Phnom Penh: On June 5, 2025, the French Embassy in Cambodia held the third edition of the France Alumni Day Cambodia. Under the theme “Talents to Change the World,” the event brought together more than 600 participants. An “Alumni Village” was set up to foster exchanges, open up career opportunities, and strengthen the France Alumni Cambodia network, which now has over 1,200 members.
The main goal of this annual event is to reinforce ties between Cambodian graduates of French higher education institutions, outgoing students with a France Excellence scholarship, companies, NGOs, and institutional partners. The event highlighted the academic and professional opportunities offered by studying in France, as well as the added value of the French language on the Cambodian job
Co-organized with the French-Cambodian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFC), this year’s edition brought together 30 exhibitors, providing a privileged space for dialogue on employment opportunities, networking, and cooperation in strategic sectors such as engineering, health, economics, law, and new technologies. The event was made possible thanks to the mobilization of the CCIFC and its members, the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS), and sponsors France Volontaires, Cambodia Airports, Decathlon, Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort, and BRED Bank Cambodia.
In his speech, Mr. Jacques Pellet, Ambassador of France to Cambodia, praised the remarkable journeys of the alumni and their significant contributions to Cambodia’s development and to strengthening Franco-Cambodian relations. “By choosing French higher education, you have acquired language skills, academic knowledge, openness, and experience, which open up unique employment and career prospects, both in Cambodia and internationally,” Mr. Pellet emphasized, adding that the French language and studying in France are powerful levers for employability.
France ranks as the 4th host country for international students worldwide and also as the 4th destination for Cambodian students. In an increasingly competitive global environment, it maintains strong attractiveness, supported by the combined momentum of the Francophonie and France’s Indo-Pacific strategy launched in 2018.
This year, thanks to the support of the French Embassy and the commitment of Cambodian higher education institutions, 17 new France Excellence scholarship recipients (12 master’s and 5 PhDs—including 8 women) will begin their studies in France this fall.
Since 2021, 555 Cambodian students have chosen to pursue their studies in France through France Excellence, Eiffel, DFMS (Specialized Medical Training Diploma), and DFMSA (Advanced Specialized Medical Training Diploma) scholarship programs, as well as through public and private co-funding (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Cambodia, Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology—CADT, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Minthacare). Hundreds of others are continuing their studies in France through private funding.
The French Ambassador also recalled that alumni who obtained a master’s or PhD degree in France—along with their spouses and minor children—are eligible for a short-stay Schengen circulation visa valid from 1 to 5 years. This visa allows them to stay for up to 90 cumulative or non-consecutive days per semester in 29 European countries, within the validity of their passport. Visa applications can be submitted directly via the TLScontact center.
France Alumni Day is part of the “Bienvenue en France” strategy, which aims to welcome 500,000 international students by 2027 and to promote a Francophonie focused on employment and cooperation. Supported by a fund called “Equipe France,” the event showcased the journeys of former French-speaking students and their impact on the Cambodian job market through a roundtable discussion and an interactive quiz that fostered community cohesion. The event also benefited from the support of several private partners.
France Alumni Day Cambodia stands as a key moment of French-speaking network mobilization, ahead of the 20th Summit of the Francophonie to be held in Cambodia in 2026. It reflects the Francophonie’s capacity to unite talents, institutions, and partners around shared values and common prospects. This commitment also embodies a joint ambition: to make French a language of concrete opportunities and to make alumni lasting actors of cooperation between France and Cambodia.
Photo by: Supplied
