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Can I get a French student visa if I sign up for a language course?

If you are looking to move to France to better your French language skills, some courses might allow you to qualify for a student visa - but many will not.

Published: 21 August 2023 10:06 CEST
Can I get a French student visa if I sign up for a language course?
This picture taken on February 16, 2010 in Paris, shows the square in front of the Sorbonne university. (Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP)

The idea of a prolonged stay in France to learn the language while also soaking up some French culture and a few pain au chocolat is a popular one and there are many language schools that offer intensive courses.

But before signing up, you need to think about your visa situation.

Do you need a visa?

If you benefit from the 90-day rule which allows you to visit the Schengen zone without a visa or residency permit for 90 days out of 180, you may sign up for a course that would be shorter than three months.

Those who benefit from the 90-day rule include Brits, Americans, Australians and New Zealanders.

If you’re a citizen of an EU country you are not limited to 90 days in 180 and can sign up to a language course without any residency paperwork.

Many language schools offer options of 90-days or less – for example Alliance Française (which has a presence in most of France’s bigger cities) offers several four-week intensive courses. Campus France also has a list of short-term programmes to choose from, many of which are available over the summer period.

Schengen visa

Those who don’t benefit from the 90 day rule (for example Indian nationals) but intend to stay for 90 days or less need a short-stay Schengen Visa to enter France.

You can reference your intention to take a language course when describing your plans for your (less than) 90 day visit to France, but there is no need for a specific student visa for a short course.

Longer courses

But if you are looking to spend more than three months in-country – and you were hoping a French language course might facilitate qualifying for a visa, then be aware that not all courses are created equal.

In order to meet the criteria for a French student visa, the programme must be longer than three months (90 days) and it must be taught at an accredited higher education institution.

This would include university courses and other institutions of higher education and vocational training – as well as some, but not all, language schools.

The visa issued will reflect the length of the course, ranging from four months to 12 months.

How to pick a language course

If you intend to apply for a student visa, you need to be very sure that the course will qualify you for one. Most language schools require full or partial payment in advance and it’s unlikely that you will get a refund if your visa application is refused.

Before signing up to the course, you need to verify in writing two crucial questions;

  • Is the institution accredited?
  • Can they issue a certificate of enrollment?

If the answer to either of these questions is no, then you will not be able to get a student visa.

What is the certificate?

This document is typically referred to as either an “accord préalable d’inscription” or a “certificat de préinscription” and is essentially a formal letter confirming that you are enrolled on the course. It ought to have the school’s official letterhead, with your contact information as well as the theirs, plus the details of the programme of study, according to Studapart. 

Only language schools accredited as higher education establishments can issue these – but most schools only issue them for certain courses.

Some language programmes have a minimum number of hours required before they will issue such a document, often at least 20 hours of instruction per week. The exact number of hours varies from school to school, but it is very unlikely that signing up for four hours worth of French classes per week will suffice.

The institution may also require that you pay an additional fee for the document to be transmitted. This is the policy of Alliance Française in Paris for instance – which will issue the document for a fee of €250 which is not refundable in the event that your visa application is rejected, but will be deducted from your tuition fees if you are granted the student visa.

On top of that, if the course is not through a university, you may be required to show some proof of payment, either fully or partially covering your tuition fees in advance.

Finally, certain nationalities, including Brits and Americans, must go through the Études en France platform to receive a Campus France ID number (typically written like “MAXX-XXXXX), which will be a necessary part of the application. You can check on the Études en France website to see if your programme is listed. 

Other requirements for a student visa

Once you have the all-important certificate, you then begin the process of applying for a student visa.

EXPLAINED: How to apply for a French visa

You’re likely to need other documents as well, you may also need to show proof of your previous studies – for instance, a high school or bachelor degree diploma.

Otherwise, applicants must demonstrate proof of accommodation in France. If you hope to stay with a friend, they should write up an ‘Attestation d’hébergement’ for you. 

You will also need to show that you can support yourself financially while in France – the guideline amount is to have savings or income of at least €615 per month for the length of your visa.

Choosing a quality language course

According to Campus France, centres with the label ‘qualité FLE‘ (French as a foreign language) guarantee quality linguistic teaching.

You can find an interactive map with all language centres that have met the qualifications to receive an FLE label HERE. 

Other visa options

If you are concerned that the course of your choice will not meet requirements for a long-stay student visa, you might consider applying for a visitor visa instead.

There are two types: the VLS-T, typically for stays between four to six months, and the VLS-TS, which is for stays between six months and one year.

EXPLAINED How to get a visitor visa for France

You can enrol in a language course while on a visitor visa, and the benefit is that you could choose a more casual and affordable option.

Once you have set up in France, there are several other options for free or reduced-price language classes, from your local town hall to discussion groups at a nearby library.

READ MORE: How to find affordable language classes in France

If you intend to study in France, you can find lots more helpful information in our Studying in France section.

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LEARNING FRENCH

Revealed: The ‘new’ French words in 2024

The French dictionary Larousse has unveiled its latest list of the 'new' words that will be included in the next edition - from flat-earthers to zero waste, via fast-fashion and Beyoncé.

Published: 29 April 2024 16:00 CEST
Revealed: The 'new' French words in 2024

As language constantly evolves so do dictionaries and compilers around the world regularly evaluate and judge the newest additions to the langue – with those judged to be durable words or phrases included in the latest edition of a dictionary.

The compilers of France’s Larousse dictionary have revealed that 150 new words will be added to the latest edition, which is due to be published on May 22nd.

As you would expect there are several tech terms, but other new words include those related to conspiracy theories or wacky beliefs, while there is also a flurry of environmental terms.

Some celebrities have also been given the ultimate accolade of being included in the dictionary.

Here’s a look at some of the French language’s new additions – most of these have been in use for several years or longer, but words only get added once they are widely understood and used, and are judged to be durable additions to the language.

Ideas 

Some of the words denote new ideas or concepts, or new words to speak about existing concepts, and several of these relate to ‘culture war’ type discourses, to which France is not immune.

Masculinisme – masculinism or the believe that men are suffering due to the emancipation of women.

Platisme – flat-earth belief or the belief that the planet earth is a flat disc, rather than a sphere. From the French plat (flat) – a person who believes in this theory is une platiste. If you want to talk more generally about someone who believes in conspiracy theories you can use the French word complotiste (from complot = plot).

Afrodescendants – a person of African descent. In this context, the word usually means of relatively recent descent – ie within a few generations – since if you go back far enough in the history of time, archaeologists are pretty sure that the first human settlements were in Africa. It’s interesting that the word is a new addition to the French dictionary since similar concepts have long existed in other languages, but this may be to do with the official ‘colour blind’ policy of the French state which has no official recognition of dual identities such as African-American. 

Empouvoirement – this is a direct translation of the English word ’empowering’ – French does have its own words to suggest a group or individual gaining more power, including autonomisation or émancipation. 

Environment

As environmental issues race up the political agenda and fears about the climate crisis become more important to everyday life, a number of words relating to environment, climate or climate-related actions have been added to the dictionary.

Mégabassine – if you’ve been to the south-west France département of Deux-Sevrès recently you will almost certainly have seen signs and banners about mégabassines. These are huge underground water storage projects – the mégabassine project in Saint-Soline became particularly controversial with several violent clashes between police and protesters but mégabassine projects have been planned or completed in several areas of France.

The signs “mégabassines non merci” are a common sight and refer not just specifically to the Saint-Soline project but a wider anxiety about who will control the precious resource that is water as the earth heats up and droughts become more common. You will sometimes also see simply ‘bassines’ used in the same context.

Agrotoxique – potentially toxic chemicals used in agriculture. Although this might seem like a niche word really only of use to people who work within the agriculture sector, it too has entered the mainstream as debates rage about balancing the needs of the planet with the needs of agriculture – and whether consumers are prepared to pay more for food that is grown without chemicals.

Ecogeste – a gesture or action taken for environmental reasons eg; going vegan, swapping your car for a bike or turning down your radiators – actions that the government wants to encourage more individuals to take.

Although the English word ‘gesture’ carries a slight sense of something that is performative or not truly effective, the French geste simply means an action. For example during the Covid pandemic les gestes barrières was the umbrella term for actions such as hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing.

Zéro déchet – zero waste. Most commonly used for households or even entire municipalities who have managed to re-use or recycle all of their waste and therefore send nothing to landfill.

Polluant éternel – forever chemicals, ie chemicals or plastics that will never disappear or biodegrade from the earth, air or watercourses.

English words

Although the ‘guardians’ of the French language the Academie française are not keen at all on English words, the Larousse compilers are working based on the words that people actually use in daily life – and as such as few English phrases have snuck in.

Fast-fashion – clothing that is cheap, intended to be worn just a few times and then replaced. These garments are often made in Asia in countries that have poor records on workers’ rights. The French parliament is bringing in measures to limit ‘fast fashion’ for environmental reasons. If you want to use a French term for ‘fast fashion’ you could say ‘la mode ultra rapide’.

Skatepark – skateboarding in French is ‘faire du skateboard‘ so it’s perhaps not very surprising that the English word for the sports venue is now in the dictionary.

Celebrities

Larousse also includes around 40 celebrities – people whom it has judged have an enduring, high-profile fame in France.

And if you have ever wondered about how famous you will need to be make it into the French dictionary, here are some of this year’s new entries; American singer Beyoncé, Australian actress Cate Blanchett, Canadian singer Mylène Farmer, Belgian actress Virginie Efira and Iranian Nobel prize-winner Narges Mohammadi – plus of course some French celebs including actor Omar Sy, footballer Antoine Grizemann and rugby player Antoine Dupont. 

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