French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the launch of Classes Internationales for Indian students to learn French for a year in their country before pursuing the degree of their choice. The classesinternationales.org is hosting the application and candidates can register by March 31, 2023. 

Macron was on a two-day visit to India and was the chief guest at the Republic Day 2024. He had already made this announcement of teaching French in public schools through a post on X (former Twitter).

Read | ‘We will facilitate visa process, French classes in schools’: Emmanuel Macron

The programme is open to all Indian students, irrespective of their current level of French, a statement on the official website said. Academic excellence is the only prerequisite to admit students to the programme, it added.

The Classes Internationales programme has been designed to help India’s high school graduates access France’s educational offerings without being limited to English-taught programmes alone. Regardless of already being a French language learner or a complete beginner, a student can now be admitted to French-taught undergraduate programmes of French higher education institutions after successfully completing a foundational year of immersive language training at that institution. 

The programme seeks to offer access to world-renowned French higher education institutions across all fields – universities, grandes écoles, engineering, management, sciences, humanities, arts, and other specialised schools. 

Also, outstanding students will be awarded scholarships by the Embassy of France in India to support their higher education in France. 

During his visit to India, the President stressed France’s commitment to opening up more opportunities for Indian students, exemplified by initiatives such as Classes Internationales and five- year short-stay Schengen visa for alumni.