France targets 30,000 Indian students by 2030; announces ‘Desibel’ for local creators in India

France is expanding its higher education outreach in India as it targets hosting 30,000 Indian students by 2030. The push comes amid a rise in the number of Indian students enrolled in French higher education and a wider effort by the two countries to strengthen cooperation in education, innovation and artificial intelligence.

The French government agency responsible for promoting higher education abroad and supporting international students through the admission and visa processes — Campus France, shared that the number of Indian students in French higher education increased to 9,100 in 2024-25.

India moved from being the 13th largest source of international students in France to the 11th largest during the year. A broader count based on visa and residence-permit data, which also includes exchange students and those enrolled in shorter programmes, put the number of Indian students in France at around 12,000 in 2025.

The increase in Indian student numbers comes as France seeks to make the country a larger destination for Indian students, particularly in fields linked to technology, innovation and other specialised areas. The 30,000-student target was identified as part of the wider India-France education partnership, with student mobility being one of the priority areas of cooperation.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France in June, India and France signed 19 agreements linked to their innovation ecosystems, adopted the India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030 and established a Joint India-France AI Working Group.

Modi also invited French universities to establish campuses in India. French institutions are also increasing their direct outreach to students in India. More than 50 French institutions are expected to participate in the Choose France Tour in October.

The four-city tour will be held in Mumbai on October 11, Pune on October 13, New Delhi on October 15 and Bengaluru on October 17. The participating institutions include engineering and technology schools such as CentraleSupelec, Mines Paris-PSL and IMT Atlantique, business schools such as ESSEC, ESCP and EDHEC, and public universities including Université Paris-Saclay and Universite Grenoble Alpes.

Campus France India will provide information on courses, scholarships, visas, accommodation and student life in France. The expansion is also being accompanied by programmes focused on specific skills and emerging sectors.

One such initiative is Desibel, launched by the Embassy of France in India and the French Institute in India. It focuses on training and international exchange in animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and immersive content, or AVGC-XR.

Desibel brings Indian artists, creators and other professionals into contact with French mentors, institutions and industry networks. Its activities include capacity-building, publishing, animation and extended-reality projects.

The programme also includes the India Comics Project, under which 24 Indian artists are adapting literary classics into graphic novels. The AVGC-XR component is being led by the Aniverse & Visual Arts Foundation. It includes initiatives such as the AniMela Festival and the International Mifa Campus pitch lab.

In June 2026, five Indian animation projects were presented at the Annecy Festival in France.