France Expands India Education Outreach, Eyes 30,000 Students

France expands its education outreach in India through a four-city tour featuring 50+ institutions, aiming to attract 30,000 Indian students by 2030. The initiative strengthens cooperation in higher education, AI, innovation and student mobility.

France is expanding its higher education outreach in India with a four-city “Choose France Tour” featuring more than 50 French institutions, as both countries seek to deepen cooperation in education, innovation and artificial intelligence. The initiative comes amid a steady rise in the number of Indian students choosing France for higher education.

The tour is scheduled to take place in Mumbai on October 11, Pune on October 13, New Delhi on October 15 and Bengaluru on October 17. Campus France India, the French government agency responsible for promoting higher education in France, will provide students and families with guidance on academic programmes, scholarships programme, visas, accommodation and student life.

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The initiative gains significance as India and France strengthen their Special Global Strategic Partnership, with higher education, innovation and AI emerging as key areas of collaboration. 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.

France has set an ambitious target of hosting 30,000 Indian students by 2030. The country has already seen significant growth in Indian enrolment, with 9,100 students studying in French higher education institutions during 2024-25. India has consequently moved from being the 13th-largest to the 11th-largest source of international students in France. Visa and residence-permit data place the number of Indian students in France at around 12,000 in 2025.

French Ambassador to India Thierry Mathou highlights the growing opportunities available to Indian students, particularly in fields such as innovation, AI, aerospace and management. He says the 30,000-student target is intended to strengthen the long-term educational and strategic relationship between the two countries.

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The participating institutions include leading engineering and technology schools such as CentraleSupélec, Mines Paris-PSL and IMT Atlantique, alongside business schools including ESSEC, ESCP and EDHEC. Public universities such as Université Paris-Saclay and Université Grenoble Alpes are also participating.

The expansion also follows France’s invitation to its universities to establish campuses in India, with student mobility identified as a priority area. By increasing institutional outreach and providing direct guidance to prospective students, France aims to make its higher education ecosystem more accessible to Indian learners while strengthening academic, research and innovation links between the two nations.