The section below applies to you if you plan to study in France as:

• a student seeking a degree in France.
• a student taking courses but not seeking a degree in France.

If you are an independent student not yet accepted into a French institution, please refer to the section entitled Students Applying to a French Institution.

Before you start

The steps below will walk you through completing the Campus France online process through a system called “PASTEL.”

Some parts of the Campus France form on PASTEL are in French. It is imperative that you download and print the Study Abroad / Independent Student User Guide PDF  in order to complete the Campus France online application process.

The PASTEL management system works best on a PC. If you are using a Mac, use Google Chrome as your browser (not Safari). Better yet, gain access to a PC to complete the form to avoid potential difficulties.

Completing the process – step by step

Create your PASTEL account on the Campus France USA website.    

Go to www.usa.campusfrance.org and click on the blue PASTEL button in the “Fill Out Your Campus France Form via PASTEL system” box. Parts of this section are in French – make sure you check the video guide or Study Abroad / Independent Student User Guide PDF to help you fill out this section.

Create your profile and choose a login (email address) and password. You will need this information to log in and complete the Campus France Form (Step 2).

The creation of your account will then be confirmed, and you will be assigned an identification number (USXXXXXX). You will need to provide this number each time you contact Campus France.

Your account will give you access to an internal Campus France message inbox in the PASTEL system. You will need to check this inbox regularly, as you will not be otherwise alerted to new messages that you receive there.

Please note: You will NOT be contacted via your personal email (Gmail, Hotmail, etc.). All regular Campus France correspondence will go to your PASTEL personal mailbox:

Make sure to remember your login and password! If you forget them, contact us.

Use your email address and password to log in to your Campus France account and complete the Campus France form using the PASTEL system.

You must fill out and validate each individual section of the form (Education, Linguistic Skills, Goals) before proceeding to the final validation.

As an independent student already accepted to an institution, you do not have to upload your diplomas or grades and you do not need to complete a Campus France phone interview.

After doing the final validation of your Campus France Form, you do not have to complete the “My Procedures” section.
Please note: Your Campus France form has to be officially submitted online through PASTEL for your file to be processed. Don’t forget to validate your form!

If you are the recipient of a scholarship from the French government, the Franco-American Fulbright Commission, or the European Union, please mention this information in the “Education” section of the PASTEL system. This only applies to the recipients of one of the following scholarships: Fulbright, Chateaubriand, Eiffel, Erasmus Mundus or Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie.

Send via postal mail (a) a copy of your acceptance letter from the French institution that you will be attending, along with (b) your CampusFrance processing fee in the form of a money order.

Please carefully read the instructions below:

a) Acceptance letter

This should be a copy of your official acceptance letter or acknowledgment of enrollment from the French institution, addressed to you and mentioning your full name. It should be printed on institutional letterhead and specify the exact beginning and ending dates (day, month, year) of your academic program, including full contact information for the individual issuing the offer or acknowledgment, as well as the full address of the educational institution.

b) Processing fee payment

Payment will be accepted only in the form of a money order. You can purchase one at your local U.S. post office; in a bank; or at the offices of Money Gram, Western Union or Currency Exchange.

The money order must be in the amount of $100 and made payable to “MCUFEU.” Make sure to write your name and Campus France identification number (beginning with “US XXXXXX”) on your money order.

CampusFrance does not accept any other method of payment. The online payment system is not currently active.

Send the money order and your acceptance letter in the same envelope to the following address:

Campus France
4101 Reservoir Rd NW
Washington D.C. 20007

Please note: Campus France processing fees are different from and in addition to the visa processing fees requested by each consulate.

If you are the recipient of a scholarship from the French government, the Franco-American Fulbright Commission, or the European Union, you are exempt from paying the CampusFrance fees and the visa fees. Please note that only the following scholarships make you eligible for fee exemption: Fulbright, Chateaubriand, Eiffel, Erasmus Mundus or Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie. Please provide CampusFrance a copy of your scholarship notification along with your letter of acceptance.

Regularly check your Campus France mailbox through PASTEL for your confirmation email and proof of payment. Print copies for submission to the French consulate.

Within about three weeks after Campus France has received your postal mail, a Campus France representative will review your file. If your file (acceptance letter and money order sent via postal mail, AND online CampusFrance form) is complete, you will receive a confirmation email – which starts with “Congratulations!” – in your Campus France message inbox in the PASTEL system.

Please note: Any missing material (money order or acceptance letter) – or an incomplete online form – will delay the process. Check your Campus France inbox regularly to see whether you are required to take action.

Print out the (a) confirmation email, as well as the (b) proof of payment that you should have received earlier in the process (a PDF attached to the email entitled “Une Quittance est disponible”), as these are among the several documents required by the French consulate.

Request a student visa.

Campus France’s process and the visa application process are distinct from each other. However, students who will not have received the email confirmation from Campus France stating that their file is processed and complete, may have their request for a student visa turned down at the consulate.

Once you receive your confirmation email in your Campus France inbox through PASTEL, you can request a student visa. Campus France will assign you to the French consulate nearest you, and you must schedule an appointment with the consulate via the consulate website. Visa request appointments must be scheduled to take place within 90 days of your departure to France.

The visa application process and visa application fees are separate from the Campus France application and fee. For more information, see the website for the consulate nearest you.

Visas are granted solely at the discretion of the Consulate of France.