Ranking third globally, France cordially welcomes the highest number of foreign students. With a two sided agreement coming into affect from Wednesday, four Indian academic qualifications -- Senior School Certificate, Bachelor's and Master's degrees and PhDs -- from government-approved institutions will be acknowledged by the French government. It is the India first inter governmental agreement.
Professional degrees like law, medicine and those of other professions regulated by other professional councils are excluded. Alexandre Ziegler, said, "I am delighted that the agreement will benefit Indian students wishing to study in France and French students wishing to study in India, since both governments will recognize their degrees."
On May 1, the agreement between France and India for the Mutual Recognition of Academic Qualifications, was signed during Emmanuel Macron's maiden state visit to India last year, will come into force.
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Likewise, the French equivalents of these qualifications will be recognized by the Indian government. "The mutual recognition of AISSCE and Baccalaureat degrees will enable students to advance their studies in both French and Indian educational systems. It promotes mobility of students between the two countries," said the statement. "With this MoU, we have reached an important milestone, which is a great opportunity for students from both countries," the ambassador exclaimed with joy. "In 2018, 8,000 Indian students chose France to pursue their higher education - mostly in the English medium - a significant increase over the previous years."
"The Embassy of France in India is committed to fostering this positive trend with supporting initiatives. The target set by President Emmanuel Macron to welcome 10,000 Indian students annually by 2020, will be reached by the end of this year," said the Embassy.
Additional Benefits:
The Embassy provides an option of a 2-year employment visa in France after the completion of post-graduate studies to the Indian students as an excellent step towards the more attractive visa policy. Enumerating the policy, the Indian students also get a further benefit of a 5 year short stay visa after the completion of their higher degree in France. The Alumni from France would also relish the vast career opportunities in India.