France Brings 50+ Universities to India as It Targets 30,000 Indian Students by 2030

France is bringing its biggest Indian outreach push yet to four Indian cities this October, with more than 50 French institutions, from CentraleSupelec and Mines Paris-PSL to ESSEC and ESCP, taking part in the Choose France Tour. The push comes as India climbs from the 13th to the 11th largest source of international students in France in 2024-25, part of a broader push toward France’s stated target of hosting 30,000 Indian students by 2030.

What’s Happening

• The tour dates and cities: Mumbai on October 11, Pune on October 13, New Delhi on October 15, and Bengaluru on October 17, 2026.
• Who’s involved: Campus France the official French government agency operating under the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Higher Education that serves as the mandatory first step for anyone applying to study in France.
• Current numbers: Indian enrollment in French higher education reached 9,100 in 2024-25 per Campus France’s own count of enrolled students; a separate visa and residence-permit count, which also includes exchange students and shorter programs, puts the broader number of Indian students in France at 12,000 in 2025.
• The 2030 target: 30,000 Indian students, more than double the current enrolled count.
• The diplomatic backdrop: during PM Modi’s June 2026 visit to France, the two countries signed 19 innovation-related agreements, adopted the India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030, and established a Joint India-France AI Working Group. Modi also invited French universities to set up campuses in India, with student mobility named a priority area of cooperation.
• What’s on offer at the tour: counseling on courses, scholarships, visas, accommodation, and student life in France, covering engineering and technology schools, business schools, and public universities.

Why It Matters for Indian Students

This is essentially France publicly committing significant institutional weight, with 50+ universities traveling to India in person, across four cities, to a specific, numeric growth target, rather than a vague statement of interest. For students weighing France against the UK, US, Canada, or Australia, the practical draw remains the same as it has for several years: lower tuition at public universities than most English-speaking destinations; a growing number of English-taught master’s programs, especially in AI, data science, engineering, and business; and a post-study residence permit to search for work after graduating.

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Worth being precise about scale before treating this as evidence France has suddenly overtaken established destinations: even at the 2030 target of 30,000, France's Indian student population would remain a fraction of what the UK, US, Canada, or Australia currently host. The value here lies in the growing number of scholarship and outreach opportunities being made available specifically to Indian applicants, not in France displacing the traditional "big four" destinations.

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