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Student visa for France
Money to show for the visa: €877.50 a month, about €10,530 a year. Work while you study: 964 hours a year, about 20 hours a week. Checked against the official pages on 24 September 2026.
The numbers
- Money you must show
- €877.50 a month, about €10,530 a year
- Work while you study
- 964 hours a year, about 20 hours a week
- Stay after you graduate
- 12 months, non-renewable, master's graduates only
UP 43% from €615, effective 1 August 2026. Many pages still show the old figure.
service-public.gouv.fr F2231, updated 1 August 2026, checked 2026-09-24
service-public.gouv.fr F2713, checked 2026-09-24
service-public.gouv.fr F17319, checked 2026-09-24
Worth knowing: Fee waivers for non-EU students are now capped at 30% of a university's foreign students, so budget for EUR 2,902 or EUR 3,950 a year.
The visa
VLS-TS étudiant, a long-stay visa that serves as a residence permit, issued for four months to a year. No separate residence permit application in the first year.
Études en France (EEF) is mandatory for students resident in roughly 73-75 designated countries. It combines the academic application, language verification and a compulsory Campus France interview, and feeds into the consular appointment.
- Visa fee: €50 in EEF countries, €99 elsewhere
- The EEF procedure fee is separate and set per country, for India it is INR 20,000 from 1 August 2026
- The money: €877.50 a month. This rose from €615 on 1 August 2026, a 43% increase. Many Campus France country pages still display €615. Anyone relying on the old figure will be refused. The requirement is waived if you passed a concours at a state-contracted institution.
Validation on arrival. You must validate the VLS-TS online within three months of arriving, and the tax is €100, doubled from €50 on 1 May 2026. Validation is what makes your stay lawful and lets you re-enter across the Schengen border. Missing the three-month window is a serious problem.
Renewal, request between four and two months before expiry. Taxes also rose on 1 May 2026: €150 first issuance, €100 renewal.
Consular decisions commonly take two to four weeks after the appointment, but the EEF procedure before it runs for months. Start six to nine months before your intake.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
No student visa is needed: citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland may live and study in France. For more than three months you normally register your residence after you arrive, and show that you are enrolled, insured and can support yourself.
University fees in France, 2026/27
Where to apply
At the embassy or consulate of France that covers your country, or through the visa application centre it names. Book early: in the busiest months appointments can be weeks away. Apply only through the official website; nobody can sell you a faster place in the queue.
Government scholarships to study in France
- France Excellence Eiffel Scholarship Program open, closes 6 January 2027
Which of these are open to your nationality
By nationality
From Algeria
From Armenia
From Azerbaijan
From Bangladesh
From Brazil
From Cameroon
From Canada
From China
From Colombia
From Egypt
From Ethiopia
From Georgia
From Ghana
From India
From Indonesia
From Iran
From Iraq
From Japan
From Jordan
From Kazakhstan
From Kenya
From Lebanon
From Malaysia
From Mexico
From Morocco
From Nepal
From Nigeria
From Pakistan
From Philippines
From Russia
From Saudi Arabia
From Senegal
From South Africa
From South Korea
From Sri Lanka
From Syria
From Tanzania
From Tunisia
From Türkiye
From Uganda
From Ukraine
From United Arab Emirates
From United States
From Uzbekistan
From Vietnam
From ZimbabweQuestions students ask
How much money do I need to show for a France student visa?
€877.50 a month, about €10,530 a year. UP 43% from €615, effective 1 August 2026. Many pages still show the old figure. (service-public.gouv.fr F2231, updated 1 August 2026, checked 2026-09-24).
Can international students work in France?
964 hours a year, about 20 hours a week.
Can I stay in France after I graduate?
12 months, non-renewable, master's graduates only.
Do EU citizens need a student visa for France?
No. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens may live and study in France without a student visa. For a stay of more than three months they normally register their residence after arriving.
This page is general information from official sources, not immigration advice. For a decision about your own case, the official source or a regulated adviser is where that belongs.