Indian students pursuing degrees in France will be able to study French for a year before beginning their subjects of choice, as part of the newly announced ¡°Classes Internationales¡± programme.

French president Emmanuel Macron and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi announced the initiative during the former¡¯s recent state visit to India, during which Mr Macron restated plans to attract 30,000 Indian students to France by 2030.

¡°It¡¯s a very ambitious target, but I am determined to make it happen,¡±?, formerly Twitter.

The Classes Internationales scheme, which will launch in September, will enable ¡°Indian students to be taught French as a foreign language, methodology and academic contents in highly reputed French universities in France during one academic year, before entering their chosen curricula in France¡±,?.

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Applicants, who must demonstrate ¡°academic excellence¡±, will be able to apply to ¡°world-renowned French higher education institutions across all fields,¡±?: ¡°universities, grandes ¨¦coles, engineering, management, sciences, humanities, arts, and other specialised schools.¡±

The programme will involve ¡°immersion in French culture¡±, while language classes will be tailored to students¡¯ intended fields of study. ¡°Outstanding students will be awarded scholarships by the Embassy of France in India to support their higher education in France,¡± the embassy said.

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Mr Modi and Mr Macron further pledged to boost funding for the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR/CEFIPRA), according to their joint statement, while encouraging ¡°the exchange of research scholars between institutions on both sides¡± through increased scholarships.

During Mr Modi¡¯s state visit to France in July 2023, both countries announced plans to ¡°strengthen their academic ties and to foster exchanges of students¡±.?, they committed to promoting ¡°the development of joint training programmes¡± as well as researchers¡¯ mobility between the two countries, with science and technology named as ¡°priority areas¡±.

France also announced that Indian students who had completed one term at master¡¯s level at a French university would be eligible for a short-stay Schengen visa, valid for five years, an initiative aimed at ¡°creat[ing] a community of Indian alumni¡±.

In 2023,??to attract 20,000 Indian students by 2025, followed by 30,000 by 2030.?, there were just over 6,300 Indian students in France in the 2021-22 academic year.

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emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com