Campus France Senegal 2027: the complete guide, from application to visa

Information checked on 6 October 2026.

Campus France Senegal opened the Études en France campaign (the online platform of Campus France, the French government agency for international students) for the 2027 intake on 1 October 2026. For programmes connected to the platform, the date to remember is 15 December 2026: the last day to submit your application. The 85,000 CFA franc fee is then paid, on request, by 19 December at the latest. This guide covers the whole Senegal-specific journey: who can apply, where the four offices are, how many choices to make, why most Senegalese school-leavers have no French test to sit, how the interview works, then the visa at VFS Global, housing and arrival. Each step links to a more detailed article.

Campus France Senegal: who can apply?

Campus France Senegal describes itself as a service of the French Embassy and the Institut français. It runs the Études en France procedure, which is compulsory before any long-stay study visa application. Its eligibility criteria for the 2027 intake are stricter than in many other countries. Four profiles may apply:

The Campus France Senegal FAQ draws very concrete consequences:

• you passed the bac in 2025 or earlier with no higher-education degree? You must first complete a BTS, DUT, DISEP, licence or master's;
• in L2 (second year of a licence, the French bachelor's), you cannot apply: finish your licence, then aim for a master's;
• in L3, you can aim for a master's, provided you validate the licence, outstanding credits included, before the campaign closes;
• a "step back" is not accepted: a licence holder admitted to L3 instead of the master's sees the application stop;
• mid-year intakes in January or February are not processed, except for supervised exchanges.

You live in Senegal without being Senegalese? You can apply from Dakar if you can prove activity in Senegal (study or work) for at least one year and a valid residence permit; ECOWAS nationals are exempt from the permit.

The four Campus France offices in Senegal

Campus France Senegal receives students in four offices, according to its official calendar published in October 2026:

From 30 September to 30 October 2026, the "Guidance Month" opens these four offices to your questions, and a free individual guidance appointment can be booked from 1 October. Use it before filling in your list of programmes. For a question about your account, such as a lost username, Campus France Senegal points to its "monespacesn" appointment module. One detail matters: the interview takes place at the office closest to the address you give in your personal details. So enter where you live or study, not where you were born.

The Études en France procedure in Senegal, step by step

Campus France Senegal distinguishes three routes: the Études en France platform for connected institutions, Parcoursup (the national first-year admissions platform) for CPGE, BTS, BTSA, DCG and IFSI, and direct applications to non-connected institutions. For connected programmes, the order is:

Documents must be in French or translated by a sworn translator, with the original attached. No file may exceed 500 KB. And a warning appears in black and white on the official calendar: any non-authentic document leads to five years of ineligibility. For the statements of purpose, our article on the Campus France motivation letter gives a method.

How many choices, and for which programmes?

Campus France Senegal caps connected programme choices at seven, with limits by type:

You can mix types, as long as you stay consistent: three L1 law programmes and four BUT in legal careers, for example. ADIUT Morocco programmes are reserved for residents of Morocco. Some private connected universities charge extra application fees, and some institutions require a parallel application on their own website. The difference between DAP and non-DAP, and its effect on your answers, is explained in DAP, non-DAP or Parcoursup: which procedure.

BTS, CPGE, DCG, IFSI (vocational diplomas, preparatory classes, accounting and nursing programmes): holders of the Senegalese bac apply on Parcoursup, and only for these programmes. An admission obtained outside Parcoursup, by e-mail for instance, is not accepted. Once admitted, you complete the "Je suis accepté" (I have been accepted) tab on Études en France, between 1 April and 15 July 2027. For reference, in 2026, Parcoursup choices opened on 19 January; the 2027 calendar is still to be confirmed.

Engineering schools: a candidate who has completed, or will complete in 2027, a CPGE, BTS, DUT, DISEP or licence can aim for the first year of the engineering cycle at a CTI-accredited school.

Work-study: Campus France Senegal rules it out for first-time arrivals, except in master's year 1 at an institution belonging to France Universités, CDEFI or CGE, with a contract signed before departure. Details are in our article on work-study for international students.

Campus France Senegal 2027 calendar

For the 2026 intake, Campus France Senegal closed connected programmes on 15 December 2025 and accepted payments until 27 December. This year, the payment window shrinks to four days after closing: waiting until the last moment becomes risky. The month-by-month plan is in our Campus France Senegal 2027 calendar, and the overview for all countries in the Campus France 2027-2028 calendar.

French test: most Senegalese applicants are exempt

This is a Senegalese specificity, as French is an official language. Campus France Senegal says it clearly: if you are Senegalese and not in a Franco-Arabic track, you do not need to sit a French test, unless the target institution requires it. In the application, enter French as your mother tongue and tick "I did all or part of my schooling in French".

Two exceptions:

• Arabic bac L-AR: a certified B2 level is compulsory, and the test must be taken before submitting the application. Campus France Senegal points to the language centre of the Institut français in Dakar and Saint-Louis;
• non-Senegalese applicants: if French is not an official language of your country, the test becomes compulsory.

A TCF less than two years old, a DELF B2 or a DALF remains an asset for highly selective programmes. The comparison of tests is in our article on the Campus France French test.

Campus France Senegal fee: 85,000 CFA francs

The application fee is 85,000 CFA francs, non-refundable. The payment rule differs from other countries:

Pay nothing before receiving the request. If your payment does not show as validated after seven days, report it to the nearest office with the receipt, or through your account's messaging. Campus France Senegal processes files in order of submission or payment.

The full budget goes well beyond that. At a public university, differentiated tuition fees reach €2,902 a year for a licence and €3,950 for a master's in 2026-2027, according to service-public.fr; in June 2026 Campus France Senegal showed slightly lower amounts, €2,895 and €3,941. Check the amount with your institution. Add the €105 CVEC (student life contribution) and the cost of living: our article on Campus France fees adds it all up.

The Campus France interview in Senegal

In Senegal it is called an academic interview, and it is not systematic. The official calendar says so: some applicants have complete files and are not called in. If Campus France sends you an authorisation e-mail, you have 7 days to book a slot on the platform. New slots open regularly: check the schedule often.

The interview checks the consistency between your background, the programmes you chose and your career plan. Prepare it with our article on the Campus France interview. Campus France may also ask you, until 30 July 2027, to complete your file or show your originals.

Answers, final choice and refusal

Institutions answer according to their own calendar, on your Études en France account. You confirm your choice on the platform before 31 May 2027, then download the accord préalable d'inscription (prior enrolment agreement). Any additional documents must arrive before the campaign closes, and an end-of-procedure e-mail opens the visa application.

No positive answer? Applying to a non-connected school, another country, trying again next year: the options are detailed in Campus France refusal: what to do. Keep the Senegalese criteria in mind: a 2026 school-leaver who does not leave in 2027 will have to complete a degree in Senegal before applying again.

Scholarships: the France-Senegal programme

The French Embassy in Senegal funds master's scholarships every year for students of Senegalese nationality, in all disciplines, plus research stays of up to four months for doctoral students and lecturer-researchers. For the September 2027 intake, the call opens in October 2026 and closes on 10 February 2027 at 5 pm (GMT). Selection runs from February to May, and results come out in June 2027. French government scholarship holders are also exempt from differentiated tuition fees. Campus France Senegal also points to the Campus Bourses search engine for other programmes.

After admission: visa, housing, arrival

Once you receive the end-of-procedure e-mail, the visa application is made on France-Visas, then filed at VFS Global, the provider for the Consulate General of France in Dakar. A Senegal-specific point: students in the Campus France procedure do not book their own appointment; VFS assigns them one by e-mail. The student visa campaign runs from 15 May to 27 August 2027. The documents, fees and required funds, i.e. €877.50 per month, are in our guide to the French student visa from Senegal.

For housing, start early: Campus France Senegal reminds you that housing and financial support are prepared from the start of the procedure, not when you are accepted. Our article on CROUS housing for international students explains how to apply for a residence, and the one on the student budget in Paris, Lyon and Lille helps you cost a typical month. Campus France Senegal puts it at €800 to €1,000 depending on the city.

A community already waiting for you

You will not leave alone: according to Campus France, 16,955 Senegalese students were enrolled in France in 2023-2024, the fifth-largest foreign nationality in the country, up 11% in one year. Our article on Senegalese students in France presents their associations and networks. On Compatri, the Senegalese community of your future city brings together students, settled families and alumni: join it now, even before the universities answer, from the Senegalese diaspora in France page. The "African students" group also links, from one city to another, those preparing the same intake.

Compatri is not a service of Campus France or the French State, and does not replace the official source: only the information from Campus France Senegal and the consulate is binding.

Official sources

• Campus France Senegal: procedure calendar, 2027-2028 intake
• Campus France Senegal: eligibility criteria
• Campus France Senegal: building your Études en France file
• Campus France Senegal: frequently asked questions (fees, payment, interview)
• French Embassy in Senegal: France-Senegal scholarship programme
• Campus France: key figures 2025, countries of origin (PDF)