(NEW DELHI, INDIA) — French President Emmanuel Macron announced on February 19, 2026, during his visit to New Delhi, that France aims to host 30,000 Indian students annually by 2030, tripling the current figure of around 10,000.
Macron made the announcement at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) while inaugurating the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health alongside Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda, and he pointed to faster student visa processes and a bigger English-taught offer as drivers of the plan.
“We decided with Prime Minister Modi to have 30,000 by 2030. It’s largely feasible,” Macron said, framing the target as part of the India-France strategic partnership.
French and Indian officials tied the 2030 goal to a package of administrative and academic changes intended to make France a simpler choice for applicants comparing destinations, including in Europe and other major education markets.
One of the central steps involves streamlined student visa procedures that consolidate documentation, reduce appointment wait times, and create a fast-track for graduates of accredited Indian institutions.
Another measure focuses on longer-term visas for some applicants, with Macron pointing to five-year short-stay Schengen visas rather than annual renewals for master’s and PhD students in long-term programs.
Universities also feature in the plan, with Sorbonne University and École Polytechnique committing to add over 500 seats in engineering and AI by 2027 as part of an expansion of English-medium courses.
France also plans to launch “Classes Internationales” (International Classes) to provide intensive French language training and academic preparation, a step intended to address language and readiness barriers for students entering degree programs.
An inter-ministerial task-force will present implementation guidelines in April 2026, Macron said, placing the next set of operational details on a formal timeline after the New Delhi announcement.
Indian student presence in France currently sits well below the 2030 target, with annual numbers varying across reports at approximately 10,000 per year and seasonal fluctuations between 9,300 and 11,000.
One source cited 8,000, illustrating the range of estimates for the number of Indian students in France even as Macron described the target as achievable.
Macron used the New Delhi event to highlight what he presented as France’s competitive offering for international students, including subsidized tuition that he said is lower than in the UK or Australia.
Access to top research centers and interdisciplinary programs in AI, data science, and health also featured in Macron’s pitch, linking the education target to research and training themes raised at the launch of the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health.
The measures announced alongside the student target sit within a broader set of bilateral initiatives that France and India have promoted in recent months, including changes aimed at travel, payments, and the treatment of researchers.
France introduced visa-free transit for Indian nationals at French airports as an initial six-month pilot, a move that touches on the transit experience for travelers even when France is not the final destination.
Officials also pointed to UPI recognition at tourist sites, part of a push to make day-to-day spending easier for Indian visitors and students’ families when they travel.
A tax-treaty amendment to reduce double taxation for researchers formed another element of the wider agenda, aligning with Macron’s emphasis on research links and pathways for academic work between the two countries.
Taken together, the announcements positioned education mobility as one component of a larger push to deepen ties, with student flows, research collaboration, and practical travel arrangements presented as connected.
For prospective applicants, the plan also came with a concrete cost and timing snapshot, factors that often shape decisions well before a visa appointment or a university offer arrives.
France put an estimated monthly living expenses range at €800-€1,200, a figure that can help students compare expected budgets across cities and programs.
Applicants also face a defined calendar, with applications opening nine months before program starts, a lead time that can matter for gathering documentation, planning finances, and aligning admission decisions with visa steps.
Macron’s emphasis on consolidated documentation and reduced appointment wait times spoke directly to process friction that can influence where students choose to study, especially when they compare multiple countries at once.
A fast-track for graduates of accredited Indian institutions would create a differentiated route for some applicants, linking eligibility to prior academic background and institutional standing.
The longer-term visa concept, including five-year short-stay Schengen visas for master’s and PhD students, would change the rhythm of renewals for those in programs spanning multiple years.
Expanding English-medium courses, including the additional seats in engineering and AI planned by Sorbonne University and École Polytechnique, targets fields that Macron singled out as areas where France offers interdisciplinary programs and research links.
The “Classes Internationales” proposal adds a preparatory stage focused on French language and academic readiness, reflecting the reality that even when coursework is offered in English, daily life and institutional navigation can require French.
Macron placed the education goal within a timeline that began earlier, saying the target was originally set with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023 and reaffirming it during the New Delhi visit.
By returning to the 2023 reference point, Macron linked Thursday’s announcement to longer-running strategic discussions rather than presenting the 2030 figure as a stand-alone pledge.
The New Delhi setting also connected the student target to health and technology cooperation, as Macron delivered his remarks at AIIMS during the inauguration of the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health.
Standing alongside J. P. Nadda, Macron highlighted the combined emphasis on education, research, and applied work in sectors that both countries have promoted, including AI and health.
France’s plan aims to reshape the scale of its Indian student intake, moving from the current level of around 10,000 a year to 30,000 annually by 2030.
Whether that trajectory holds will hinge on the April 2026 implementation guidelines from the inter-ministerial task-force, as well as the pace at which universities add capacity and the visa process delivers on reduced waiting times.
Macron’s statement at AIIMS underscored his confidence in the goal, with the French president repeating the 2030 figure and tying it to his discussions with Modi: “We decided with Prime Minister Modi to have 30,000 by 2030. It’s largely feasible.”
