The French ministry of foreign affairs and the ministry of higher education and research have merged all their higher education promotion organisations including EduFrance under the umbrella of CampusFrance. “The mission of CampusFrance is to enhance the international visibility of French educational institutions, improve France’s ability to attract the best foreign students by guaranteeing them a successful academic itinerary, and strengthen university and research partnerships worldwide,” says a CampusFrance spokesperson.

In India, CampusFrance will work through the countrywide network of nine Alliance Francáise centres sited in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata.

According to the CampusFrance spokesperson, trained counselors at Alliance offices will advise students about the best programmes of higher education and specialisations available in France; counsel students according to their profiles; disseminate information on the scholarships available; provide visa guidance; accommodation help; and admissions-related assistance. “All possible help for administrative follow up, procedures, aid in securing bank loans etc are part of the services rendered by CampusFrance. Thus CampusFrance is a one stop portal for all information on higher education for Indian students,” she adds.

Students will also be aided by a powerful internet search engine managed by CampusFrance which provides information on more than 30,000 higher education courses. The online catalogue is continually updated and easy for foreign students to understand as it is available in four languages.