bachelor’s, master’s, MBA and most long language courses cross the 90-day line.

Doctoral applicants sit apart from this. They normally apply directly to a French doctoral school rather than picking programmes from the EEF catalogue, but their visa route depends on funding and status. A doctoral candidate employed or formally hosted as a researcher, with a convention d’accueil (a hosting agreement issued by the research institution), may qualify for the talent passport researcher route. One without researcher status may need student status and the matching pre-consular procedure instead, so confirm your route with the doctoral school and Campus France India. If your course runs under 90 days, such as a short summer school, you use a short-stay visa and bypass Etudes en France altogether.

DAP or HDAP: which route are you on, and how many programmes can you pick?

Indian applicants follow several routes, set by level and institution: DAP (Demande d'Admission Prealable, the prior-admission request) for the first year of a public Licence, a separate architecture procedure, or the outside-DAP route from Licence 2 upward. Under outside-DAP, applicants may apply to up to 7 programmes, per Campus France's Etudes en France application guide.

So which are you on? Finished Class 12 and aiming for the first year of a public Licence? That’s DAP, capped at 3 ranked choices. Entering Licence 2 or 3, or any Master, through the public EEF catalogue? That’s the outside-DAP (HDAP) route, with up to 7. Architecture runs its own procedure and its own cap. Many private schools and specialised programmes sit outside the connected catalogue altogether and admit you directly, after which you still complete the pre-consular stage.

RouteMain usePublished maximum
DAP (Demande d’Admission Prealable)First year of a public-university Licence, for applicants with a non-French school-leaving qualification3 university choices
Architecture applicationArchitecture programmes covered by the relevant admission procedure2 choices
EEF applications outside DAP (HDAP)Public-university Licence 2, Licence 3, Master 1 and Master 2 in the India EEF catalogueUp to 7 choices
Direct institutional applicationMany private schools and programmes outside the connected EEF catalogueInstitution-specific

Published caps come from Campus France, and a country portal can differ, so confirm yours. Parcoursup, the national portal for French and European secondary-school leavers, is a common point of confusion. Most Indian applicants holding an Indian Class 12 qualification use the DAP route through Etudes en France instead. Parcoursup can apply if you hold or are preparing a French or European Baccalaureat, including an eligible A-level route, or if a selective first-year programme expressly requires it. Check your programme’s stated route before you apply.

Spend your 7 HDAP choices deliberately: two or three reach programmes, three solid matches to your grades, and one or two safer options. A scattered set makes your study plan look academically inconsistent at the Campus France review and interview, so a master’s in marketing beside one in mechanical engineering raises a flag. The institutions decide whether to admit you: once a Campus France manager validates your file, you start receiving universities’ own responses, per Campus France India’s application and admission procedure. Some Grandes Ecoles and private business schools also run their own admission round, so check whether a school wants a separate application.

When should you start the Campus France process for a September intake?

The DAP route follows a published national calendar. For entry in 2026-2027, DAP applications opened 1 October 2025 and closed 15 December 2025, with university decisions by 30 April 2026 and applicant replies by 31 May 2026, per Campus France's Etudes en France procedure page.

StageDAP date (2026-2027 entry)
Registration opened1 October 2025
Registration closed15 December 2025
University decisionsBy 30 April 2026
You must replyBy 31 May 2026

Read the calendar backwards from your intake. The national DAP cycle for 2026-2027 has closed, so DAP applicants should prepare for the next published cycle, expected to cover 2027-2028 entry; Campus France hasn’t released those dates yet, so confirm them on the Etudes en France portal. HDAP dates are institution-set, and private institutions using direct admission can run separate or later deadlines, so check with each one. Our guide to intakes in France maps the main September and January entry points.

Work backwards from the earliest deadline on your shortlist, not a generic date. Some HDAP programmes close months before others, so your first deadline sets the real timetable. Leave slack for a reissued document or a rescheduled interview, and keep clear months at the end for the visa and travel.

Be honest about the pace. Campus France is slower and more paperwork-heavy than a direct UK or Ireland application: the interview, document checks and visa stack on top of each other. Give yourself six months, not six weeks.

Step by step: building your Etudes en France account and submitting your file

Building an Etudes en France file runs through six ordered stages, ending in payment and an interview booking. Campus France India has announced the procedure fee rising from INR 18,500 to INR 20,000 from 1 August 2026, per its Etudes en France fee notice, paid once before your file goes to interview.

This is where the Campus France application process gets practical: how to apply through Campus France, step by step. Your Campus France registration lives entirely on the EEF portal, and the online application follows this order.

  1. Create your Etudes en France (EEF) account on the India portal and verify your email.
  2. Fill your profile: personal details, education history, and English or French test scores.
  3. Upload your documents (checklist below); keep each scan small, as the portal enforces a tight per-file size limit.
  4. Write a motivation letter (SOP) tailored to each programme; generic letters read as copy-paste.
  5. Select your programmes within the cap, then confirm your final list.
  6. Once your file is validated, pay and declare the procedure fee through the generated payment link, checking the amount shown before you pay. Campus France then allots an academic-interview slot if an interview applies to your case.

A sharp motivation letter carries real weight here; our SOP for a France student visa guide shows the structure interviewers respond to.

The document checklist

Gather these before you open the portal:

  • Academic transcripts from Class 10 onward, plus Class 12 marksheets
  • Degree certificate, or a bonafide / enrolment letter if you’re still studying
  • An updated CV
  • A passport-style photo and your passport bio page
  • Language test scores and your motivation letters

Common document mistakes to avoid

A few errors send Indian files back for correction and cost you days:

  • Uploading blurry or oversized scans that breach the file-size limit
  • Missing a single semester’s marksheet in the transcript run
  • Reusing one identical motivation letter across all seven programmes, instead of naming each course’s modules and faculty
  • Naming a sponsor whose income proof isn’t attached

Language proof and the IELTS-waiver route

Language requirements are set by each institution, not centrally. English-taught programmes may accept IELTS, TOEFL or another form of English evidence, including a medium-of-instruction (MOI) letter where the institution expressly permits it. French-taught programmes generally want proof of French, commonly through DELF, DALF, or TCF (the standard French proficiency tests), though the accepted test and the required level vary. Follow the requirement stated on your programme’s own listing. If English tests are the worry, our guide to study in France without IELTS lists which universities accept alternatives.

What happens in the Campus France interview?

The Campus France interview is an academic, pre-consular assessment: a Campus France manager checks that your course choice, academic record and study plan hang together before your file moves toward the visa. It is not the visa decision, and Campus France India lists it as applying only where relevant to your case, per its preparing the visa application guidance.

Campus France holds interviews at centres in major cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad, and allots your slot once you’ve paid and declared the fee. Interviews for English-taught programmes are generally conducted in English, while applicants to French-taught programmes may be assessed partly or fully in French; the exact language can depend on your study project and the office. Expect questions on why this course, why France, how you’ll fund it, and your plans after graduating. Our list of common Campus France interview questions is worth a practice run before the day.

The difference shows in specifics. A weak answer to “why this course” is “France has good universities and I want international exposure.” A strong one names the two modules matching your final-year project and the job you’re aiming for. Rehearse a clear funding story too: who pays, and where the money sits.

Keep the stages straight. The Campus France academic interview and file-validation steps are separate from the visa decision, and clearing them does not guarantee either admission or a visa. Once the proceed-to-VFS attestation (the email telling you to file at VFS Global) issues, you move to the visa stage, where the French consular authority assesses your application independently.

How much does the Campus France application process cost in 2026?

Beyond the procedure fee, the biggest 2026 cost is public tuition. For 2026-2027, a public master's is EUR 3,950 a year (about INR 4,36,400) under the differentiated-fee scheme for non-EU students, per Campus France's tuition fees page, though exemptions can reduce what you actually pay.

Fee or costAmountINR (approx)Scope
EEF procedure feeINR 20,000INR 20,000Once, from 1 Aug 2026 (INR 18,500 until 31 Jul)
Public tuition, master’sEUR 3,950/yrINR 4,36,400Differentiated fee, 2026-27, before any exemption
Public tuition, bachelor’s (Licence)EUR 2,902/yrINR 3,20,600Differentiated fee, 2026-27, before any exemption
CVEC (student-life contribution)EUR 105/yrINR 11,6002026-27; required before administrative enrolment where the student is subject to the CVEC
Long-stay student visa feeEUR 50INR 5,524Once, for applicants in an Etudes en France country (VFS service fee separate)
VLS-TS validationEUR 150INR 16,572EUR 100 residence tax + EUR 50 stamp duty; paid online when validating, within 3 months of arriving
Proof of funds (shown, not spent)EUR 877.50/moINR 96,950/mo47% of gross SMIC, applications from 1 Aug 2026; indexed

A two-year master’s means tuition for each academic year, so budget for both plus living costs. The EUR 3,950 is confirmed for 2026-2027 only; rates are set per academic year, so check the published 2027-2028 figure and your institution’s exemption decision before you budget year two. Parents: tuition anchors loan sizing.

The visa application and the VLS-TS validation are separate costs at separate stages. You pay a EUR 50 student-visa fee at application. After arriving, you validate the VLS-TS within three months and pay EUR 150, the reduced student residence tax plus the stamp duty, per Service-Public’s page for international students on the long-stay visa and residence permit. Both rose under the 2026 residence-permit tax increase on 1 May 2026.

The proof of funds line isn’t a fee; it’s evidence that enough monthly money is available to support you. Depending on the France-Visas checklist for your case, that may be personal savings, scholarship support, an education loan or documented sponsorship. For applications from 1 August 2026 the threshold is 47% of the gross SMIC (France’s minimum wage), which at the current SMIC of EUR 1,867.02 a month works out near EUR 877.50. It’s indexed, so confirm the figure on the France-Visas student page before you file. Our guide to proof of funds for a France student visa shows what banks and Campus France accept.

Why public-university tuition varies for Indian students

You’ll see EUR 178 (Licence) or EUR 255 (Master) quoted online as French tuition. Those are the standard national fees. For 2026-2027, non-EU students who fall within the differentiated-fee scheme pay EUR 2,902 (Licence) or EUR 3,950 (Master), per Campus France. Other international students may qualify for the standard national fees through a statutory or institution-granted exemption.

So the exemption decides your bill. A full exemption brings you back to the standard EUR 178 or EUR 255; a partial one lands at a figure the institution sets. Institution-granted exemptions are capped by regulation from 2026-2027, and private schools, specialised institutions and some engineering schools set their own fees entirely. Confirm the actual fee and the exemption policy with the institution admitting you, per etudiant.gouv.fr’s registration-fees page.

Charpak: the fee-cutter worth chasing

For the 2026 cycle, the Charpak scholarship pays master’s students EUR 860 a month (about INR 95,000) and waives both the visa and Campus France procedure fees, per Campus France India’s Charpak Master scholarship page. You must be 30 or younger when you apply, and the award also brings social-security cover and CROUS housing priority, subject to availability. The 2026 deadline was 30 March 2026 and has passed, so if you’re targeting a later intake, watch Campus France India for the next call.

From clearance to visa: the VLS-TS and your first weeks in France

Campus France clearance opens the visa stage; it does not replace it. After you land, you must validate the VLS-TS (the long-stay visa that doubles as a residence permit) online within 3 months, per Campus France's long-stay visa page. Validation costs EUR 150, and missing the deadline turns your stay irregular.

The path from clearance to campus runs in a clear order.

  1. You receive the proceed-to-VFS attestation by email.
  2. Complete the France-Visas application form online.
  3. Give biometrics at a VFS Global centre and pay the EUR 50 visa fee.
  4. If you’re subject to the CVEC, pay the EUR 105 at the CVEC portal or claim an exemption attestation; as of 17 July 2026 the 2026-27 campaign is open. You need one or the other before administrative enrolment, and you can do it from India. Some programmes and categories of learner aren’t liable at all.
  5. Fly to France, then validate your VLS-TS on the ANEF portal (the French immigration site that replaced paper OFII validation) within 3 months, paying the EUR 150 validation charge.
  6. Complete administrative enrolment at your institution, presenting your CVEC payment or exemption attestation where the CVEC applies to you.

On a VLS-TS you may work up to 964 hours a year, roughly 60% of full-time, with no separate work permit needed, per Campus France’s working-while-studying page. That covers a part-time job around classes; it will not replace the funds you proved for the visa, so treat it as top-up income, not your budget.

Your first fortnight has its own to-do list. Open a French bank account (you’ll need it for rent and housing aid), then register with the French Assurance Maladie health system through the free international-student portal. Registration starts your affiliation; once your documents are processed you get your permanent social-security number and can apply for a Carte Vitale. Run these in parallel, but complete the VLS-TS validation well inside the three-month deadline.

Where do Indian files run into trouble, and how do you protect yours?

Three different things get called a rejection, and they’re worth separating: a Campus France file returned to you for correction, a university declining your admission, and a student-visa refusal by the consulate. Each has its own cause and its own fix. What we can speak to directly is our own case sample.

From our counselling desk: In our internal review of 80 Campus France cases handled for the September 2025 intake, proof-of-funds documentation was the most frequently recorded financial concern, not the amount but the story behind it. The two questions that came up most: where did this money come from, and can the family sustain it? This reflects our own case sample and is not national refusal data.

So protect the money trail. A lump sum that appeared last week reads as arranged; funds built up over months, matched to your parents’ income, read as real. Keep bank statements, income proof and any loan sanction consistent. A modest declared income beside a large sudden balance invites questions.

Take a pattern we see often. A father declares INR 8 lakh a year, yet a fresh INR 25 lakh lands in the account a fortnight before the file goes in. On paper it clears the threshold; the source and sustainability are what draw questions. The fix is documentation, not a bigger balance: an education loan sanction, a matured fixed deposit, or savings that grew over two years.

The other frequent trips are simpler to fix:

  • A generic motivation letter that could belong to any applicant
  • Programme choices that don’t match your academic background
  • Thin answers on why France, and no clear plan after graduating

Sort these before the interview, not after. Our detailed guide to France student visa rejection reasons breaks down each one with fixes.

Get in Touch

Frequently Asked Questions

The Campus France interview is not itself the visa decision, but treat it seriously and give consistent answers on course choice, academic progression, funding and career plans. The consular authority makes the final visa decision after reviewing your complete application.

Sometimes. Some English-taught programmes accept TOEFL or a medium-of-instruction letter where the institution expressly permits it, so IELTS is not always required. French-taught courses generally want French evidence such as DELF, DALF or TCF. Requirements are institution-specific, so follow your programme’s stated rule.

You can appeal within 30 days under the procedure stated in your refusal notice, per the France-Visas FAQ. Reapply only after addressing the refusal grounds and confirming your admission, enrolment date and documents are still valid. Depending on timing you may need a later intake, but no rule forces every applicant to wait.

Plan for the EEF procedure fee, one year of tuition, the EUR 105 CVEC if applicable, the EUR 50 visa fee and the EUR 150 VLS-TS validation charge, then evidence your monthly resources separately. The fee-by-fee table above lists the 2026-27 figures in both EUR and INR.

The Campus France application process rewards preparation over panic. Pick your route, start six months ahead, build a clean money trail, and treat the pre-consular interview as a conversation about a plan you can defend. Two changes land on 1 August 2026: the announced INR 20,000 EEF fee and the SMIC-indexed proof-of-funds threshold, near EUR 877.50 a month. Separately, the differentiated master’s fee for 2026-2027 is EUR 3,950 before any exemption. The route gets pricier; the steps haven’t changed.

Ardent Overseas guides Indian students to France from our Hyderabad and Tirupati offices, and the funding patterns above come from the files we run every intake, not from a checklist.

Sources

Official sources first, then reputable third-party.

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