France ready to welcome 30K Indian students by 2030: Ambassador

Indian students willing to go to France for higher studies sometimes face visa-related issues. This may no longer be the case as France is willing to welcome the students, said Thierry Mathou, the Ambassador of France to India, in an interview.

Mathou said that president Emmanuel Macron has conveyed that France is willing to welcome 30,000 Indian students into its higher institutions by 2030.

Indian students in France eligible for visa

Since this summer, Indian students who hold a Master’s degree or above and have spent at least a semester studying in France are eligible for a 5-year short-stay Schengen visa. This is a special provision for Indian alumni to enable them to keep close links with France and their French counterparts.

He mentioned that it’s their priority, and going to France now is much easier as compared to other countries.

A lot of students are in France’s business programme and soon may well be in engineering as well. The country aims to establish strategic partnerships in many sectors, including engineering and design, said the ambassador.

He said that France believes that when an Indian student spends even just a semester in France, it creates a connection that ought to be fostered and cherished.

Study opportunities in France

Students will have a chance to get first-hand information from representatives of 50 leading universities, Grandes Ecoles (a top-level educational institution in France), and colleges about the programmes they can attend.

These programmes span a wide range of fields. Among them are 22 business and management schools, 17 engineering schools, three arts and design schools, five public universities, two hospitality and tourism schools, and one French language school.

Additionally, international classes will be created within universities to admit non-francophone students to standard French bachelor programmes after one year of training.

Indo French ties

The ambassador mentioned that France and India have been sharing a very strong connection regarding student and research mobility, as well as academic cooperation.

Now, 600 partnerships will be established between France and India to strengthen academic ties.

(Source: IANS)

-Edited for style

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