Government of France - French Government Student Loans

French Government Student Loan (Prêt Étudiant Garanti par l'État)

You can take out a loan of up to 20,000 EUR to fund your studies. Repayment is spread over 2 to 10 years (some banks limit this term to 7). This is not a grant that you keep, but a bank loan that you must repay. The French government guarantees 70% of the amount (excluding interest), so that a partner bank will grant you the loan without your parents having to co-sign and without proof of income. The bank itself covers the remaining 30%. Each bank sets its own interest rate. You can use the money to cover all your study-related costs: tuition fees, a laptop, books and living expenses. You can also defer repayment whilst you are studying. Either you pay only the interest whilst studying and the principal later, or you defer the entire repayment until you have completed your studies. Bpifrance, France’s state-owned investment bank, administers the programme.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolled at an institution in France and are aiming to obtain a French higher education qualification, a diploma or admission to an entrance examination (university, BTS, engineering school, business school, etc.).
• Field of study: Any subject.
• Age: You must be of legal age at the time of signing the loan agreement. Emancipated minors may also apply.
• Nationality: You are a French national or a national of an EU or EEA country and have been living in France continuously for at least 2 years.
• Income: There is no income limit, and you do not need a personal guarantor.

How to apply

You register on the Bpifrance online platform and apply for a preliminary eligibility certificate (“attestation de pré-éligibilité”). You then submit this certificate to one of the partner banks (currently Crédit Mutuel, CIC, BFC, La Banque Postale or Société Générale). The bank will review your documents and decide whether to grant the loan.

How realistic are your chances?

Meeting all the requirements does not guarantee that the loan will be granted. Only a limited number of state-subsidised loans are awarded each year, and the bank has the final say once it has assessed your application. As there is no means test and no co-signer is required, this is one of the easier ways for young students in France to obtain a loan. However, a bank may still reject your application if your prospects of repayment appear poor.