France is consolidating its position as a preferred destination for students from Ivory Coast. In order to decentralize its services and offer better local support, the French Embassy and the Polytechnic University officially inaugurated a new Campus France office in San Pedro on Wednesday, May 6 .

A local service for the Southwest

After Abidjan and Bouaké, it is now the turn of the southwestern port city to host this leading organization. Located directly within the Polytechnic University of San Pedro , this new office pursues several strategic objectives:

1. Proximity: To avoid long and costly journeys for students in the region to the economic capital.
2. Orientation: To guide candidates in building their academic project.
3. Efficiency: Centralize administrative procedures via a single point of contact system.

A rigorous and realistic selection

The branch will begin its annual application campaign on October 1st , closing at the end of January. However, Campus France assumes a demanding filtering role. The institution focuses on excellence to maximize candidates' chances of success.

"The selection process is very selective; we try to send out the best students," explains an official from the organization.

The figures underscore this reality: of the approximately 13,000 applications processed each year, only a third result in actual admission. This selectivity is explained in particular by the stringent academic criteria and the high visa refusal rate.

Towards a strengthening of university cooperation

For the Polytechnic University of San Pedro, the arrival of Campus France is also a lever for institutional development. The institution aims to forge strong partnerships with French universities to create joint degrees .

The idea is not only to encourage expatriation, but also to enable excellent training locally. As a university official points out: "The goal is for students to study here," while benefiting from the recognition and expertise of shared degrees.