The Campus France and university interviews

Interview structure, the kinds of questions, and real language-course examples

1. The Campus France interview

The Campus France interview is effectively the educational interview tied to the student visa. Its main purpose is to check the logic and consistency of your file: why France, why this field, why this university, and what your plans are for the future.

For people taking a French language course, this interview matters even more, since the university doesn't know you yet, and this interview needs to show that:

Your academic and career project is clear and logical.

Even at a simple language level (A1, A2 or B1) you can introduce yourself, talk about your field, and answer basic questions.

You're informed about the field and universities you've chosen, and "going to France" isn't your only goal.

It doesn't matter how high your language level is; what matters is speaking fluently, calmly and clearly at the level you stated in your file. Interviewers usually help you understand the question more easily, and will ask again if you don't understand, but they expect you to be able to talk for a few minutes about your life, family, studies, experience and plans.

Common questions in general can include the following:

Introduce yourself and talk about your academic background.

Why did you choose France and not another country?

Why did you choose this specific field and this university?

What are your plans after finishing your studies (Iran or France)?

Who is paying for your studies and living costs?

How long have you been learning French, and with what method?

The best approach is to have a clear, coherent story for these questions, practice it several times, and try to speak naturally without sounding memorized.

2. The university interview

If the university invites you to an interview after reviewing your documents, it means you've passed the first filter and they're genuinely interested in your file.

The structure of the university interview varies by field, but usually includes the following parts:

Introducing yourself and summarizing your academic and career path

Explaining your motivation letter in more detail, orally

Questions about your projects, internships or relevant experience

In some fields: solving a problem or a short academic/analytical discussion

Questions about your future plans and why you chose this specific program

In this interview, honesty, command of your own background, and familiarity with the university's program are very important. Be sure to carefully study the department's website, course list and faculty beforehand.

3. Real interview stories (full text)

The full messages members of the channel wrote after their interview. Use “Previous” and “Next” to move between stories, or filter by interview type and interviewer.

Interviewer:

Language level around

Previous interview

Next interview

Go to interview {{n}}

Suggestion: for practice, pick one of these interviews, write the questions down on paper, and answer them out loud several times; if you can answer this kind of question calmly, you're ready for the real interview.

4. Real quotes from members' experiences

These are excerpts from the original messages of channel members (unedited), so you can get a better feel for what interviews are really like. You can filter by interview type (language course/university/art and architecture) or by interviewer.