France 2023/24 - student fees and grants

National student fee

In France students at public universities pay registration fees, but they are low and set nationally. In 2023/24, home and EU students paid EUR 170 a year for a Bachelor's (licence) and EUR 243 a year for a Master's. On top of that, most students pay the Student Life and Campus Contribution (CVEC), which was EUR 100 in 2023/24.

Some programmes cost more: first-cycle paramedical programmes cost more than other Bachelor's programmes, and engineering diplomas cost more than a Master's. Your grades and how long you study do not change the fee. Short-cycle STS programmes in public upper secondary schools are free.

Students from outside the EU/EEA who do not live permanently in France and enrol for the first time pay higher fees. The total yearly registration fee for them is EUR 2,770 at Bachelor's level and EUR 3,770 at Master's level, which still covers only about one third of the real cost.

Holders of need-based grants do not pay registration fees or the CVEC, and refugees and asylum seekers are also exempt from the CVEC. Fees at private institutions and for university-specific diplomas are set separately.

Student grants

France has need-based and merit-based grants for full-time home and international students, and they can be combined with other help such as mobility grants. The age limit for study grants is 28.

Need-based grants (bourses sur critères sociaux) are usually paid in 10 monthly instalments, and in 2023/24 they ranged from EUR 1,454 to EUR 6,335 a year. Students who keep their grant during the summer holidays get 12 instalments, from EUR 1,745 to EUR 7,602 a year. Grant holders are also exempt from tuition fees.

Students in difficulty who do not get a need-based grant can receive a specific annual allowance from the National Emergency Aid Fund, between EUR 1,454 and EUR 6,335 a year in 2023/24.

The merit-based grant of EUR 900 a year is available only to need-based grant holders, depends on your baccalaureate results and is paid for up to 3 years in 9 instalments. If you repeat a year, you lose it, unless the reason was medical.

Loans

Full-time home students can take a state-guaranteed bank loan of up to EUR 20,000 for all their higher education studies. Banks give these loans under an agreement with BPI France, without checking your income and without a guarantee from your parents or anyone else.

You must be under 28 when you take the loan, be enrolled in a French higher education diploma or preparing for a competitive exam, and be French or an EU/EEA national (EU/EEA nationals need at least 5 years of legal residence in France). The loan runs for at least 2 years and repayment can be deferred.

Tax benefit for student's parents

Parents can get tax benefits for dependent students under 25. Students below 26 are also eligible for tax relief.

Family allowances

Family allowances are paid to families with at least 2 dependent children under the age of 20.