Students in Mali must submit Campus France applications 45 days before winter courses start

Count back from the actual winter course start

Students in Mali preparing to begin studies in France between December 2026 and March 2027 must submit their Campus France file at least forty-five calendar days before the course starts. Campus France Mali's winter-intake notice, updated on 28 September, says processing began on 1 October. The deadline is tied to the individual start date.

For illustration, a course beginning on 15 January 2027 gives a forty-five-day submission date of 1 December 2026. A course starting on 1 December 2026 already has a submission date before this report's publication. The notice does not announce a late-filing exception. Applicants already inside that interval should ask Campus France and their institution how to proceed rather than assume that admission alone waives the processing requirement. This is an educational-file deadline, separate from a consular visa decision.

Complete the accepted-student file and retain originals

Campus France Mali's accepted-student procedure explains that the online file is checked before the educational interview. Where corrections are required, the file is returned for amendment, so applicants should monitor both their account and email. A complete file leads to validation and an interview invitation. Paying a fee or holding an admission letter therefore does not establish that Campus France has finished its checks.

The interview is described as approximately thirty minutes and examines the supporting documents, education history, motivation, study project and French proficiency. A B2 French level is strongly recommended, rather than presented as a universal admission decision in this procedural guidance. Bring the identity document entered in the online account and originals of every document scanned into the file. Without those documents the appointment is cancelled, and the page says the file cannot be changed on interview day. After the interview, wait for the message confirming that the file is closed before moving to the visa application.

Pay only after receiving the account-specific instruction

The dedicated Campus France fee page sets the charge at CFA70,000 for either the candidate procedure or the accepted-student pre-consular procedure. Submit the online file first and wait for Campus France's payment request. Payment is by deposit at an Ecobank branch into the Institut français du Mali account; the page expressly says not to visit the bank before receiving the account number. A friend or relative may make the deposit.

Take the bank deposit slip to Campus France promptly so payment can be validated. Its guidance says no refunds are made, so confirm the course start and remaining timetable before paying. This is the Campus France processing charge, not tuition or a visa fee. A third party offering to pay it cannot promise either an institution's acceptance or a favourable visa decision. Keep the bank record and the online payment validation with the rest of the educational file.

Prepare the separate request for a study-visa appointment

Campus France Mali's visa guidance directs study applicants to request an appointment through [email protected], attaching a passport copy, email and telephone contacts, and the prior-enrolment agreement or Etudes en France certificate. That page specifies fifteen months of passport validity for this local appointment request. It says the request is forwarded to Capago, which contacts the applicant about the submission appointment. The consulate, rather than Capago, determines the visa outcome.

Create the France-Visas application to obtain the documents required for the individual visa category and print the completed form. Campus France recommends starting that visa stage between three months and one month before departure. That recommendation does not shorten the separate forty-five-day Campus France submission interval. If the educational interview or appointment allocation makes the proposed departure unrealistic, ask about the timetable before treating the planned flight as evidence that the visa must be issued in time.

Check current Bamako submission arrangements

The official France-Visas Mali page confirms that Malian and other students submit at Capago Bamako after completing Campus France. It identifies Capago as the external collection centre and gives +223 44 98 32 60 for contact. Use that country-specific page to check the current receiving arrangements before attending. Neither completion of the educational procedure nor receipt of a submission appointment grants permission to enter France. Admission, Campus France closure and the issued visa remain separate decisions in the student's sequence.