France
Public universities with low tuition and a distinct parallel system of grandes écoles, with a dedicated application procedure for Indian students.
How the degree is shaped
Public universities and the grandes écoles are two separate systems, entered in different ways.
Tuition at public institutions is set nationally and is low by international standards; differentiated rates can apply to non-EU students.
English-taught programmes exist and are concentrated at particular institutions rather than spread across all of them.
Before you go further
What Indian applicants are routinely not told
None of this is hidden — it is on the official sites. It is simply not what the material aimed at you leads with.
Campus France runs an interview as part of the procedure for Indian applicants, which is unusual and needs to be planned for.
The grandes écoles are entered by competitive examination after preparatory classes and are not simply "better universities" — they are a different track.
The route in
Applying through Campus France
The official government agency, which runs a specific procedure for students applying from India. Going through it is the documented route rather than an optional extra.
Open Campus France (official site, opens in a new tab)
Link reached the official site on 23 August 2026. We did not read the page — dates and eligibility are published there.
We link to it and take nothing from you for doing so. Deadlines, requirements and fees are published there and change between cycles — this page does not track them.
Tests usually involved
IELTS
English language testAn English language test accepted for study and immigration across the UK, Australia, Canada and much of Europe.
British Council, IDP and Cambridge — official site (opens in a new tab)
TOEFL
English language testAn English language test widely accepted in the United States and elsewhere. Institutions publish their own required score.
Official source
Permission to study is decided by this body. We do not summarise what it requires — those rules change, they are regulated, and getting them second-hand is how people lose money.
France-Visas (official site, opens in a new tab)
The official site answered on 23 August 2026 but declined our automated check. The link is live; open it directly.