Be it the grandeur of Paris or the warm Mediterranean feel of Nice, there’s something about France that has made it the fourth most popular country amongst international students. Universities in France are highly accredited and renowned around the world for the quality of education that they have to offer.
Universities such as École Polytechnique, Pierre and Marie Curie University and other universities in Paris receive thousands of applications from international students from America, Germany, UK and other countries. Pharmacology, sociology, art, literature and linguistics are some of the courses that French education is famous for.
At present, the are an estimate of over 250,000 international students studying in colleges and universities in France. As a matter of fact, 10% of most French universities comrise of international students. Most of these students opt to undertake their graduate level studies or Ph.D. in the country.
If a student is an EU national or an EEA national he/she does not need to apply for a French student visa. The student must, however, have a valid EU/EEA passport, identity card, and other travel documents. Students from Iceland, Switzerland, Norway, and Liechtenstein do not have to apply for a French student visa either.
Prior to applying for a student visa, it is important that students receive a letter of acceptance confirming their admission in France based universities or colleges. After having received an acceptance letter students may proceed forward to look into the different kinds of French student visa that they can consider applying for.
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The kind of student visa that one needs to apply for depends mainly on the duration of their course.
However, if a course is going to last for a period of 90 days or less, it is advisable to have a look at the list of countries below. People from these countries do not need to apply for a student visa if they plan on pursuing a course in France for up to 90 days. It may be helpful to also have a look at the list provided by the French government on their website, in case you’re unable to find your country on this list.
Schengen student visa for short-term purposes
Students who are coming to France for a short period of time; for three months or less, and cannot find the name of their countries on the list provided above, are required to apply for a court séjour pour etude. This visa is also known as the short-stay visa or Schengen student visa. While these visas are free of cost and easy to apply for, they cannot be renewed.
Visa for the purpose of appearing for an entrance exam
The most suitable option for students are visiting France to sit an exam or two is visa de court séjour étudiant concours. This simply translates into: visa for sitting entrance exams. Once the students have appeared and passed their examinations they become eligible to renew their visas and apply for a one-year long residence permit. Keep in mind that different institutions have different requirements and it is highly advisable to consult the lycée, college or university being applied to, before progressing the application further.
Temporary visa for long stay
The temporary long-stay visa is valid for three to six months. Students applying for visa de long séjour temporaire pour etudes do not require a separate resident permit. These visas are non-renewable.
Long-stay visa
Also referred to as the extended-stay VLT-TS or visa de long séjour pour études allows students to stay in the country for over six months. This visa also serves as a residence permit and therefore students applying for a long-stay visa do not have to apply for a separate residence visa. This visa is most appropriate for students planning on undertaking a bachelor’s course, a master’s course or a Ph.D. The number of years that each student receives the visa for may also vary. For example, a bachelor’s student is like to be granted three years of student visa, a master’s student may be given a visa for two years and a Ph. D. student may receive one for four years. The rules are different for Algerian students applying. They do not need VLS-TS but are expected to abide by certain other protocols details of which can be found on France consulate or embassy website for Algeria.
If students plan on living in the country for longer than a year then the second year onwards they have to apply for Carte de Séjour (CDS) which is an official residency card granted in France. This card is also referred to as titre de séjour.
Prior to application, it may be a good idea to collect the following documents and keeping them ready:
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After having received a letter of confirmation with the university’s omusr college’s letterhead, students may either contact the French embassy of their country or Campus France. Campus France is a national organization that is responsible for higher education and international students. It is their responsibility to promote French education and ease the path for international students to apply for studying in France.
Most French embassies or consulates suggest that students register themselves with Campus France prior to contacting them.
International students can also apply to accredited educational institutions of their choice, using Campus France. The application often takes place via CEF (Centre for studies in France), which is also compulsory to use when applying to 30 other countries. This electronic service promises to take care of the students’ admission process and enrolment. Additionally, it enables them to complete and send through a visa application online.
Once the application is set in motion, the students are most likely to be called in for an interview soon after which they will be granted the visa.
A delay in the application for a visa may cause inconvenience in the future. Therefore, students must apply for it 90-60 days prior to the start date of their programme.
Once students with a long-stay visa have landed in France, the first task at hand is to submit their original form that was sent back with the visa acceptance, to the French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII). Other documents that need to be sent through along with form are a print out of the original passport, especially the pages that serve as a proof of your identity and the stamps on your passport received during immigration at the time of entering France. These documents can either be mailed at the given address or be personally submitted if the students live in Paris.
Once the office receives the form and passport copy, they will send back a receipt of confirmation and instructions for what to do next. One of the instructions may be to go through and submit a report of medical examination if one has not yet been conducted at the time when the students were in their country of origin.
On occasions, students may not have to submit a medical report to the college/university instead of giving it to the French Office of Immigration. In this case, the institution helps students through the process.
In any case, every international student is expected to pay a fee of €58 as a form of tax and administration cost.
An international student with a valid residence permit or VLS-TS is permitted to undertake a paying job for 964 hours in a year. Eligible students may take up a job and use these hours between the time frame of 1 September and 31 August, next year. Work hours from September to June can go up to 670 and to 300 hours in July and August.
The cost of living in France may drastically vary depending on the location of the student. Living in suburban areas and outskirts of cities add up to a sum that is relatively cheaper in comparison to living in metropolitan areas such as the capital, Paris.
Other factors like the standard of lifestyle and consumption habits also play an important role in determining the living cost. Purchasing groceries from international supermarkets such as Carrefour is going to be much cheaper than buying goods from private boutique shops. However, there is an element of quality when it comes to shopping from the outdoor markets of France as they are bustling with people, visiting a local bakery to buy bread and a petite boucherie tucked in a corner of a street for some meat. Students residing in Paris are likely to get the best of the deals if they visit The Marché d’Aligre, located on the 12th arrondissement at closing time (1:00pm).
When looking at renting an apartment. The average cost of a one bedroom apartment may come up to €1,107 per month. The same at the outskirts would cost about €842. Additionally, students will also have to pay maintenance charges for the building they rent the apartment in. These charges would include building cleaning, elevator maintenance, concierge charges and more. Often these charges are included in the rent, and if they are not, they appear separately under the “charges” column. An average maintenance cost a student may look at paying while living in a city is up to €25 per square meter per annum.
These costs do not include utility bills. Gas, electricity, Internet and telephone bills depend on the size of the apartment and also on the weather conditions. Investing in a TV, Internet and mobile package deal is advisable as the cost of them all drops to €60 per month including international calls to the UK and US. Opting to pay for them separately is going to be much more expensive.
Estimate budget per month
| Services | Cost in Euros |
|---|---|
| Electricity | €55 |
| Television | €35 |
| Telephone | €20 |
| Gas (97 lit, without lead super) | €1.41 |
| Broadband Internet | €30 |
| Diesel | €1.35 |
| Travelling | €40-50 |
| Cost of 1 lunch meal | €20-30 |
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