Campus France: 7 things to know before starting the procedure

Information checked on 20 October 2026.

The Campus France campaign for the September 2027 intake has been open since 1 October 2026, and the demande d'admission préalable (DAP, the prior admission request used to enter the first year of a licence, the French bachelor's degree) closes on 15 December 2026. Before you create your account on the Études en France platform or pay anything, seven points must be clear: whether you are concerned, your dates, the fees, the French test, the number of choices, the interview and the money to prove for the visa. Each point below comes from the official pages of Campus France (the French public agency for international students), the French Ministry of Higher Education and the French administration. For the overall picture, read our complete Campus France guide.

Campus France: how does it work?

Études en France is the online platform of Campus France. You create a personal electronic file there, submit your applications, exchange with the institutions, and the procedure follows you "up to the visa application". The Espace Campus France (the Campus France office) in your country checks the file, collects the fees and organises the interview. The institutions decide on your admission. The consulate decides on the visa.

Compatri is not Campus France. This guide helps you prepare the procedure; your Espace Campus France remains your only official contact.

1. Are you concerned by the Études en France procedure?

The procedure "only concerns students residing in one of the 75 countries or territories" listed by Campus France. What counts is your country of residence, not your passport. The list includes Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Togo and Tunisia.

In these countries, your situation sets the route:

• Nationality of your country of residence and a diploma other than the French baccalauréat: a DAP for a first year of licence, or a "hors DAP" (non-DAP) application for a second or third year of licence, a master's or a school, all on Études en France.
• Nationality of your country of residence and a French or European baccalauréat: choices on Parcoursup (the national higher-education admission platform), alongside the Études en France procedure.
• Nationality of a European Union country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Andorra or Monaco: Parcoursup only.
• Doctorate: the procedure does not apply. You contact the doctoral schools directly, then apply for a "passeport talent-chercheur" (talent passport, researcher) visa.

You live in a country outside the list? The first year of licence goes through a DAP handed in to the cultural service of the French embassy, the master's through the Mon Master platform (submissions planned from February to March 2027), and other programmes through a direct application to the institution. Our article DAP, non-DAP or Parcoursup details the decision tree, and the one on Campus France or direct application the borderline cases.

2. Campus France 2027: when does the procedure start?

The campaign for the 2027 intake started on 1 October 2026. For the DAP, the dates are national and appear in the official notice of the dossier blanc (the DAP form for applicants living abroad) 2027-2028:

• 15 December 2026: deadline for submitting the file (Campus France Ghana specifies 6 pm);
• before 12 February 2027: taking the French test, if you are not exempt;
• 30 April 2027: decision of the universities;
• 31 May 2027 at the latest: your final choice. According to Campus France, no answer counts as a refusal.

For non-DAP, each Espace sets its own date, and the gap is wide. Campus France Algeria closes online submissions on 30 November 2026, with interviews until 15 March 2027. Campus France Ghana closes them on 8 January 2027. Only the date of the Espace in your country of residence binds you. Our Campus France calendar gathers the dates already published, and country pages exist, for example the Campus France Cameroon 2027 calendar.

3. Campus France fees: how much, when, for what?

Campus France states it plainly: "A financial contribution will be asked of you to benefit from this support service." The amount is not national; each Espace sets its own. Three verified examples for the 2027 intake:

• Cameroon: 85,000 FCFA in procedure fees, paid by appointment at TLS Contact, plus 16,000 FCFA in TLS fees payable online. These fees are non-refundable.
• Senegal: 85,000 FCFA, non-refundable, to be paid at a SUNU Bank branch with an identity document and your file number.
• Ghana: 700 GHS, by cash deposit only.

The timing of the payment matters as much as the amount. In Cameroon, you only pay after a first check of the file and an authorisation received in your Études en France account. Campus France Senegal writes: "Do not make any payment before receiving this request." Keep the receipt: in Cameroon, it is required up to the visa application.

These fees are only the first line of the budget. The visa, the tuition fees and the CVEC (contribution de vie étudiante et de campus, the student and campus life contribution) come next. Our article on Campus France fees covers them item by item.

4. The French test: TCF, DELF, DALF and exemptions

For a DAP, the required test is the TCF tout public (the general French knowledge test) with a compulsory written expression paper, often called the TCF DAP. It is run by France Éducation International and lasts 2 h 25. What you need to know before registering:

• it must be taken before 12 February 2027 so that the results arrive before the university committees;
• the certificate is valid for 2 years and must still be valid on 15 December;
• it can only be retaken at least 30 days after the previous session;
• if you are absent, the registration fees are not refunded, except with a medical certificate.

The official notice provides for exemptions: nationals of a State where French is the only official language, applicants whose secondary studies took place mostly in French, pupils of certain French-language schools listed by the ministries, holders of a French diploma at level B2 or above (DELF B2, DALF), applicants who scored at least 400 out of 699 in the written papers of the TEF and passed the oral papers. The exemption must be proven by 15 December at the latest.

For non-DAP, the rules vary. Campus France Cameroon states that "each institution is free to set its own French-level criteria". Campus France Morocco requires a TCF tout public, a DELF B2 or a DALF C1 or C2 for all applications, unless exempt, and recommends a TCF score of 400 points. Our article on the Campus France French test compares the options.

5. How many choices, and what is a "connected" programme?

In DAP, you have three choices, not one more: the Code de l'éducation (French Education Code) sets this, and the three universities examine your file at the same time. In non-DAP, the cap depends on the Espace: Campus France Ghana allows up to 7 programmes for the 2027 intake.

A connected programme (formation connectée) belongs to an institution that has access to the Études en France platform. It reviews your file online there, after your interview, and replies with an acceptance or a refusal. Some add their own step: an entrance exam, a file, registration on another site. A non-connected institution is applied to directly, and Campus France then only serves for the visa procedure, except for a first year of licence, which always goes through Campus France.

In Cameroon, you need a basket of at least two connected programmes to obtain the payment appointment. Campus France publishes a directory of connected institutions, updated in August 2026. Our article on choosing programmes on Études en France explains how to build a coherent list.

6. The Campus France interview

The entretien pédagogique (academic interview) comes after the file check. In Cameroon, only files declared complete are scheduled. In Senegal, an invited applicant books an appointment within 7 days. In Algeria, interviews take place until 15 March 2027.

Campus France Senegal describes its purpose: it "makes it possible to assess the study project and the applicant's motivation", as well as their ability to present their ideas "in a clear, coherent and structured way". The interview is not an admission: the decision belongs to the institutions. Prepare it with our guide to the Campus France interview and our article on the Campus France cover letter.

7. Money: resources for the visa and cost of living

The figure to know before everything else: €877.50 per month. This is the minimum resources an international student must prove for the visa, according to service-public.gouv.fr (the official French administration website). Decree no. 2026-526 of 22 June 2026 set it at 60% of the net monthly SMIC (the French minimum wage), for applications filed from 1 August 2026. Over a twelve-month year, that makes €10,530.

This threshold is a legal minimum, not a budget. Campus France Egypt advises a monthly budget of €600 to €800, which "varies according to the place of stay and the type of residence". For the visa, however, it is the €877.50 threshold that applies. Do your sums before paying the Campus France fees: without proven resources, an admission does not lead to a visa. See our article on the minimum resources for a student visa, our student budget in Paris, Lyon and Lille and our guide to the student visa application.

Summary table of the Campus France procedure

Before paying: check your chances, then get support

Campus France fees are non-refundable. Before paying them, measure where you stand. Our Campus France simulator (in French) is free: it places your averages and your file against admitted applicants, and the calculation runs in your browser. It promises no admission; it tells you where to strengthen your file.

If you want someone to review your project with you, Compatri's personalised Campus France support (in French) is a paid service; its price is given to you at the first exchange. It does not replace the Espace Campus France, which alone is competent for your file.

Finally, those who went through the same procedure know what it gives in your country. On Compatri, you will find for example the Cameroonian diaspora in France or the Senegalese diaspora in France, and you can join your community before you leave.

Official sources

• Campus France: the Études en France procedure and the list of 75 countries
• Campus France: applying without the Études en France procedure
• French Ministry of Higher Education: notice of the DAP dossier blanc 2027-2028 (PDF)
• Campus France Algeria: procedure calendar
• Campus France Ghana: 2027-2028 admissions
• Campus France Cameroon: the procedure in 7 steps
• Campus France Senegal: frequently asked questions
• Campus France Senegal: the academic interview
• Campus France Morocco: required French certifications
• Campus France Egypt: connected institutions
• Campus France Egypt: the cost of living in France
• Service-public.gouv.fr: international student, long-stay visa or residence permit
• Bas-Rhin prefecture: new minimum resources amount for an international student