French Education Department had shifted their ‘n+i’ network office, which is a consortium of 75 technical institutes, from Delhi to Pune only last month. Moreover, GEM group of institutes which comes under the Ministry of Industries in France has signed an MoU with Vishwakarma Institute of Technology (VIT) in Pune. VIT is the first private institute in India to have academic collaboration with any French Government educational institute. GEM is a group of seven engineering colleges. The GEM group has collaboration with University of Pune and some IITs.

“The MoU with VIT will help student and teacher exchanges. In this academic year, two professors from our group are coming to VIT while one professor from VIT will come to France. We have selected three students from VIT and have offered them post-graduate programmes with scholarships,” told head of international co-operation, GEM, Pascal Formisyn to The Indian Express. “It will help our students get international exposure,” said Principal of VIT, Hemant Abhyankar.

Explaining the importance of Pune for French institutes, ‘n+I’ network coordinator Revati Arole said: “As Pune is an educational hub and many students go abroad for their higher studies, French institutes are looking to tap this talent pool.”

“As the French Institutes are offering their engineering and management courses in English, it is now easy for Indian students to get admissions,” she said.

“Moreover, these institutes do not require GRE, GMAT or TOEFL certification. Compared to the USA, the UK and Australia, where many Indian students prefer to go for the higher studies, education is cheaper in France,” she added.

With the ‘n+I’ network in Pune, admission process has become easier, said Arole. “The student has to fill up the online admission form on the n+i website and a statement of purpose as why is he opting to study in France.