The Campus France interview is a mandatory step in the EEF (Études en France) procedure for students applying from countries where Campus France has an office. This includes Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Madagascar, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Togo, and most other African countries with a French presence.
The interview is not an academic exam. There are no trick questions. There is no test of your knowledge of French literature or history. It is a structured conversation between you and a Campus France advisor whose job is to answer one single question about you: does this student have a serious, coherent, and credible academic project, or are they using the student visa as a migration strategy?
Everything they ask you flows from that one question. Once you understand this, the entire interview becomes manageable.
The interview typically lasts between 20 and 40 minutes. It can be in person at the Campus France office or by video call depending on your country.
What language is the interview conducted in? This depends entirely on which country's Campus France office you go through and is one of the most misunderstood aspects of the process.
Nigeria: the interview is conducted in English. Campus France Nigeria has two offices, Lagos and Abuja. The administrative fee is NGN 80,000 paid before your interview. The portal opens from October 1st each year.
Anglophone Cameroon (Northwest and Southwest regions): the interview is conducted in English.
Francophone Cameroon, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and other francophone African countries: the interview is conducted in French.
Ghana: the interview is conducted in English.
The questions are identical regardless of which language your interview is conducted in. Every section of this guide applies to you whether you are walking into Campus France Lagos, Abuja, Accra, Dakar, Abidjan, or Casablanca. Simply read the questions in the language your interview will be conducted in.