How much does it cost to study in France?
France is one of the cheapest places in the world to earn a recognised degree - public tuition is set by the State. But the headline figure is not the whole bill. Here is the real budget, line by line, with an official source for every number.
Updated 2026-06-20
Two numbers decide your French study budget: tuition (often tiny at a public university, far higher at a private school or grande école) and living costs (the part most students under-estimate). On top of that sit a few fixed items - the CVEC, health cover, and the €615/month you must prove to get your visa. This guide separates the two, gives you real 2025–2026 figures by city, and flags the two 2026 reforms that raise the cost specifically for non-EU students: the cap on tuition exemptions, and the removal of APL housing aid for non-scholarship students from 1 July 2026.
Build your monthly budget in 6 steps
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Pin down your tuition
Public university? Start from €178 (Licence) / €254 (Master) / €397 (Doctorat). Then ask the international office whether your programme charges the non-EU differentiated rate (€2,895 / €3,941) or exempts you. Private school or grande école? Take the exact figure from its admissions page.
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Add the fixed annual items
Add the CVEC (€105), your visa and validation fees (see the Visa guide), and any one-off school registration costs. Most of these are paid once at the start of the year.
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Choose a city and price the rent
Rent is your biggest line. Apply for CROUS housing first (~€350–€500). Otherwise budget ~€700–€1,000 in Paris, ~€400–€600 in the provinces, and line up the Visale guarantee instead of a French guarantor.
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Add monthly living costs
Food ~€200–€300 (use the €3.30 CROUS meal), transport ~€20–€90, phone/internet ~€50, plus an optional mutuelle. Register (free) with the public health system for ~70% reimbursement.
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Decide if APL applies to you
EU or scholarship holder → you can still claim APL (subtract ~€100–€200/month). Non-EU and self-funded → from 1 July 2026 you cannot; budget full rent.
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Check it clears the €615/month proof
Your total resources must cover ≥ €615/month (≈ €7,380/year) to satisfy the visa - but use your real total (often €800–€1,300/month) as the number you actually plan around.
Tuition: public university vs private school
At a public university, the French State sets tuition by national decree and pays most of the real cost. For 2025–2026 the standard (EU) rate is among the lowest in the world:
| Level | Public university - annual tuition (2025–2026) |
|---|---|
| Licence (Bachelor, 3 yrs) | €178 / year |
| Master (2 yrs) | €254 / year |
| Doctorat (PhD) | €397 / year |
Private institutions and grandes écoles are a different world - they are not subsidised the same way and set their own fees:
| Type of school | Typical annual fees (indicative) |
|---|---|
| Public engineering school (grande école) | ~€600–€4,000 / year |
| Private school of art, design, communication | ~€5,000–€12,000 / year |
| Business school (Programme Grande École / MBA) | ~€10,000–€25,000+ / year |
Ranges are indicative and vary by school and programme - always confirm the exact figure on the school's own admissions page before you budget. Verify each school's fee against its official site (school-by-school amounts: varies by institution).
Non-EU "differentiated" fees - and why most students still pay the low rate
Since 2019, French public universities can charge non-EU/EEA/Swiss students higher "differentiated" tuition (droits différenciés). For 2025–2026 these are:
| Level | Standard (EU) rate | Non-EU differentiated rate (2025–2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | €178 | €2,895 / year |
| Master | €254 | €3,941 / year |
| Doctorat | €397 | €397 (same as EU) |
The catch that worked in your favour - and is now closing. Until now, universities were free to exempt their non-EU students, and most did so massively (some exempting 80%, 90%, even 100%). In practice the large majority of non-EU students paid the low €178 / €254 rate. That is changing: Décret n° 2026-385 of 19 May 2026 caps discretionary exemptions at 30% of non-EU enrolments for 2026–2027, then 25%, then 20% in later years. You are always exempt (pay the EU rate) if you are a doctoral student, a refugee or beneficiary of subsidiary protection, hold a long-term resident card, are covered by a reciprocal agreement, or were already exempted before 21 May 2026 (you keep it until the end of your cycle).
Bottom line: if a public university is on your list, ask its international office directly whether your programme charges the differentiated rate or exempts you - the answer can move your tuition by ~€2,700–€3,700 a year.
Service-Public - differentiated university fees & May 2026 decree ↗
The CVEC - €105 you pay before you can enrol
Almost every student in higher education must pay the Contribution Vie Étudiante et de Campus (CVEC) once a year, before registering. It funds campus health, sport, culture and social support.
| Item | 2026–2027 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CVEC | €105 | Paid once per academic year on cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr; you get an attestation you must show to enrol. |
| CROUS scholarship holders (boursiers) | €0 (exempt) | Still must obtain the attestation (showing exemption) before enrolling. |
Living costs - the real budget, by city
This is where the money actually goes. Rent is the biggest line and depends heavily on the city. Indicative monthly figures for 2025–2026:
| Monthly item | Paris / Île-de-France | Other cities (province) |
|---|---|---|
| Rent (room / studio) | ~€700–€1,000 | ~€400–€600 |
| CROUS residence (when available) | ~€350–€500 (national; far cheaper than the private market) | |
| Food | ~€200–€300 - a CROUS restaurant meal is €3.30 (€1 for scholarship holders) | |
| Public transport pass | ~€35–€90 | ~€20–€40 |
| Health top-up (mutuelle, optional) | ~€10–€30 (≈ €100–€300 / year) | |
| Phone, internet, misc. | ~€50–€100 | |
| Realistic total | ~€1,200–€1,300 | ~€800–€1,000 |
Health cover is mostly free. As an international student you register (free) with the French public health system (Sécurité sociale étudiante) via etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr, which reimburses ~70% of standard care. A private top-up (mutuelle) is optional and covers the rest.
The €615/month you must prove for your visa
To get your long-stay student visa, you must prove resources of at least €615 per month - about €7,380 for a 12-month year. This is the official Campus France minimum, equal to the maintenance grant of a French government scholarship holder.
- Accepted proof: a bank statement, a scholarship certificate, a guarantor's declaration (attestation de prise en charge), or a combination.
- The amount is halved if you are housed free of charge, and is expected to be higher in Paris than in a low-cost province.
- It is a minimum to qualify, not a realistic living budget - the table above shows you will usually need more.
2026 change: APL housing aid ends for non-EU non-scholarship students
Housing aid (APL, paid by the CAF) used to cut a student's rent by roughly €100–€200/month and was open to international students. That is changing.
From 1 July 2026, non-EU / non-EEA / non-Swiss students who are not scholarship holders lose eligibility for APL (Finance Bill 2026, art. 67). The Ministry estimates this affects under 100,000 students (~3% of all students in France).
| Your situation | APL after 1 July 2026? |
|---|---|
| EU / EEA / Swiss student | Yes - unchanged |
| Non-EU student with a French scholarship (boursier) | Yes - unchanged |
| Non-EU student without a scholarship | No - no longer eligible |
If you are non-EU and self-funded, budget your rent without APL. CROUS housing, the Visale free rent guarantee, and other CROUS support remain open regardless of nationality - see our Living-in-France guide.
Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur - housing aid for international students ↗
Common questions
Is studying in France really cheap?
At a public university, yes - tuition is €178–€397/year because the State funds the rest. Your real cost is living expenses (≈ €800–€1,300/month) plus the CVEC (€105). Private schools and grandes écoles cost far more (thousands per year).
Will I pay the high non-EU fees of €2,895 / €3,941?
Maybe not. Until now most universities exempted the majority of non-EU students, so most paid the €178/€254 EU rate. But the 19 May 2026 decree caps exemptions at 30% for 2026–2027 (then lower), so it is no longer guaranteed - ask the university directly before you enrol.
How much money do I need to prove for the visa?
At least €615 per month (≈ €7,380 for a 12-month year), via a bank statement, scholarship certificate or guarantor declaration. It is halved if you are housed for free, and higher in Paris.
Can I still get APL housing aid?
EU/EEA/Swiss students and scholarship holders: yes. Non-EU students without a scholarship: no, from 1 July 2026. CROUS housing and the Visale guarantee stay open to everyone.
How do I cut costs the most?
Get a CROUS room, eat at the CROUS restaurant (€3.30), take a student transport pass, register with public health for free, and - if eligible - claim APL and apply for a scholarship. A province city can cost €400+/month less than Paris.
Sources
- Campus France - Tuition fees in France (2025–2026)official · 2026-06-20
- Service-Public - differentiated university fees & décret n° 2026-385 (19 May 2026)official · 2026-06-20
- CVEC - official portal (2026–2027: €105)official · 2026-06-20
- Campus France - Preparing your budget (living costs & €615/month proof)official · 2026-06-20
- Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur - APL for international students (1 July 2026 change)official · 2026-06-20
- Ameli - public health cover for international studentsofficial · 2026-06-20
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