Despite having around 400 Indian students in its international cohort, Sciences Po — one of the world’s top social sciences universities — differs from French engineering and management schools, which have historically been major recruiters from India.
The university, home to over 15,000 students, prides itself on representing more than 150 nationalities across its campuses in France, with each nationality “unofficially capped” to promote classroom diversity.
The institution’s goal is now to attract the highest-calibre students in India, as French universities ramp up recruitment, with President Macron targeting 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030.
“It’s very interesting in India because the competition is intense. We are a very small team, so of course we aim to access the ‘best of the best’ in India,” Neha Khanna, Sciences Po’s representative to India told The PIE News.
According to Khanna, the university — which also attracts many Indian students from STEM backgrounds — has no cutoffs, no minimum eligibility criteria, no SATs, and no English-language tests, aiming instead to assess how students engage and perform in the classroom.
“Students often ask, ‘If you are not looking at these tests, then what are you looking at, and how are you assessing our files?’ It’s a unique program, and students are introduced to networking early on through a civic learning program. We want to see whether they can cope with that level of active engagement in the classroom,” said Khanna.
“We evaluate references, CVs, and the essays they write for us. It’s a very layered process, and then we meet them online for an interview, which is a mandatory component. Every student admitted to Sciences Po has a face-to-face interaction with the team.”
Earlier this year, Sciences Po’s new director, Luis Vassy, said the institute has seen a 30% rise in international applications, driven by policy shifts in major destinations, making India an “obvious choice” for prioritisation as an “intellectual and academic superpower”.
In such a scenario, armed with its three-year Bachelor of Arts program, Sciences Po sees India’s high schools as a key starting point, with many students already “very international, open-minded, and thinking about going abroad”, according to Alexandre Mariani, director of the South Asia Centre.
While diplomacy and international affairs programs attract many “curious” Indian students seeking global exposure, Michaël Hauchecorne, director of Sciences Po’s Le Havre campus, notes that the university’s dual undergraduate degrees are particularly popular among them.
“The dual BA offers great opportunities. Some students project themselves into the economics departments at Columbia University or UC Berkeley. This is very appreciated by Indian students in particular, who value the US dual degrees as well as our options in Asia,” stated Hauchecorne.
The Le Havre campus — Sciences Po’s most international undergraduate campus, with 60% international students and 30% from the Asia-Pacific region — is another key pillar of the university’s India strategy.
Often called Sciences Po’s Asia-Pacific campus, Le Havre offers a South Asia specialisation launched in 2023, also available at some other campuses, which has contributed to an “impressive number of students coming from South Asia and doing very well in the program”, Hauchecorne said.
“Of course, the Le Havre campus is particularly involved in the South Asia program, but even at the master’s and PhD levels, the goal is to bring together all our strengths and become a platform for social science research on South Asia,” stated Mariani.
Apart from major cities, Sciences Po is receiving “excellent applications” from tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Dehradun, and Lucknow, according to Khanna, while the institution has introduced Hindi alongside Bahasa Indonesian as a second-year elective at the Le Havre campus.
Moreover, the over 150-year-old institution offers multiple funding options for Indian students, including the Émile Boutmy Scholarship, Inlaks-supported awards and the RD Sethna Foundation loan-scholarship.
“Students end up with a major advantage when seeking funds, as these partners are extremely Sciences Po-friendly and approvals are rarely an issue,” stated Khanna.
“It’s an incredible opportunity, but sometimes students aren’t fully aware or open to these options, even though the terms are exceptionally generous.”
Sciences Po’s strategy so far has been not to open campuses outside France. Instead, we aim to build partnerships with Indian universities
Alexandre Mariani, Sciences Po
While Sciences Po launched its first dual degree program in urban development with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in October 2023 — which brings together 4–5 students every year from both institutions — it also has exchange programs and other collaborations with 14 other universities in India, including St. Xavier’s College, Jamia Millia Islamia, Krea University, and several IITs.
However, the institute currently has no plans to establish a campus in India to expand its presence, unlike many other universities in major study destinations.
“I’ve been asked this several times in China as well. Sciences Po’s strategy so far has been not to open campuses outside France. Instead, we aim to build partnerships with Indian universities, like the dual degree we mentioned, which allows us to award a degree together. That means we trust our Indian partners and place them at the same level as Sciences Po,” stated Mariani.
“We don’t want to open a branch campus outside France because we believe the potential, regional knowledge and teaching methods are already strong in India.”
At The PIE Live India 2025 in January, delegates heard from the French Embassy about its collaboration plans in India, including initiatives like the Indo-French Campus for Health and the development of joint campuses.
Sciences Po is not focused on rankings, which it feels don’t represent the institution fairly, but this hasn’t stopped it from supporting France’s aim to attract more Indian students and sustain the already growing numbers.
“The general goal is to increase numbers, but since Sciences Po is selective and already has 50% international students, the focus is really on sustaining that balance rather than simply increasing numbers,” stated Hauchecorn
“Within that strategy, we aim to promote Sciences Po in India and to increase opportunities for students no matter where they are — not just in Bombay or Delhi.”
