France is prioritising its target of welcoming 30,000 Indian students by 2030 to strengthen educational cooperation and people‑to‑people ties with India, French Deputy Ambassador Lisa Amon said on Thursday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the New Delhi edition of the Choose France Tour 2026, Amon said the target was a key part of the India‑France Special Global Strategic Partnership.
“It is definitely a priority for us to welcome Indian students in France. It is indeed a priority since last year there was a declaration that the strategic partnership between India and France was indeed both global and special,” Amon said.
She said the partnership included a dedicated pillar for people‑to‑people connections, with student mobility forming a core part of the initiative.
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Campus France Deputy Director‑General Béatrice Khaiat said French higher education institutions were working to attract more Indian students through English‑taught programmes and post‑study opportunities.
“We want to attract more students and also the French higher education institutions are doing everything to get more Indian students to France. For example, in France, there are nearly 2,000 programs taught in English. So you can study in English in France,” Khaiat said.
She said eligible graduates could access arrangements to gain professional experience in France and described the country as welcoming to Indian students.
According to figures cited by Campus France, Indian enrolment in French higher education rose 17% to 9,100 students in 2024-25, making India the 11th‑largest source country of international students in France. The number of Indian students has increased 63% since 2018.
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