Financing your studies in France

The French higher education system

France has a wide range of institutions offering tertiary education. The state operates the university system, but there are also private universities run by the churches, as well as several private international schools such as the American University of Paris.

State universities

• State universities are found in all the larger cities and towns. Because of a policy of equal access, there are no selective admission policies at state universities and they are open to all students holding a baccalauréat certificate from the lycées - the highest level of secondary education. Similar are the more specialised technical universities, which are chiefly engineering schools - for example the Arts et Métiers ParisTech.
• There are also more specialised technical universities such as: Instituts universitaires de technologie (IUT), which are university-level technology schools that now award the Bachelor universitaire de technologie (BUT); professional institutes; and Instituts nationaux supérieurs Du professorat et de l'éducation (INSPÉ), the teacher training institutes that replaced the former IUFM. All these usually have a variety of further entrance requirements beyond the baccalauréat.

Grandes écoles

• The Grandes écoles are public or state-recognised private institutions with strict admission policies based on national rankings in competitive examinations (concours) set by the schools themselves. Some of these schools are the most famous and prestigious educational institutes in France.
• Grandes écoles are often small, with only a few hundred students, and many specialise in single fields of study. Almost all top civil servants and members of the political class in France are graduates of the various Grandes écoles.
• The normal route for entry into Grandes écoles is through Classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles (CPGE), though a small number take students directly from the baccalauréat.
• CPGE studies are usually for two years, but students may also use the first two years of a university degree programme as an equivalent.
• Entry into the Grandes écoles for a full programme further requires students to take the concours exams, which are held in spring. Non-EU students can obtain a special visa, the visa provisoire, once the school has accepted you for the entrance exam. This allows you to stay in France over the summer while waiting to be accepted, rather than having to return home. Only a very small number of students succeed in obtaining a place, as these schools accept just a few students each year.

Classes in French schools are held primarily in French. Many universities do offer one or two year programmes in French as a foreign language to bring students up to a level of fluency that will allow them to enter a degree or diploma programme.

French universities offer diplomas, while only the state itself awards degrees. There is a gradual move towards the more standard degree system, with the state expanding its field of degrees, but most institutions still offer a complex mix of diplomas depending on the field of study. Many diplomas still do not have equivalent degree recognition.

Licence or Bachelor’s degree (first-cycle degrees)

• These are the basic degrees for standard subjects at entry level. They are also offered in medicine, midwifery, pharmacy, dentistry, architecture and military studies.

Diploma or Master’s degree (second-cycle degrees)

• This is the more common degree in most fields, also offered for specialities in medicine, midwifery, pharmacy and dentistry.
• There is also a master’s in accountancy.
• It is also the normal qualification from the specialised schools and Grandes écoles, which offer four or five-year diplomas, such as in architecture, engineering, art, music, military studies, political studies and for veterinarians.

Doctor’s diploma or doctorate (third-cycle degrees)

These are offered in most fields, including art.

Work placement - le stage

The great majority of French programmes at all levels include a one-year relevant work placement, in France or overseas, called le stage. More prestigious institutions often work in conjunction with overseas universities to offer exchange programmes during le stage. So one way to spend a year studying in France at a top school is to enrol in such a programme at a university in your own country.

Recently added funding for your studies in France

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Cost of your studies

Tuition fees

Tuition fees in state universities are among the lowest in Europe. The regular fee for a first-level degree (Licence) is only €178 a year, but most universities add administrative charges on top of that. The final bill is still relatively inexpensive. Regular fees for second-level degrees (Master) are €254 a year, and for third-level degrees they are around €397. Specialised first-level degrees cost more: an engineering degree costs around €618 a year. Across subjects and study levels, regular state university fees fall in a band of roughly €170 to €650 a year. All students must also pay the annual Cotisation Vie Étudiante et de Campus (CVEC), which is €105 a year; scholarship holders are exempt.

Since April 2019, France has charged differentiated fees to most non-EU/EEA students. For 2025-2026 these are €2,895 a year for a Bachelor (Licence) and €3,941 a year for a Master, against the regular rates of €178 and €254. From the 2026-2027 academic year onwards, a decree of 20 May 2026 sets these differentiated fees at €2,770 a year for a Licence and €3,770 a year for a Master. Doctoral studies are not affected by the differentiated fees. Many universities exempt a share of their non-EU students, but a further decree caps these exemptions at 30 % of foreign students in 2026-2027, falling to 25 % and then 20 % in later years.

The Grandes écoles have much higher fees. At the private business schools, a three-year Programme Grande École now costs in the region of €51,000 to €75,300 in total, with the most expensive schools such as HEC Paris at €75,300, ESCP at €66,800, ESSEC at €66,020 and emlyon at €62,900.

Other private institutions and business schools typically charge around €6,000 to €18,000 a year.

Cost of living

Living costs in France are around the European average. As a guide, Campus France estimates a budget of €600 to €800 a month for international students studying outside Paris. In Paris, a realistic monthly budget for an international student in a private studio is more like €1,100 to €1,400.

Accommodation is the largest expense. The average student rent in France is around €530 a month - under €350 in the provinces but over €900 in Paris. Some universities have student housing through the CROUS, but this can be hard to get. A CROUS room typically costs around €200 to €300 a month, with a studio nearer €600, but don’t rely on securing a place. A mobile phone will cost around €30 and internet services around the same per month.

Groceries can be expensive and basic food should cost €200 a month, with eating out costing much more. A take-out pizza is around €8, but a litre of wine can be less than €2. A plat Du jour (a special meal at mid-day only) will be around €10, but university cafeterias may charge only €3 or €4 for a hot meal. Public transport should be around €25 a month with a student pass. Don’t forget to budget something for entertainment. Beer or a glass of wine at a bar both cost €3 to €5, and a cinema ticket is around €8.

Funding for a semester or year abroad

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Financing your studies

Several programmes funded by the French government support students with tuition fees, living costs and housing. Some students are even state employees. Students who need to borrow the cost of their studies can apply for loans through a government-guaranteed scheme. With tuition fees already low, the majority of students receive significant support while studying.

Public support

The government offers support based on family income through the bourse d’enseignement supérieur sur critères sociaux, provided and administered by the national government through the Ministère de l’Education nationale. Students who are self-supporting due to family breakdown are also eligible.

This support is scaled over eight levels (0bis to 7). For 2026-2027 the annual amounts run from €1,454 at the lowest level (Échelon 0bis) up to €6,335 at the highest level (Échelon 7), paid over the ten months of the academic year. The amounts were not raised for 2026-2027 and are identical to those of 2025-2026. Students in the French overseas territories receive an extra €300 a year. The amounts by level for 2026-2027 are: Échelon 0bis €1,454; 1 €2,163; 2 €3,071; 3 €3,828; 4 €4,587; 5 €5,212; 6 €5,506; 7 €6,335. The grant is normally paid in ten monthly instalments, but students who continue their studies over the summer can have it maintained, which can raise the annual amount to as much as €7,602. Students must be legally and regularly resident in France for these grants, so international students on visas would not usually be eligible.

Students may also receive support with housing costs of up to around €250 per month through the Caisses d’Allocations Familiales (CAF).

At some of the Grandes écoles, students are considered civil servants and receive generous support. If eligible, they are automatically processed into the public service. French and EU students at such schools receive free housing in school-owned property and an after-tax monthly stipend of €1,350.

Eligibility for foreign students

To be eligible for the government grant programmes, students must be legal and regular residents of France. EU citizens planning to apply would therefore need to establish residence first, which is straightforward under the EU’s freedom of movement provisions. Non-EU students would need to obtain residency, which may not be possible, so grants are difficult for non-EU students to obtain. Some international students can still qualify for the grant, and they may receive full support throughout the summer if their visas do not allow them to work. For international students who are ineligible for grants, there are government scholarships to effectively replace them, so study in France remains feasible for all international students.

Scholarships

International students wishing to study in France can apply for a variety of state scholarships. In all, there are almost 700 scholarships available at all levels of study. The majority are state funded, but some are funded privately by individuals or corporations.

The French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs offers €100 million in support through a large number of scholarship schemes. Among the largest are the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship, the Major Excellence Programme, the Erasmus Mundus Programme and the Ile-de-France Masters Scholarship. Under the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship, Master students receive a monthly allocation of €1,200 and doctoral students €2,000, plus support with travel, insurance and finding accommodation.

Students from some non-EU countries (India and Russia are two examples) can apply for Cooperation Scholarships through the French Embassy in that country.

Several of the Grandes écoles also directly offer scholarships to international students.

Scholarships in France typically pay all tuition fees plus a monthly stipend (paid over ten months of the year) that ranges from €200 to €1,200, depending on the individual scholarship.

France also takes part in the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, which funds study and traineeship periods abroad for Bachelor, Master and doctoral students. France sits in Erasmus+ country group 2, so students coming to France for a study period receive a monthly grant, and Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters offer fully funded places at consortia of European universities. You apply directly to your chosen Erasmus Mundus programme, not through a central portal. For the full rates, country groups and conditions, see our dedicated Erasmus+ guide.

Student loans

Banks give student loans through a government scheme, the Prêt étudiant garanti par l'État. Loans are for up to €20,000 across the whole of your studies at low interest rates, and parental guarantees are not required, as the state guarantees 70 % of the loan through Bpifrance. There is no income test. The actual funding is obtained by applying to one of the various partner banks in France, such as Société Générale, Banque Populaire, CIC or Caisse d'Épargne. Such loans are available to French students and also to EU/EEA students under 28, provided they have spent two uninterrupted years in France.

These loans run for between two and ten years, and repayment can be deferred in part or completely during the study period, so no payments need be made while you are studying. Interest rates are set by the bank and were generally around 0.90 % to 1.50 % in 2026.

Student jobs

EU and non-EU students have the right to work up to 964 hours a year to support their studies. Non-EU students must also hold a valid étudiant residency permit.

The French government helps students find summer jobs by linking them to various non-government and government positions for the summer. Work is often available in tourist regions at hotels, cafes, clubs and restaurants. Summer work in the agricultural sector is also possible.