5,000 Vietnamese studying in France: What's new in visa and scholarship policies in 2024?

More and more Vietnamese people choose to study in France thanks to its internationalized education and wide-open job opportunities. What do you need to know about the deadlines for enrollment and scholarship applications, according to experts?

Teachers and students learn about opportunities to study in France at a public university

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Easy visa policy for international students

The French Embassy and Campus France Vietnam (Office for French Study Abroad in Vietnam) held a French University Education Exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City on September 30, with the participation of 36 French and French-Vietnamese universities. At the event, Ms. Emmanuelle Pavillon-Grosser, Consul General of France in Ho Chi Minh City, said that there are currently 5,000 Vietnamese students studying in France, with 1,600 new students coming to the "city of light" each year.

"According to 2023 statistics, France ranks 6th in the world and 2nd in Europe in welcoming Vietnamese international students. Choosing to come to France will open up more job opportunities because there will be 500 million French speakers by 2050. Not to mention, in the trend of internationalization, schools also open English programs from bachelor to doctorate level, and this is an opportunity for you to study in France if you do not speak French yet," said the French Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking to Thanh Nien Newspaper reporters about France's student visa policy in 2024, Ms. Emmanuelle Pavillon-Grosser said there will be no changes compared to last year. "In the field of education, we always create favorable conditions and always give preferential treatment to students. As long as you have a good and beautiful profile, it is easy for you to get a student visa," Ms. Emmanuelle Pavillon-Grosser shared.

Ms. Emmanuelle Pavillon-Grosser, Consul General of France in Ho Chi Minh City, delivered the opening speech at the French University Education Exhibition on September 30.

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2023 also marks the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-France diplomatic relations. On this occasion, the French government is organizing various cultural activities to promote the image of the country and its people. "In addition, we are also researching and cooperating with various units to be able to offer attractive educational programs for Vietnamese students," said the French Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ms. Nguyen Hong Nhung, study abroad specialist at Campus France Vietnam, noted additional milestones to remember for the 2024 admissions. Specifically, if you want to register for the first year bachelor's program and national architecture, today (October 1), the Études en France system will open for applications. Students are required to complete the process on this system to apply for a student visa, with the application deadline being December 15, and the interview deadline with Campus France Vietnam on March 15, 2024.

For candidates applying for other programs such as BUT (Bachelor of Technology), Engineering..., the opening date and interview deadline are similar to the above, but the difference is that the application deadline will be extended to February 2024. "However, this schedule can be adjusted, so remember to update Campus France Vietnam regularly so as not to miss the opportunity to study abroad," Ms. Nhung noted.

The 2024 French study abroad "season" is expected to end in March.

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What changes have there been to government scholarships?

Ms. Phan Hoang Kim Thanh, Campus France Vietnam scholarship specialist, told Thanh Nien Newspaper reporter that this year, the application deadline for the "France Excellence" scholarship, an exclusive scholarship program of the French Embassy in Vietnam, will end earlier than usual. In February, candidates will receive the scholarship results, instead of having to wait until April like previous years.

"This is to better support Vietnamese students, because in the past, they often confused the application process and the scholarship registration process. In addition, there have been many unfortunate cases where students won scholarships but failed the school. The earlier results help students have more 'bright points' in their application to convince the school, as well as spend time focusing on the application process," Ms. Thanh explained.

Although it is not possible to inform how many scholarships there will be in 2024 because the number depends on the French government's budget, according to Ms. Thanh, last year there were a total of 40 of these scholarships for master's and doctoral programs.

Study abroad experts inform about different types of scholarships in France

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In addition to "France Excellence", Vietnamese students can also apply for some prestigious scholarships and more resources such as "Excellence Eiffel" of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (new this year is to increase the 36-month period for doctoral candidates coming to France for the first time), or "Erasmus+" of the European Union. In addition, there are many types of co-sponsored scholarships as well as some scholarships from higher education institutions, ministries, localities, organizations and businesses in France for students, according to Ms. Thanh.

Mr. Thomas Nguyen, CEO of Franco-Viet Edu (HCMC), added that all Vietnamese students who are admitted to public universities in France will receive "scholarships". Because most of the tuition fees at public universities are covered by the French government, students only need to pay a modest amount of about 2,700-3,500 euros/year (68-88 million VND). Another bright spot is that the French government recently announced that it will increase the scholarship budget for Vietnamese students in 2024, to 1.5 million euros.

"When you arrive in France, the government will treat you like a local citizen. Therefore, international students can apply to the local or government to support fees such as social insurance, rent, train tickets... if they have financial difficulties, and they will be willing to study your documents and then support you. However, you must have clear and transparent evidence, as well as demonstrate diligence in studying such as going to school regularly," said a French study abroad expert.

The event attracted many foreigners to come and learn information from French universities.

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According to Mr. Thomas Nguyen, the movement of studying abroad in France has been "rising" in the past two years. From a situational choice when unable to go to the US or UK, up to now, Vietnamese people have proactively researched, set goals and built a systematic plan to study abroad in France. The reason is that there is more and more information about the environment, education and costs in France, as well as the government's move to internationalize education, Mr. Thomas Nguyen commented.

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