Campus France Côte d'Ivoire 2027: the complete guide, from application to visa

Information checked on 6 October 2026.

Campus France Côte d'Ivoire remains the compulsory gateway for most Ivorian school-leavers and students aiming for a French university. The Études en France platform (the online platform of Campus France, the French public agency for international students) reopened on 1 October 2026 for the September 2027 intake, but the Ivorian office has not yet posted the calendar of the new campaign: its pages still show last year's. This guide walks through the whole Ivorian journey: who must go through Campus France, where the offices are, how much to pay, why the French test usually does not concern you, how the interview works, then the visa at VFS Global, housing and arrival. Each step links to a more detailed article.

Campus France Côte d'Ivoire: who must go through the procedure?

Campus France Côte d'Ivoire, a service of the French embassy, makes the procedure compulsory for all Ivorian students and non-European foreigners living in Côte d'Ivoire, in their final school year or holding the baccalauréat (secondary-school diploma), who:

• request pre-registration at a French university;
• already hold a place at a non-connected institution, a private school for instance;
• are invited to an entrance exam or selection interview in France.

Three cases follow another route at the start. BTS, BTSA, DCG, preparatory classes and IFSI (nursing schools) are applied for on Parcoursup, the French admissions platform: for the 2026 intake it opened on 15 January 2026. Private and non-connected schools recruit directly. In both cases, once admitted, you come back to Campus France through the « Je suis accepté » (I have been accepted) procedure to get the visa. Finally, the Ivorian office refuses direct enrolments at a public institution, except under a partnership between your institution and a French university, or for admission to a doctoral school. If you are torn between the platform and applying directly, our comparison Campus France or direct application will help you decide.

A word on intermediaries: Campus France Côte d'Ivoire reminds applicants that no agency is accredited, that the only official Facebook page carries the blue badge, and that a forged document leads to exclusion from any Campus France procedure and to a visa refusal.

Campus France offices in Côte d'Ivoire

The first two open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. The Bouaké branch, open since 2019, serves students from Bouaké, Korhogo, Daloa and Yamoussoukro: you can attend workshops, take your interview and prepare your departure there without travelling to Abidjan. The San Pedro branch, inaugurated on 6 May 2026 according to the Ivorian press agency, serves the south-west; check its opening hours with the Abidjan office before travelling.

Two free services are worth your time: the procedure workshops and the guidance appointments with an adviser, booked by email at campusfrance@institutfrancais.ci.

The Études en France procedure step by step

The Campus France Côte d'Ivoire website sets a precise order:

The cover letter matters more than people think: Campus France Côte d'Ivoire wants four to five lines, clear, error-free, linking your background, the programme and your career plan. No point praising France: it is not a criterion. Our writing tips are in the Campus France cover letter. Also avoid ADIUT programmes, which are reserved for residents of Morocco.

Campus France Côte d'Ivoire 2027 dates: what has been published

As of 6 October 2026, only the national dates apply to the 2027 intake. The Ivorian dates are still to be confirmed; those of the previous cycle give the order of magnitude.

Keep one lesson from last year: Côte d'Ivoire closed licence 1 nine days before the national date. Campus France Côte d'Ivoire advises submitting at least a month before the deadline. The month-by-month plan is in our Campus France Côte d'Ivoire calendar 2027.

DAP or non-DAP: two routes, two dates

The demande d'admission préalable (DAP), the prior admission request, covers the first year of licence and schools of architecture; it closes first. Non-DAP covers all the other connected programmes: L2, L3, professional licence, BUT, master's, connected engineering schools. The national logic is explained in DAP, non-DAP or Parcoursup.

On academic level, Campus France Côte d'Ivoire gives frank benchmarks: health studies and schools of architecture usually recruit pupils with at least 14 out of 20 in science subjects and 11 in French; IUTs prefer at least 12 out of 20 in the subjects related to the programme. Your choices must also match the stream of your baccalauréat.

The French test: Ivorians are exempt for the DAP

The national DAP notice exempts from the TCF (Test de connaissance du français) nationals of states where French is the sole official language, and Côte d'Ivoire is on that list. A candidate of another nationality living in Côte d'Ivoire also benefits if they obtained their secondary-school diploma in such a country. You prove the exemption by the submission deadline at the latest, with your passport or your diploma.

For other levels, the Campus France Côte d'Ivoire pages require no certificate, but an institution may ask for one: read the page of each programme. All exemptions are detailed in our article on the French test for Campus France.

Campus France Côte d'Ivoire fees

Payment is made only at a Société Générale Côte d'Ivoire branch, on presentation of the payment message. A relative can pay for you if they write on the slip the account number of the Institut français accounting officer, your name and your Campus France ID. The fee is never refunded, but it is valid for one academic year: without a university admission, you can come back with a private-school admission without paying again. The Campus Pro package guarantees no admission.

Keep the receipt: it entitles you to the reduced-rate visa, 35,000 FCFA instead of 65,000 according to Campus France Côte d'Ivoire. The full budget, including tuition of 2,902 euros for a licence and 3,950 euros for a master's and the CVEC (student life contribution) of 105 euros, is in our article on Campus France fees. As for scholarships, Campus France does not award any itself; the Campus Bourses directory lets you filter the programmes open to Ivorians.

The Campus France interview in Côte d'Ivoire

Once your file is complete, a message authorises you to book the interview on the platform. It lasts about twenty minutes. Bring:

Certified photocopies and scans are refused. Baccalauréat certificate laminated or lost? Get a duplicate from the DECO (the Ivorian examinations office) before the interview. The official calendar also warns that no absence and no postponement is accepted. The interview authenticates your documents and helps the adviser understand your plan; the adviser gives a consultative opinion, and only institutions decide. Prepare with the Campus France interview.

Answers, final choice and refusal

Universities answer by 30 April at the latest; you then confirm your final choice before 31 May and contact the institution about enrolment and the start date. Our guide to Campus France answers explains each status.

No admission? The fee stays valid for a private school, and other options exist: a new application, another country, another level. They are detailed in Campus France refusal: what to do.

After admission: visa, housing, arrival

You first apply for the visa on France-Visas, then submit it by appointment at VFS Global, the service provider of the French Consulate General in Abidjan. Attach the Campus France receipt and the acceptance certificate, available under « Je finalise ma procédure ». The official calendar advises booking an appointment from June. The funds to prove amount to 877.50 euros a month for applications filed since 1 August 2026: the visa page of the Ivorian office still shows the old threshold of 615 euros, do not rely on it. Every detail is in our guide to the French student visa from Côte d'Ivoire.

For housing, a hotel booking or an explanatory letter is enough for the visa file, but you will need a lasting roof. University halls are covered in our guide to CROUS housing for international students. The cost of living, city by city, is in an international student's budget in Paris, Lyon or Lille. Finally, Campus France Côte d'Ivoire runs pre-departure days and recommends arriving at least fifteen days before the start of term for enrolment, insurance, banking and social security.

Ivorian students in France

According to the latest country figures published by Campus France, France had 11,772 Ivorian students in 2023-2024. Côte d'Ivoire ranks 8th among countries of origin, up 10% in one year and 32% in five years. Where they study and how to find them: see Ivorian students in France.

Arriving with a network of compatriots

You put the file together alone, but arrival is better prepared with those who have already been through it. On Compatri, the Ivorian community of your future city brings together students and families already settled there: join it now, even before the universities answer, from the page Ivorian diaspora in France. The « Étudiants africains » (African students) group also links, from one city to another, people talking about scholarships, housing and mutual help. And on 7 August, Ivorian Independence Day often brings the diaspora together far from Abidjan.

Compatri is not a service of Campus France or of the French state, and does not replace the official source: only the information from Campus France Côte d'Ivoire and the consulate is binding.

Official sources

• Campus France Côte d'Ivoire: the Abidjan office and who it serves
• Campus France Côte d'Ivoire: enrolling in licence 1
• Campus France Côte d'Ivoire: enrolling in licence 2 or 3, master's or engineering degree
• Campus France Côte d'Ivoire: calendar and procedure 2025-2026 (PDF)
• France-Visas: information for Côte d'Ivoire
• Campus France: Chiffres clés 2025, countries of origin (PDF)