What this page is. An account of what France charges an international student, built only from figures a French authority actually publishes. France publishes more than most countries, which makes the places where it publishes nothing more conspicuous. We earn nothing from where you apply, and we link no university, agent or recruiter. See our editorial policy and how education agents earn.
What this page got wrong before 5 August 2026
The most important correction on this page is the funds requirement, and it was wrong today rather than merely old. This page stated that a student visa applicant must show about EUR 615 a month. That was the correct threshold until 31 July 2026. France raised it, and the new threshold took effect four days ago.
The published figure is now EUR 877.50 a month, in force from 1 August 2026. That is a rise of about 43 per cent, and it is the single largest change to a student funds requirement anywhere in Europe this year. The EUR 615 figure is still repeated across most of the sector, including by sources that carry a 2026 date. If you budgeted against EUR 615, your plan is short by roughly EUR 2,600 over a nine month stay.
Two further figures were wrong and have been corrected: the student life contribution, which this page gave as about EUR 103 and which is EUR 105 for 2026 to 2027; and the national registration fees, which are published to the euro and which this page did not carry at all. Six other figures had no publisher behind them and have been withdrawn rather than adjusted. All of it is set out below.
The French figures that are actually published
Every number in this table was read at the publisher on 5 August 2026.
| What it is | Published figure | Who publishes it, and when we read it |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum monthly resources for a student visa | EUR 877.50 a month, from 1 August 2026. Previously EUR 615 | Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, French diplomatic network. Read 5 Aug 2026 |
| National registration fee, licence level, 2026 to 2027 | EUR 178 (reduced rate EUR 118) | Service-Public, cost of registration in higher education. Read 5 Aug 2026 |
| National registration fee, master level, 2026 to 2027 | EUR 255 (reduced rate EUR 166) | Service-Public. Read 5 Aug 2026 |
| National registration fee, doctorate, 2026 to 2027 | EUR 397 (reduced rate EUR 264) | Service-Public. Read 5 Aug 2026 |
| Student and campus life contribution (CVEC), 2026 to 2027 | EUR 105 | Service-Public. Read 5 Aug 2026 |
Those registration fees are the reason France has a reputation for being inexpensive, and the reputation is earned: a master’s year at a public university carries a statutory fee of EUR 255. But the reputation is also incomplete, for the reason set out next.
The differentiated fee, and why this page no longer states an amount
France charges non European students a higher registration fee at public institutions, known as the droits d’inscription différenciés. This page previously gave those as EUR 2,895 at licence level and EUR 3,941 at master level for 2026 to 2027, with no source. We could not find a ministry page today that states either amount, so both have been withdrawn.
What we could read is the rule that governs who pays them, and it changed this year. A decree of 19 May 2026 restricts the exemptions institutions may grant. Exemptions at an institution’s discretion are now capped at a proportion of its students, with a transitional cap of 30 per cent for 2026 to 2027, falling to 25 per cent for 2027 to 2028 and then to 20 per cent. Students already exempted for 2025 to 2026 keep that status until they finish their cycle.
Source: Décret n° 2026-385 du 19 mai 2026, Légifrance. Read 5 August 2026.
The practical consequence matters more than the amount. Until now, a large share of non European students at French public universities were exempted from the differentiated fee and paid the national rate. That share is now capped and falling. Do not assume you will be exempted. Ask the institution, in writing, which rate your offer is at, and whether the exemption is for the year or for the cycle.
Figures withdrawn, and why
- “EUR 850 to 1,500 a month” living costs, “EUR 1,250 to 1,500” in Paris, “EUR 850 to 1,000” in regional cities. No French authority publishes a student living cost band. Withdrawn. The EUR 877.50 threshold above is the closest thing the state publishes to a view on the cost of living, and it is a threshold rather than a budget.
- “EUR 200 to 450” for CROUS student residence rent. Rents are set per residence. There is no national figure. Withdrawn.
- “EUR 150 to 200” extra per month from a change to housing aid in July 2026. We could not verify that a change occurred or what it did. Withdrawn entirely, rather than kept with a caveat.
- “EUR 10,000 to 20,000 or more” for private schools and grandes écoles. Private institutions set their own fees and no authority averages them. Withdrawn.
- “964 hours per year” of permitted work. A figure of this shape is set in law rather than on a guidance page, and we could not read it at a French source today. Withdrawn pending a reading at the publisher. Our work hour limits guide records what each authority publishes.
- Campus France, ICEF Monitor and Study.eu as sources. The first is a public operator but was not the source of the figures attributed to it; the other two are sector media. All three citations have been removed and replaced by the publishers above.
How the French system actually charges you
France separates costs that most countries bundle, and the separation is where the confusion comes from.
- The registration fee is set nationally by decree, not by the university. This is why a public university cannot quote you a different licence fee from another public university, unless the differentiated rate applies.
- The CVEC is a separate compulsory contribution, paid before you enrol and evidenced by a certificate the institution asks for. It funds health, sport and cultural services. It is not tuition and it is not optional.
- Grandes écoles and private institutions sit outside the national fee schedule entirely. A grande école is not a cheaper or dearer version of a university; it is a different legal category with its own fee setting power.
- The funds threshold is monthly, not annual. It is applied across the length of your stay, which means a longer course requires proportionally more evidence, not a fixed sum.
Our guide to proof of funds sets out the three shapes a funds test can take, and why a monthly rate behaves differently from a lump sum you must hold.
What we could not source
- The differentiated fee amounts for 2026 to 2027. No ministry page reachable today states them.
- Any living cost figure, in any French city, from any French authority.
- The permitted annual work hours, at a French source, today.
- Residence permit and visa fee amounts, which are set separately from the registration fees above and which we did not read at source in this pass.
Before you accept a French offer
Print this and work through it against your own offer and enrolment documents.
Keep reading
Compare with the other European systems: the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and Germany against the Netherlands head to head. For the wider picture, the by country comparison, where tuition is low or absent and the costs by country table. For the visa, how to get a student visa and what the requirements actually are. For funding, how scholarships get won.
This page explains process and published figures. It is not immigration advice and it is not financial advice. Figures are published by the authorities named, on the dates stated, and authorities change them without notice.
