New Delhi | France is stepping up its education outreach in India with a four-city tour featuring more than 50 French institutions, as the two countries seek to deepen cooperation in higher education, innovation and artificial intelligence, an official French government agency said.
The outreach comes amid a sharp rise in Indian enrolment in French higher education, with the number of students growing to 9,100 in 2024-25, according to a statement by Campus France on Friday.
Campus France is the official French government agency that promotes higher education abroad and guides international students through the university admission and visa application processes. Operating under the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Higher Education, it serves as the mandatory first step for anyone applying to study in France.
The Choose France Tour will be held in Mumbai on October 11, Pune on October 13, New Delhi on October 15 and Bengaluru on October 17.
October’s four-city tour assumes significance as India and France seek to deepen their Special Global Strategic Partnership in education, innovation and artificial intelligence.
“This has been an exceptionally dynamic year for the India-France partnership, and this Tour carries that spirit forward,” French Ambassador to India Thierry Mathou said.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France in June, the two countries signed 19 agreements related to their innovation ecosystems, adopted the India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030 and established a Joint India-France AI Working Group.
Modi also invited French universities to establish campuses in India, with student mobility and education identified as priority areas of cooperation. France has set a target of hosting 30,000 Indian students by 2030.
According to Campus France, India rose from the 13th to the 11th largest source of international students in France in 2024-25. Visa and residence-permit data, which also include exchange students and those enrolled in shorter programmes, put the number of Indian students in France at 12,000 in 2025.
“French institutions of higher education offer outstanding programmes focused on innovation, artificial intelligence, aerospace and management, training students for a promising career not only in France but also in the international job market,” Mathou said.
“Our target to host 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030 transcends mere statistics; it represents an endeavour to foster a future engineer, researcher or entrepreneur who will help carry the France-India Special Global Strategic Partnership forward. Choose France is where that future begins,” he added.
The participating institutions include engineering and technology schools such as CentraleSupélec, Mines Paris-PSL and IMT Atlantique, business schools including ESSEC, ESCP and EDHEC, besides public universities such as Université Paris Saclay and Université Grenoble Alpes.
Campus France India will provide students and families with counselling on courses, scholarships, visas, accommodation and student life in France during the tour.