Studying in FranceCampus France interview: the questions asked, and what the adviser really checks
The Campus France interview is neither an admission exam nor a formality. Length and format by country, questions by theme, what the adviser looks for behind each one, documents to bring and mistakes to avoid.
Founder · Compatri, the social network for diasporas
Information checked on 11 September 2026.
In the Études en France procedure (the online platform for applying to study in France), the interview is the only moment when your application stops being an online file and becomes a person sitting in front of an adviser. Many students approach it as an oral exam you pass or fail. That's not quite it: it's a coherence check, and you can prepare for it. Here is what Campus France itself says about it, the questions that come up, and what the adviser is really looking for behind each one. For the big picture of the procedure, start with our complete Campus France guide.
What the Campus France interview is for
The interview takes place once your application fees are paid and your file has been validated by your Campus France office. Campus France Chad puts it plainly: it is mandatory, even if you have already been admitted to a programme, and its purpose is “to assess the coherence of your study project, your seriousness and your motivation”. It is also used to authenticate your documents and confirm your level of French.
Campus France Cameroon describes it as “an educational assessment of the candidate's level and aptitude to pursue studies in France”, adding that “particular attention will be paid to the level of studies reached, the quality of the academic record and command of French”.
What the interview is not: an admission decision. Campus France Morocco calls it an advisory opinion, which gathers what your online file doesn't say and passes it on to the institutions. Each institution keeps its own criteria, and only the host institution accepts or refuses a candidate. The opinion carries weight, but it doesn't decide in the university's place.
Length and format of the interview by country
The Études en France procedure covers 73 countries and territories, and each Campus France office organises its interviews in its own way. Don't rely on what a friend went through in another country: read your notice of appointment and your office's website. A few examples published by the offices themselves:
| Office | Format | What is specified |
|---|---|---|
| Chad | In person only | About 20 minutes; unjustified absence = application cancelled |
| Ivory Coast | See your notice | “20 minutes of discussion” |
| Morocco | In person in 5 cities, or videoconference from Agadir and Oujda | Interview within 15 days of the message; originals required, even by video |
| DR Congo | In person | Arrive at the stated time, with all originals |
| Benin | In person | Check of original documents |
Add waiting time on top of the conversation itself, and arrive early. In Chad, an unjustified absence can't be made up: no new interview, application cancelled.
Don't expect a verdict on the way out either. Campus France Morocco states that no confirmation email follows the interview: a message arrives when the file is finalised, and then the decisions come from the institutions (see Campus France answers).
Campus France interview questions, theme by theme
No official list of questions is published. The Campus France offices do announce the themes: your background, your study project, your choice of programmes, your motivation, your career plan and your level of French. The questions below follow from those themes; the wording will change, the substance won't.
Your background
- Introduce yourself and summarise your school and university path.
- Why did you choose this field?
- How do you explain that low mark, that repeated year, that year without studies?
Your study project and choice of programmes
- Why this programme, and not a similar one?
- What do you know about its curriculum, its subjects, its admission requirements?
- If several institutions accept you, which one will you choose, and why?
Why France, why this city
- Why study in France rather than in your country or elsewhere?
- What do you know about the city where the institution is, student life, the cost of housing?
Your career plan
- What job are you aiming for, and how does this programme get you there?
- Where do you see yourself after graduating?
Funding
- Who will pay for your studies and your life in France?
- How much do you expect to spend each month, and on what?
Your French
There's no separate “language question”: the adviser judges your French throughout the interview, by how you understand follow-up questions, rephrase an idea or nuance an answer.
What the adviser really checks
Behind every question, the adviser is looking for the same thing: a project that holds together. Here's what that means in practice.
| What is assessed | What reassures | What worries |
|---|---|---|
| Coherence | A thread linking past studies, chosen programmes and target job | Unrelated choices, an unexplained change of field |
| Motivation | Precise reasons, tied to the programme's content | Generalities about France, memorised sentences |
| Level of French | Understanding follow-ups, rephrasing, nuancing | Reciting, getting lost as soon as the question changes |
| Seriousness of the file | Originals matching the documents uploaded online | A missing document, an answer that contradicts the file |
| Realistic funding | Knowing who pays, how much, with what proof | Not knowing the amount required for the visa, counting on a job yet to be found |
Two points deserve attention. First, consistency with your cover letter: the adviser has your file, and a gap between what you wrote and what you say shows quickly (see the Campus France cover letter). Second, funding: it isn't the main subject of the interview, but it's what the consulate will examine at the visa stage. Better to arrive already knowing how to prove your resources.
How to prepare for the Campus France interview
The method in seven steps
Documents to bring on the day of the interview
The exact list is on your notice of appointment and on your office's website. Offices that publish it generally ask for:
- your notice of appointment, printed from your account;
- a valid original identity document;
- the originals of all supporting documents uploaded to your online file, transcripts and diplomas included;
- if documents were translated, the originals in their original language as well as the translations.
As for clothing, Campus France Senegal recommends simple, neat attire and advises against sportswear. Nothing out of the ordinary: the look of a job interview.
Mistakes to avoid at the Campus France interview
- Reciting. A memorised text is spotted at the first follow-up question, and it casts doubt on your real level of French.
- Contradicting your file. A career plan different from the one in your letter, a preference that shifts along the way: every gap triggers a question.
- Not knowing your own choices. Not knowing what you'd study in the programme you're applying for is the hardest mistake to recover from.
- Staying vague about money. “My family will help me” isn't enough: who, how much, how.
- Presenting a doubtful document. The interview is also used to authenticate documents; a falsified document jeopardises the whole application.
- Arriving late or not showing up. Depending on the office, an unjustified absence can cancel the application.
- Presenting France mainly as a work project. Talking about jobs isn't forbidden, but a candidate who explains they mainly want to work raises doubts about how serious their study project is.
Those who went through your Campus France office
The best complement to the official pages is the students who took the interview at the same office as you, a few months or a year earlier. They know how long you wait, how you're received, which documents were looked at closely. On Compatri, your country's page, for example the Cameroonian diaspora, brings together the communities of compatriots living in France, city by city; many of their members went through Études en France. The group “Étudiants africains” (African students) also gathers students from several countries around scholarships, degree equivalences and student housing.
Joining a community is free, and you can do it before you even leave: our article joining your community before you leave explains how. One clarification: Compatri is neither an agency nor an interview preparation service. The rules of your interview are set by your Campus France office.
Official sources
- Campus France Chad: the interview in the Études en France procedure
- Campus France Morocco: the application interview
- Campus France Cameroon: the Campus France interview
- Campus France DR Congo: how does the educational interview work?
- Campus France Senegal: the educational interview
- Campus France: the Études en France procedure
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Campus France interview last?
The Campus France offices that state it announce about twenty minutes, as in Chad or Ivory Coast. Length and organisation vary from country to country, though, and you need to add waiting time. Your notice of appointment and your office's website are the reference.
What questions are asked at the Campus France interview?
No official list is published, but the themes are known: your background, your study project, your choice of programmes and of France, your career plan and how your studies are funded. The adviser assesses your level of French throughout the conversation at the same time. Above all, they look for coherence between these elements.
Can you fail the Campus France interview?
The interview doesn't produce an admission mark: the adviser writes an opinion, advisory according to Campus France Morocco, and only the institution decides whether to accept you. A confused conversation, an incoherent project or a doubtful document still weigh heavily in that opinion. And at some offices, as in Chad, an unjustified absence leads to the application being cancelled.
What documents should you bring to the Campus France interview?
Generally: the printed notice of appointment, an original identity document, the originals of all supporting documents uploaded to your online file, and the originals of translated documents. The exact list depends on your Campus France office and is on your notice. Check it several days ahead, so you have time to find a missing document.
Can the Campus France interview be done online?
It depends on the country. Campus France Chad holds it in person only, whereas in Morocco a videoconference is possible from the Instituts français in Agadir and Oujda, with the original documents. Check your office's website rather than relying on the experience of a candidate from another country.