Tuition Fees

Because the French government subsidizes higher education, its cost for students is relatively low.

TUITION RATES IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

Choosing to study in France means gaining access to high-quality programmes designed for a wide range of student interests. Tuition fees are low in public Higher education institutions because the French government subsidizes higher education. The true cost of education is the same as it is elsewhere in the world—around €10,000 a year. The difference is that in France the government assumes a large share of that cost.

Tuition fees for academic year 2023/24

For European students (nationals of a member country of the European Union, the European Economic Area, Andorra or Switzerland)*

The French government will continue to pay most of the cost of your degree programme in a public institution of higher education. Tuition charges are similar to those in academic year 2018/2019.

• €170 per year at the licence (bachelor) level
• €243 per year at the master level
• €601 per year in a school of engineering**
• €380 per year at the doctoral level

* Some non-EU students pay registration fees identical to those paid by French and EU students based on their status, the degree for which they are studying or their situation in 2018/2019. These are:

• students who are residents of Quebec,
• international students who hold a long-term residence card or students who have declared their taxable household or have been associated with a taxable household in France for more than 2 years,
• students who benefit from refugee status or subsidiary protection, or children of recipients of such statuses,
• international students enrolled within a doctoral programme, within a HDR (authority to supervise research) and students in the 3rd cycle of their medical, dental and pharmaceutical studies,
• international students enrolled in a 'classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles' (preparatory class for Grandes Ecoles), whatever their nationality, and with dual enrolment in a university degree course,
• students enrolled within a public higher education establishment that falls within the scope of the MESR, at all levels (Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate) for the 2018/2019 academic year, 
• students enrolled in a centre for the study of French as a foreign language (français langue étrangère, FLE) in France prior to the commencement of the 2019/2020 academic year.

** Except for programmes that begun after 1 September 2018 at the Ecole Centrale in Lille, Lyon, Marseille, and Nantes, and at the Ecole des Mines in Nancy, where the annual tuition will be €2,500.

Keep in mind…

• The schools of engineering operated by the Ministry of Defense (ENSTA Paris Tech, ISAE, Polytechnique), the Ministry of the Economy (Mines Paris Tech, the schools of the Institut Mines Telecom), and the Ministry of Agriculture (AgroParisTech, Montpellier Sup Agro) have different tuition charges. Check the rates on the websites of the schools that interest you.
• You may also be subject to examination fees when applying to schools of engineering.

For non EU-students 

You will be required to pay differentiated registration fees if:

1. You are enrolling for the 1st time for a Bachelor's or Master's degree, or for an engineering programme, for the start of the 2023/2024 academic year;
    
2. Within a higher education establishment that falls within the scope of the MESR;
    
3. Provided that you are not permanently settled in France. 

The state will thus cover two-thirds of the cost of your training. The total registration fee that you will be required to pay will be:

• €2,770 per year at the licence (bachelor) level
• €3,770 per year at the master level

If you enroll in a degree at Doctorate level at the beginning of the 2023 academic year, the French government continues to assume most of the cost of your education until you complete your degree programme. Your tuition for 2023/2024 will be €380. Non-EU doctoral students are not subject to new differentiated tuition fees.

TUITION COSTS IN PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS IN FRANCE

Tuition in private institutions, and particularly in private business schools, is substantially higher than in public institutions, ranging from €3,000 to €10,000 per year. Check the website of the institution to learn the amount of tuition charged for programmes of interest to you.

18% of all students in France attend private institutions. Private status signifies that the institution was not founded by the state. The level of public funding each receives is variable. In some cases, the state may officially recognize an institution and authorize it to grant national diplomas. In such cases, the government has a say over the instruction offered in those degree programmes, ensuring students of a certain level of service and quality. Among the private institutions recognized by the French government are the five Catholic institutes (in Paris, Lille, Angers, Lyon, and Toulouse) and some schools of business or engineering.