Key facts
- Procedure
- The Études en France (Campus France) portal is mandatory before a French school can issue a final acceptance, with an interview at your local Campus France office.
- Visa / permit
- VLS-TS Étudiant, the long-stay visa that also acts as your residence permit
- Erasmus & exchange
- Exchange and short mobility students nominated by a partner university follow a lighter path: no Campus France file in many cases, but you still need the long-stay visa if you stay over 90 days.
- Money to prove
- You must show around €615 per month of stay — roughly €7,380 for an academic year — in your name or a sponsor's, with an affidavit of support.
- Region
- Americas
The procedure, step by step
1. Check whether Campus France applies to you
The Études en France (Campus France) portal is mandatory before a French school can issue a final acceptance, with an interview at your local Campus France office.
2. Build the academic file
Transcripts, diplomas, language proof (DELF/TCF for French-taught, IELTS/TOEFL for English-taught), CV and statement of purpose with no unexplained gaps.
3. Acceptance, then the visa appointment
Once the school accepts you, book the consulate or VFS/TLScontact appointment with acceptance letter, proof of funds, accommodation proof, insurance and travel booking.
4. Within 90 days of arrival
Validate the VLS-TS online on ANEF, register with CPAM for health cover, apply for CAF housing aid and open a French bank account.
A realistic timeline for students from Chile
The Études en France calendar, not the school calendar, is what decides whether you make the September intake.
- October–January — open the Études en France account, complete the academic timeline, pay the Campus France fee.
- January–March — Campus France interview, then school decisions arrive inside the portal.
- April–June — accept an offer, receive the attestation, book the consulate or VFS/TLScontact visa appointment.
- July–August — visa decision, flight, accommodation proof, insurance.
- First 90 days in France — validate the VLS-TS on ANEF, CPAM, CAF, bank account.
What a year in France actually costs a student from Chile
Non-EU students at public universities may pay the differentiated tuition (≈€2,770 licence / €3,770 master), though many universities and grandes écoles waive or reduce it.
- Rent: €350–€600 in Lille, Rennes, Toulouse or Montpellier; €700–€1,100 for a studio in Paris.
- CAF housing aid: typically €100–€200 off the rent each month once your file is accepted.
- Food and transport: €250–€350 a month, with student restaurant meals at €3.30 and city passes around €30.
- CVEC: a single €105 contribution paid before enrolment, refundable for scholarship holders.
Where files from Chile usually break
These are the failure points we see most often on this desk — none of them are hard to avoid if you know they exist.
- Gaps in the academic timeline with no supporting document — the single most common blocking point.
- Proof of funds that appears days before the appointment, with no history behind it.
- A statement of purpose that does not connect the transcript to the exact programme.
- Missing the 90-day ANEF validation window after arrival, which makes an otherwise valid stay irregular.
Coming from Americas: what is specific to you
Diplomas from Chile are usually accepted on a case-by-case reading by each institution. Where a comparison is requested, ENIC-NARIC France issues an attestation de comparabilité — order it early, it takes several weeks. Sworn translations (traducteur assermenté) are required for the consulate file, scans are enough for the online stage.
Frequently asked questions
Do students from Chile need a visa to study in France?
Yes. For programmes longer than 90 days you need the VLS-TS Étudiant long-stay visa, which you validate online within three months of arriving.
Is Campus France mandatory for Chile?
Yes — Chile is connected to the Études en France platform, so the online file and the Campus France interview come before any final acceptance.
How much money do I need to show from Chile?
You must show around €615 per month of stay — roughly €7,380 for an academic year — in your name or a sponsor's, with an affidavit of support.
Can I come to France on Erasmus+ from Chile?
Exchange and short mobility students nominated by a partner university follow a lighter path: no Campus France file in many cases, but you still need the long-stay visa if you stay over 90 days.
Can students from Chile work in France?
Yes, up to 964 hours per year (about 20 hours a week) on a student residence permit.
How early should students from Chile start the process?
Ten to twelve months before the intake. The application, the interview or school decision, and the consulate appointment are three queues stacked back to back.
Do I need to speak French to study in France from Chile?
Not for the 1,600+ English-taught programmes, which ask for IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 90. French-taught programmes require DELF B2 or TCF. Either way, A2 French makes the prefecture, the bank and the landlord far easier.
Can I bring my family from Chile while I study?
A student permit does not open family reunification. A spouse can apply for a visitor visa with independent proof of funds, which is assessed separately.
Can I stay in France after graduating, coming from Chile?
Yes. A master's degree opens the APS (autorisation provisoire de séjour) for 12 months to look for work or start a business, and it converts into a work permit once you have a matching contract.
Is student housing aid (CAF) open to students from Chile?
Yes. CAF aid depends on your accommodation and your resources, not your nationality — you need a lease in your name, a RIB and, for non-EU students, a valid residence permit or validated VLS-TS.
Read next
The Campus France interview for students from Chile
AdmissionsThe Études en France portal for students from Chile
AdmissionsParcoursup for international students for students from Chile
AdmissionsThe DAP procedure for students from Chile
AdmissionsWriting a statement of purpose for France for students from Chile
The four guides everyone from Chile needs
- Campus France & the Études en France procedure, step by step
- Student housing in France: leases, Visale guarantor and CAF aid
- Opening a French bank account and getting a SIM card
- After you land: VLS-TS validation, CPAM and visa renewal
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