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CampusFrance in my country

1. Do I need to know French to study in France?
No, several courses especially in engineering (all branches), management, hospitality, fashion studies, economics, etc are available in English. However, it is a good idea to start on French to make your stay more rewarding and fruitful.

2. Where can I learn French?
At any Alliance Française centre spread across 21 towns and cities in India. Check out the one closest to you on www.afindia.org

3. Are there any qualifying tests to take while applying?
Mostly the GMAT may be required for the MBAs and certain other managment programmes (there are several MBAs that also accept without the GMAT score. GRE is definitely not required). Most institutes are comfortable with the level of English and do not necessarily ask for a TOEFL or IELTS (some exceptions exist, especially if they cannot ascertain the level of linguistic competence of the student in a telephonic interview). If the course is in French then a standard test like the DELF, TCF or DALF may be asked. The TCF is hosted by all the Alliances in the month of February. To know about the calendar of these tests please visit www.afindia.org or contact the CampusFrance office nearest to you.

4. How long does it take to learn French?
Language learning being a subjective competence varies from person to person. Usually a minimum of six months is required to acquire a very basic level of French and a year of French learning takes one to an intermediary level at institutes like the Alliance Françaises.

5. Are Indian degrees recognized in France and vise versa?
France is a signatory to the Bologna Process that sets European standards of education and homogenizes the duration of studies to acquire degrees. A Bachelor degree in France is obtained after 3 years of studies after the baccalaureat, a Master is 5 years after the baccalaureat and a Doctorate is acquired after 8 years of higher education post baccalaureat. This is quite the same time frame in the Indian system.

6. What is the Baccalaureat?
The Baccalaureat is recognized to be the equivalent of the 10+2 in India , this equivalence is established by the Association of Indian Universities in India.

7. Is it necessary to have 16 years of education to access a master degree?
No, you can access a master degree after 15 years (that is 12+3 years of Bachelor Degree). However, in Engineering courses16 years of education is a pre –requisite to access an MSc or an M-Tech.

8. Is the Diplome the same thing as a Diploma?
No the word “diplome” is used to denote a qualification in France, the word degree does not exist in French. To illustrate the point., a “Diplome d’Ingenieur” for example is a title that is equivalent to the M-tech. Thus a diplome does not mean a diploma.

9. Is a Polytechnique in France a good institute to enroll in for a masters or a diploma?
Unlike in India , a Polytechnique in France usually regroups several specialist colleges and confers the Bachelor degree in Science, Btech, Master degree in Science, the M Tech as well as the Phd (in India mostly the Polytechnics confer vocational diplomas, do not confuse the two). These are thus excellent colleges of advanced technology.

10. Where can I find out University or college rankings?
The French government does not follow a policy of ranking universities and professional colleges. The government ensures that the quality of instruction and facilities are at par in all institutes that are state accredited. However informal rankings of management schools, engineering schools, etc. are routinely carried out by magazines like the L’Etudiant or the Nouvel Economiste. Also most engineering colleges in France usually specialize in one domain rather than all branches of engineering, so typically you may have a telecommunications engineering college or a chemical engineering college and the two for obvious reasons cannot be compared against each other.

11. How can I chose the best possible course and college suited to my requirements?
We strongly recommend you to get in touch with our trained counselors in 9 cities across India. You may do so on mail, phone or a personal visit. They can orient and guide you towards opting for the most suitable courses. Also please visit the link “choose a program” on the home page, this takes you to a search engine with multi-criteria search options.

12. What kind of scholarships are available to study in France?
In sheer applicant to beneficiary ratio terms France offers several scholarships. Almost 1 in 7 applicants receives some form of financial aid. The French Embassy in India offers the incentive scholarships, the French ministry of External affairs offers the Eiffel grants of excellence, the institutions in France themselves may waive certain fees, there are corporate scholarships offered by Thales and so many more. Please go through the “French government grant” page for details.

13. Can CampusFrance help us in obtaining education loans?
The CampusFrance desks can issue loan facilitation letters addressed to bank managers in order to assure them of the quality of the institute and the degree that the student is planning to pursue. This usually eases the loan processing.

14. What are the chances of finding a job in France after these studies?
There is no law that forbids meritorious and deserving foreign students from finding employment in France.

15. Is it necessary to get any medical check done before leaving for France?
Anyways you will be made to undergo a medical test by a French doctor upon reaching France when you apply for the “carte de séjour” or the temporary resident permit. However we do suggest that you carry a certified copy (by a registered medical practitioner) of your immunization schedule from India.

16. What kind of Insurances are required, what does it mean to take a cover of 50,000 US dollars?
To establish the French VISA the student has to necessarily take an insurance for a minimum duration of three months. This insurance should start from the date of departure and should cover medical expenses and repatriation. An approximate cost for subscribing to such a plan is between Rs 3500 -Rs 4000 and guarantees a cover of up to 50000 US dollars. These insurances can be purchased from companies like TATA AIG, Bajaj Allianz, New India Insurance, ICICI Lombard etc.

17. Is my French VISA granted for the entire duration of the course?
If you are going for the long stay student VISA, then from India you only get a three month validity of the French VISA with the words “carte de séjour à solliciter” written on your passport. That means once in France, you are to contact the international relations office of your university or institute and apply for the “Carte de Séjour” which is the Temporary Resident Permit. This requires the student to submit several documents at the local “Prefecture de Police”. The Carte de Séjour is then renewable for the whole stay. The Carte de Séjour enables the student to benefit from the French Social Security.

18. Is it true that the French government gives all students a lodging assistance allowance?
The student who is entitled to the Carte de séjour may benefit of the lodging assistance allowance offered by the French state depending on the family resources. Your international office at the University will guide to you towards applying for the same.

19. What documents should I get translated and from where?
You should get your birth certificate (either the hospital record, or the one from the Birth and Death Registry Office, issued by the Municipal Corporation for cities / Gram Panchayat for those born in villages.) Please get a birth certificate mentioning the name of BOTH parents and get these translated from the Alliance Française (see www.afindia.org for the list of authorized and French government recognized translation centres in India.). The tenth grade certificate or the passport will not work as Birth Certificates in France.

20. Can Erasmus students apply for the Schengen VISA?
No as the Schengen VISA is accorded only for short stays of 90 days at the most.

21. What is the use of an International Student Identity Card?
An international student identity card enables you to access youth hostels for short stays while traveling at discounted prices. You can get this from any office of the STIC Travels.

22. What is a “carte orange”?
It is the monthly travel pass valid in the Metro and the Buses.

23. What are the documents I would require to get a “Carte de Séjour” or the Temporary Resident card in France?
You will need
• A valid passport (original and 2 photocopies of the first two and last two pages)
• Valid visa
• Certified Proof of academic records ( originals + photocopies)
• Certified proof of address in France ( gas or electricity bill, or university Hostel’s letter, or if you are staying in someone’s house then a letter from that person+ proof of his electricity or gas bill in original +identity card or resident’s card of that person)
• Financial proof = 430 euros / month of living expenses
• Birth Certificate ( see point 19)
• 3 recent black and white photos ( 3.5cm x 4.5cm)
• One self addressed and stamped envelope

24. What is the procedure to apply for this Carte de Séjour?
With the documents mentioned in point 23, you have to appar at the local “Prefecture de Police” you can get this address from the international relations officer at your institute. After handing in these documents and the filled application form, the students will receive an acknowledgement receipt and will be convened to collect their card on a specific date. Students have to appear personally to collect this card and make a payment of 55 euros.Once you have this resident card or the carte de séjour, please provide a copy to your university’s admissions office to be able to get your student card.

25. What is the address of the Indian Embassy in France?
15, rue Alfred Dehodencq
75016 – Paris France Tel. : 00 33 1 40 50 70 70, www.amb-inde.fr