Applying for Masters (M2) in France and Campus France- Help Needed!

Off the record

Okay Megg, I may get some slack for what I'm about to say and I'm by NO means an expert on this subject. I'm just someone who recently went through a "similar" though not exactly the same process. For starters, I wanted to apply to a university in France, although I graduate from my US university yeeeeeeeeeeeears ago. Now, another difference was that at the time I began my search for an appropriate program, I was IN France on a visitor visa, which made things just slightly easier.

In any case, I physically went and picked up an application for my program from the university but then of course, had to go through the whole "go back to your country and apply for the student visa at your consulate" ordeal. Of course, everywhere I read, it said it was a REQUIREMENT to go through Campus France. I thought this was quite ridiculous and unnecessary, more of a bureaucratic thing. Anyways, I started to the process with them online to find out exactly what you've encountered. It was slow, not easy to navigate and no one ever responded to my emails.

I finished my application but by the same token, I had already researched all the paperwork I needed to apply for my visa while on the French Embassy website and I went ahead and scheduled my appointment to apply for my visa, myself. I "submitted" my final dossier to Campus France though I never sent my money order. And then I had my visa appointment at the consulate. I expected that they might know I hadn't paid my Campus France fee and possibly give me some grief over it or maybe even deny my visa (which I prayed wouldn't happen) and I found that things went quite smoothly and nothing of that nature happened.

Now, I will say this: when I submitted my documents for the visa, I went above and beyond what they asked for, providing them with tons of paperwork (I think the French administration likes this, to be honest) and that could've helped my cause, but I really don't think it's NECESSARY to go through Campus France. If I was you, I'd try to find a few universities where you think you could continue your studies and contact them directly. Every campus should have a department that deals with foreign students and they might be able to help point you in the right direction.

I hope this helps a little and that I don't get my head chopped off for saying that sometimes, it's okay not to completely play by all the rules. Best of luck!

hoppmegg said:

Hi Francesa!

Thanks so much for your help! Honestly, at this point I am more concerned/nervous about the application to schools. I think I am going to 3-4 programs to apply for, inc ase I don't get into some.

What type of application forms and documents did you have to fill out? Were you applying for a Masters? If so, what year? I would love some more insight into what your application process was like, and also the timeline. Do you know when the deadline is? I have read some places that its February 15..do you know if that's the case?

Thanks again for all of your help- I really appreciate the insight and again any other information you could offer would be extraordinarily helpful!

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Hey there !

Well, for starters, I was originally going to apply for a competences et talents visa, but after a gazillion run arounds and no-one truly knowing what was the format the administration preferred the presentation in, I opted for a less complicated and seemingly simpler visa: the student visa. So, I began looking for a school where I could learn French (this way, I wouldn't have a huge course load, it'd give me time to do what I really came here to do and then of course, to learn the language).

As for the university I chose, the process was simple enough. As I stated before, I was already here in France, so I first took a look at their website to see what they offered in terms of courses. Then, when I found an appropriate program, I looked up the deadline for my course (since I'm starting during the second semester in January, they hadn't even begun the application process) and then I went in person to the department.

They had someone there who gave me the application to fill out, which was quite basic. Then they told me the additional documents I'd need in order to apply (copy of my birth certificate, high school diploma, CV and a letter of motivation for choosing this school). This was all that was required for my particular program. I filled out all of my forms and got copies of the missing documents I needed from the US, then returned a few days later and submitted my application. Since it was still early, I'd have to wait a couple weeks for my answer. Since I was in a rush to get my letter of acceptance and return to the US to apply for my visa, I called the school every few days and tried to let them know I was really in need of a response so that I could apply for the visa (of course I did this very nicely since I'm a foreigner and didn't want to jeapordize my chances of getting in or coming off like an arrogant American.)

It must've taken about 5 weeks to receive my letter, but when I did, that was it. Now I was ready to go to the US and start the visa application process. While stateside, I also gathered several other copies of other documents like my university degree from the US, my transcripts, I printed my Campus France app (even though I never paid my fee or went through the agency), I also was lucky to meet a nice lady in France who wrote a letter of recommendation for me and gave me a copy of her carte de identite, and this along with my letter of admission, my convocation to appear for my entrance exam (to basically gauge my level of French comprehension) and my application for visa de long sejour. All of these documents were part of my dossier.

From the date of my appointment at the consulate to apply for the visa, it would only be five days until Paris had answered with an approval for the year-long visa. What I was told was that when I go to reapply for the visa (which I'll have to do two months before the current end date), I won't have to return to the US and I can handle that here in France, which is a huge plus considering the cost of RT tickets stateside.

I hope this helps somewhat. As I stated before, we're not in the same exact situation, but similar in some ways. Hope this helps a bit more.