Studying in France from English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa: Campus France country by country

Information checked on 2 November 2026.

To study in France from English- or Portuguese-speaking Africa, everything depends on one list: the countries where the Études en France procedure is mandatory. Campus France updated it on 28 September 2026. Six countries in the region are on it: South Africa, Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. Their residents apply on the platform, attend an interview at the Campus France office and prepare their visa there. Elsewhere (Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Cape Verde, the Gambia and the others), there is no Études en France procedure: you apply directly, depending on the level you aim for, then apply for your visa. This guide gives the common route and, country by country, the right contact. For the logic of the platform, see our complete guide to Campus France.

Countries under Études en France

In these six countries, the procedure is broadly the same: Études en France account, choice of programmes, submission, fee in local currency, interview, institutions' answers, then the pre-visa procedure. The fees, each office's own dates and the visa provider vary from country to country: each guide gives the details.

Countries outside Études en France: the common procedure

Without an Études en France procedure, the route depends on the level you aim for. Campus France sums it up as follows:

Once admitted, the long-stay student visa is requested from the French consulate responsible for your country of residence. France-Visas shows where to submit: it is the only source to follow, and the application is filled in there. The consulate expects proof of resources equivalent to €877.50 per month. Our guide to the student visa application lists the documents, and the one on proving your resources the accepted proofs.

Campus France offices in countries outside the procedure

Without an Études en France procedure, a Campus France office is still useful to get information, find a programme or prepare your departure. These are the offices Campus France lists in the region.

Campus France lists no office in Botswana, Cape Verde, the Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Sierra Leone or Sudan. For students from Lesotho, Malawi and Botswana, Campus France South Africa points to each university's website. We have written a short page on Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique.

Studying in English, in French or from a Portuguese-speaking country

Language often decides the route. Campus France Nigeria counts more than 1,300 English-taught programmes in France, mostly at master's level: they require no French test. For a French-taught programme, B2 is the rule (DELF B2, DALF C1, or TCF with the written section), and the first-year DAP only covers French-taught programmes.

Portuguese-speaking applicants have no exemption: Campus France Angola reminds that a TCF or DELF at B2 level is mandatory for the DAP, and that documents must be translated into French by a sworn translator. For an English-taught programme, the institution may ask for an English test: our comparison IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo helps you choose, and our article on the French test for Campus France details the French route.

National 2027-2028 dates to remember

An office may set an earlier date than the national one. The full comparison is in our Campus France 2027-2028 calendar.

Scholarships, and the traps to avoid

The France Excellence Eiffel scholarship (in French) is open to all nationalities, but the French institution puts the applicant forward. The French embassy scholarships (in French) vary from one country to another. For Portuguese-speaking countries (Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe), the Gulbenkian scholarship (in French) funds science master's degrees in Portugal. Our overview of scholarships to study in France from sub-Saharan Africa compares the options.

Be wary of any agency promising an admission or a visa for a fee: Campus France works with no intermediary, and only a consulate decides on a visa. Our article on study scholarship scams gives the warning signs.

Preparing your project with Compatri

The Campus France simulator (in French) places a profile against admitted applicants, free of charge; its thresholds were measured on Beninese applicants and only give an order of magnitude for these countries. The Campus France support service (in French) is a paid service, whose price is given at the first exchange. The diaspora mentors answer as volunteers, and your diaspora's page, for example the Ghanaian diaspora page, brings together the communities settled in France city by city.

Compatri is not a Campus France or government service, and does not replace the official source: only the information from Campus France, the embassies and France-Visas is binding.

Official sources

• Campus France: countries and territories under the Études en France procedure
• Campus France: how to apply to a higher education institution
• Campus France: directory of offices
• Campus France: the Luanda office
• Campus France: the Addis Ababa office
• Campus France: the Kampala office
• Campus France: the Dar es Salaam office
• Campus France: the Lusaka office
• Campus France: the Harare office
• Campus France: the Maputo office
• Campus France: the Windhoek office
• Campus France: the Tripoli office
• Campus France Angola: DAP 2026-2027
• Campus France Nigeria: studying in France without speaking French
• Campus France South Africa: the application process