In 2019, Rajarshi Ganguly received a scholarship from the Institut Universitaire de Technologie (IUT) in France to pursue a bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence and big data. It is one of the many courses that are taught in English in France. Rajarshi says, “I knew almost no French when I went there. I worked part-time at a computer repair shop, and that is where I picked up the spoken language.”
That said, Rajarshi insists that one should have a basic knowledge of French before landing in France. He says, “Almost no one speaks English there. From grocery shopping to communicating with strangers, it can be difficult if you don’t speak French.”
According to him, once you get past that language barrier, the French experience is one of it’s kind. He says, “France offers a very vibrant and inclusive social life. We would often go hiking and participate in cultural events on campus.”
Even as the US administration continues to spring hurdle after hurdle for international students applying to American universities, students in India have started looking to European countries for higher education opportunities.
While many French universities already have a small fraction of Indian students, France is now hoping to increase the number. Consul general of France in Calcutta Thierry Morel tells The Telegraph, “By 2030, France is on track to welcome 30,000 Indian students.”
Choose France Tour, an education fair held across four Indian cities — New Delhi, Chennai, Calcutta and Mumbai — has turned the focus on more than 50 educational institutions that are set to welcome Indian students.
Present at the Calcuta fair were representatives of universities such as Aix-Marseille, University de Lille, University de l’Ouest, engineering schools like CentralSupelec, Ecole Polytechnique, and business schools like Grenoble Ecole de Management, EM Strasbourg Business School and ICN Business School.
Back to the language barrier. While it is recommended that students learn elementary French before applying, an initiative started in 2023 by Campus France, the education body of the French Embassy in India, effectively lifts this barrier.
“Classes Internationales is a flagship programme by the French government that will provide Indian students with one year of preparatory training in the language before they are integrated into the academic rigour of the courses they choose to pursue,” says Morel. This will require Indian students to dedicate four years to their bachelor’s degree, including one year of linguistic training.
Rajarshi found work as an engineer in his last year of undergraduate studies. He says, “On a student visa, you are allowed to work up to 30 hours per week.”
After completion of the degree, the student visa turns into a resident permit. A resident permit would allow students to stay back in France for two more years and find employment.
Other than that, Morel points out, there is the Alumni Short-Stay Visa. He says, “This visa is granted to all Indian graduates who studied in France for at least one semester so that they can return to the country for a shorter stay, network and keep their connection with France.” The visa remains valid for up to five years.
Rajarshi recommends applying for government scholarships to reduce the financial burden on students and their families. He says, “Your living costs significantly go down if you are not living in Paris.”
Some of the available government grants are the France Excellence Charpak Scholarship for those pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, exchange and short-term research across disciplines. Then there is the France Excellence Eiffel Scholarship for master’s and PhD programmes in science, technology, humanities and social science. And the Raman Charpak Fellowship is for PhD scholars in science and engineering fields. Barring these, there are university and programme-specific scholarships too. Rajarshi says, “It’s important that you do your research and find the scholarship and the curriculum that serve you the best.”
As the clock strikes two in the afternoon, curious prospective students with their varied interests walk into the fair. Some are still in their school uniforms.
Kaushiki Bharadwaj, a student of Class XII in Purba Barasat Adarsha Bidyapeeth, is interested in fashion management. She says, “France is the hub of fashion and design. So I would like to pursue a management degree in that domain from a French institute.”
Jatin, who has completed his master’s in engineering, says, “I am interested in pursuing an advanced degree in high-performance computing from Europe. With political trouble brewing in the US, UK and even Ireland, I am only focussing on European institutions.”
Siddhartha Kundu, a student of Class X, walks in with classmates Anjishnu Saha and Spandan Saha from St Joan’s School, Salt Lake. He says, “At our school, we had a small presentation on studying in France, which piqued our interest. So we wanted to visit the fair and meet some of the university representatives.”
With inputs from Asmita Ghosh
