France Study Abroad Guide — Universities, Fees & Scholarships

Choosing Universities and Programs

Compare study routes, application platforms, programme length and practical preparation before choosing a French institution.

Start with the programme

Begin by choosing the qualification, field and study duration rather than selecting a city first. The official France-Visas study guidance directs applicants to enrol in the higher education establishment of their choice, check any entrance examination or pre-enrolment interview, and then verify the conditions attached to the course. Its study portal points applicants toward Campus France for information about programmes, international student services and mobility, while ONISEP provides general information about careers and training in France. Use these official routes to compare bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, engineering, medical and exchange options, and record whether each programme is selective, whether an examination is required, whether the teaching language matches your ability, and whether the institution gives a written admission certificate. The France-Visas study and training guide also distinguishes ordinary higher-education study from student traineeships, language stays and school attendance by minors.

For an exchange programme, confirm that your home institution and the French institution have an agreement and ask whether the stay is treated as international mobility. Students spending time in France through an agreement with their home institution do not pay the CVEC, and the official student guidance identifies Erasmus+-type exchanges as an example. This can materially change your budget and paperwork. For a full degree, ask the admissions office whether you will receive a national diploma or an institution-specific diploma, because the available fee information does not cover every school or university diploma. The official fee data excludes institution-specific diplomas and varies for government-dependent private institutions, so obtain a written fee schedule before paying an application or enrolment charge. Keep a comparison sheet with programme title, qualification, campus, duration, admission route, language evidence, registration fee, CVEC treatment, accommodation support and visa category.

Application routes

Your application route depends on nationality, residence and level of study. France-Visas states that applicants must be accepted by a higher education institution, but that enrolment procedures differ according to nationality. Applicants from countries covered by the Etudes en France procedure must check the official platform, while applicants from other countries should verify the institution-specific procedure through Campus France. The listed Etudes en France countries include Pakistan, India, China, Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Brazil, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and many other countries. For a first-year bachelor’s application, the prior-admission procedure can apply to non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationals holding a foreign secondary-school diploma. The Service-Public prior-admission guidance records a campaign in which applicants could submit three wishes and had to meet a December 15 deadline.

Do not assume that every programme uses the same calendar. The prior-admission example states that universities had until April 30 to send an admission proposal and that applicants had until May 31 to respond, but those dates belonged to the 2024–2025 campaign described on that page. Treat them as a model for the sequence, not as a current universal deadline. The safer process is to open the official programme page, identify the exact academic year, then confirm the deadline with the institution or the relevant Campus France office. Applicants seeking selective programmes should also check whether an entrance examination, interview or competition is part of admission. If you need to travel to France only to take such an examination, France-Visas describes a student-competition short-stay visa valid for a maximum of 90 days in a 180-day period, subject to the stated conditions.

Build a decision matrix

Admission Requirements and Language Scores

Prepare academic documents, language evidence and platform-specific submissions while checking requirements directly with each programme.

Academic eligibility

The first admission requirement is an offer or acceptance from a French higher education institution. France-Visas states that applicants must have chosen their course and must be accepted by the institution before applying for the student visa. The required evidence includes an enrolment certificate from the institution that accepted you, and the visa assistant identifies the supporting documents that must accompany the application. For first-year university admission, the prior-admission procedure may apply to foreign students who are not nationals of the European Union, European Economic Area or Switzerland and who hold a foreign secondary-school leaving diploma. That procedure can require a white file for applicants living abroad or a green file for applicants living in France, with the file submitted through the route specified for the applicant’s location.

Prepare one consistent document set before opening an application: passport identity page, secondary or higher-education diplomas, transcripts, proof of language ability where requested, motivation statement, résumé where requested, recommendation letters where requested, and certified translations where the institution requires them. The official prior-admission guidance notes that a paid language test may be required for applicants submitting the white file, with a minimum amount of €74 in the campaign described. Do not treat that amount as a universal fee for all programmes. Instead, check the programme’s instructions and retain payment evidence. For later residence procedures, the official renewal list includes registration or pre-registration, transcripts from the previous year, the last French degree obtained, a certificate of success and proof of resources, so preserve academic records throughout your stay.

Language evidence

The supplied official extracts do not establish one nationwide IELTS, TOEFL, DELF or DALF score for every French programme. Language requirements therefore have to be verified at programme level. France-Visas requires applicants to choose a course and follow the institution’s enrolment conditions, while the France-Visas guidance for school-going minors specifically refers to proof of knowledge of French. This means that an English-speaking applicant should not assume that an English-taught course removes every French-language obligation: daily administration, housing, employment and local services may still require practical communication, while the institution may set its own academic-language rule. Ask the admissions office which test versions it accepts, the minimum overall score, any minimum sub-score, the result’s validity period and whether an interview or internal test is also required.

Use the language requirement as a planning gate. If the programme is delivered in French, obtain the exact French level or test certificate named by the institution before the application deadline. If the programme is delivered in English, obtain the institution’s written English-language requirement and still plan enough French for accommodation contracts, prefecture correspondence, healthcare registration, campus services and part-time employment. Where a language test is required for a prior-admission file, schedule it early enough to receive the result before submission. Keep the test report, registration receipt and any institutional confirmation together, because the visa file must demonstrate a coherent study plan and an accepted course rather than simply a general wish to study in France.

Platform and deadline control

Create a calendar that separates admission deadlines from visa deadlines. The Etudes en France platform describes a sequence in which an applicant discovers programmes and sends a candidature, the file is reviewed, the institution responds and the applicant makes a choice. For the prior-admission campaign described by Service-Public, the application deadline was December 15, universities had until April 30 to send proposals and applicants had until May 31 to answer. Because those dates are tied to a particular academic year, confirm the dates for your own intake before relying on them. Applicants from countries covered by the EEF route should also allow time for the platform process before the visa application, while applicants from other countries must follow the relevant France-Visas and institution instructions.

1. Confirm the academic level, diploma type and exact programme language.
2. Check whether your nationality and residence trigger Etudes en France, Parcoursup or a direct institutional application.
3. Request the programme’s accepted language tests and minimum scores in writing.
4. Prepare translations, test reports and academic transcripts before the stated deadline.
5. Obtain the final admission or enrolment certificate before beginning the student visa process.

Tuition Fees and Scholarships

Estimate registration fees, CVEC, living costs and scholarship routes while checking whether differentiated fees apply to you.

Registration fees

France’s public higher-education fees are subsidised, but the amount depends on the student category, degree cycle, institution and programme. The official student guidance describes 2024–2025 public-institution rates of €175 per year at licence level, €250 at master level, €618 for an engineering school and €391 at doctoral level for European students. For eligible non-EU students enrolling for the first time in a bachelor’s, master’s or engineering programme at a Ministry for Higher Education and Research institution, and who are not permanently settled in France, differentiated fees are listed as €2,850 per year for a licence and €3,879 for a master. The official tuition-fee guidance also states that some non-EU students pay the same registration fees as French and EU students because of status, residence, protection or doctoral enrolment.

Check the institution rather than assuming that a national figure applies automatically. Engineering schools operated by the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Economy and the Ministry of Agriculture may have different charges, and examination fees may also apply. The Eurydice national information page explains that the reported data concern public higher-education institutions and courses under the Ministry for Higher Education and Research, while institution-specific diplomas and some private higher-education fees are not included. A school may therefore quote a different amount from a public-university table. Ask for the total first-year amount, the payment schedule, any examination or application charge, whether a waiver is available and whether the fee changes in later years.

CVEC and exemptions

Budget separately for the Student and Campus Life Contribution, or CVEC. The official Service-Public page gives €105 for the 2025–2026 academic year, while an older Etudiant.gouv page records €103 for an earlier year; use the amount for your own academic year rather than combining the two figures. The contribution is paid or cleared before enrolment, and the institution requires the payment or exemption certificate. Students on international exchanges under an agreement with a French higher-education institution are not concerned, and the official guidance also lists students in BTS, DMA, accounting courses and continuing education among categories that do not pay. Grant-funded students, refugees, beneficiaries of subsidiary protection and asylum seekers with the right to remain can qualify for exemption under the stated conditions.

If you are eligible for exemption but pay first, follow the official refund procedure and observe the deadline. The 2025–2026 Service-Public information says that a student who becomes eligible during the academic year can apply for a refund by May 31 of the current year. If you enrol in several courses during the same academic year, the CVEC is paid only once for the first enrolment. Keep the certificate with your enrolment documents, because an institution cannot complete registration without the relevant receipt or clearance certificate. Include CVEC status in your financial plan alongside tuition, visa charges, housing deposit, insurance, transport and monthly living expenses.

Scholarship strategy

Start scholarship research before departure. The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs states that most French government scholarships are awarded through the Cooperation and Cultural Action Departments of French embassies and consulates general. Applicants should contact the SCAC in their country of residence sufficiently in advance to ask about eligibility, the selection timetable and required materials. The available categories include study scholarships, training grants and high-level science scholarships. The Eiffel Excellence Scholarship supports master-level courses and a ten-month mobility programme under dual enrolment or joint thesis supervision, preferably in the second or third doctoral year. Applications for Eiffel are submitted by French higher-education institutions, not directly by students, so identify a suitable institution and ask whether it will nominate candidates.

Compare several funding sources instead of relying on one award. The official scholarship guidance also lists Ministry of Higher Education support, Erasmus+ assistance for study or training mobility, University Agency for Francophonie programmes, regional and local-government scholarships, foreign-government awards and private or foundation programmes. Erasmus+ assistance may partly cover travel and subsistence, with the amount varying according to the host country. The Eurydice information records need-based and merit-based support, including a need-based annual range of €1,454 to €6,335 for 2023–2024 and a merit-based grant of up to three years at €900 per year for eligible recipients. These figures are year-specific, and eligibility rules differ, so verify the current call before treating them as available funding.

Student Visa and Residence Procedures

Follow the correct visa route, prove admission and resources, validate your stay after arrival and renew on time.

Select the visa category

The correct visa depends primarily on the duration and purpose of study. France-Visas states that a course lasting less than three months generally uses a short-stay visa, while a course or higher-education programme lasting more than three months uses a long-stay visa that functions as a residence permit subject to arrival formalities. A short-stay Schengen visa cannot exceed 90 days in any period of 180 consecutive days. It may be relevant for a short training course, examination or other permitted short stay, but it is not the normal route for a degree programme lasting more than three months. Use the France-Visas study page and the online visa assistant to identify the procedure and supporting documents for your nationality and residence.

For a normal long degree programme, the VLS-TS student visa is normally issued for between four months and one year. Service-Public states that the applicant must be registered or pre-registered with a public or private higher-education institution or higher vocational training organisation and must normally justify resources of at least €615 per month. The means test does not apply in the particular case described for applicants who have passed the entrance examination of a higher-education institution that has signed an agreement with the State. The visa file should include the institution’s enrolment certificate and the documents identified by the visa assistant. Do not purchase non-refundable travel or housing arrangements until you have checked the consular process and the timing for your country.

Prepare the application

Prepare visa evidence in the same order as the official checklist: identity and travel document, admission or pre-enrolment, financial resources, accommodation and any nationality-specific documents. France-Visas says that an applicant must provide either a provisional address for the first three months or a definitive address if accommodation has already been found. If you are applying from a country covered by Etudes en France, the platform may combine pre-enrolment formalities with the visa process; otherwise, follow the route specified by France-Visas. Visa fees are listed as €50 for countries using the EEF procedure and €99 for other countries on the France-Visas student page, although the page warns that special cases may have different charges.

Plan the appointment and processing time conservatively. The Pakistan country page, for example, says that long-stay applications should be submitted well in advance because processing takes a minimum of 30 days after the embassy interview, excluding the time needed to obtain an appointment. This country-specific example cannot be applied automatically to every applicant, but it illustrates why a complete file and early appointment matter. France-Visas also recommends scanning documents carefully where the digital upload feature is available. Check that every upload is readable, that names and dates match the passport and admission letter, and that financial evidence reaches the required monthly threshold without unexplained gaps.

Validate and renew

After entering France with a VLS-TS student visa, validate it online within three months of arrival and pay the €50 tax stated by Service-Public. Validation regularises the stay and allows the holder to cross the Schengen border under the applicable rules. When the visa or residence document approaches expiry, the student must apply for renewal at the earliest four months and at the latest two months before the end of validity. The online application produces a dematerialised certificate of deposit, and the prefecture may require fingerprinting. Prepare proof of address less than six months old, an e-photo, registration or pre-registration, transcripts, the last degree obtained in France, a certificate of success, proof of resources of at least €615 per month and the signed commitment to respect the principles of the Republic.

A student residence card is normally valid for one year and renewable, while a multi-year student card can be valid from two to four years in the circumstances described by Service-Public. The renewal tax and stamp duty listed for a student residence permit is €75, and a late application may trigger an additional €180 regularisation visa fee except in the stated force-majeure or valid-visa situations. If the prefecture does not respond within 90 days, Service-Public describes this as an implied refusal and provides a two-month period for specified administrative or judicial remedies. Keep digital and paper copies of every submission, certificate and appointment notice.

Campus Life and Student Support

Arrange housing, healthcare, campus services, safety support and lawful part-time work before and after arrival.

Housing before arrival

Secure an address early because accommodation evidence may be required for the visa file, and housing availability is not guaranteed by admission. The student housing guidance explains that most international students do not meet the conditions for the main DSE phase, but international students continuing their studies in France can submit a Crous housing request during the complementary phase, which opens on July 9 according to the published article. Check the official Crous housing platform, contact your future institution’s international or housing office, and search Lokaviz for individual rooms or shared housing. The international student housing guide also identifies the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris, which hosts nearly 6,000 students, researchers, artists and high-level athletes.

Compare the legal and practical quality of a room before signing. Lokaviz-labelled offers are described as meeting standards related to decent housing, surface, safety, energy performance, rent and charges, landlord-tenant practice, and location near higher-education, sports and cultural facilities. If you need a guarantor, the housing guidance points to Visale for students aged 18 to 30, while APL, ALS and ALF are listed as possible housing assistance routes. Keep the lease, proof of address, inventory, deposit receipt and insurance certificate. If a private landlord asks for a payment before providing a contract or refuses to identify the accommodation, stop and verify through the institution or an official housing service.

Campus services

The CVEC supports health, social, cultural and sports services on campus. The official student information describes university health centres, prevention activities, social-assistant teams, student projects, sports activities, concerts, exhibitions and artistic workshops as areas that the contribution is designed to support. This gives new students a practical starting list: identify the health centre, social service, disability support, student association office, sports centre and international office during the first weeks. If you are exempt from CVEC because you are an exchange student, refugee, beneficiary of subsidiary protection or another eligible category, you should still ask the institution how to access ordinary campus services.

Healthcare administration should be included in your arrival checklist. The France-Visas student information states that affiliation to French social security is free and compulsory for non-EU students under 28, while European Economic Area students may be exempt when they hold a European Health Insurance Card or qualifying private insurance for the whole academic year. The same source states that social security reimburses an average of 60% of medical expenses and that student mutual insurance can supplement coverage. Verify your own eligibility, register through the official health-insurance route, keep proof of coverage and ask the university whether it offers an international-student orientation session.

Work and safety

A non-EU student with a valid VLS-TS student visa or student residence card may work up to 964 hours per year without a separate work authorisation under the general rule. The employer must make a nominative declaration to the prefecture at least two working days before the employment begins, and the student’s employer is responsible for that declaration. The official student employment guidance warns that exceeding 964 hours can lead to withdrawal or refusal to renew the residence document. Students coming for six months have a proportional maximum, illustrated as 482 hours for six months, and students from Algeria are subject to separate rules, including a 50% limit and a work authorisation requirement.

Treat part-time work as supplementary income, not as the sole source for tuition and living costs. The official France-Visas student page explicitly describes the 964-hour limit as 60% of normal annual working time and says that part-time work cannot cover all expenses. A student residence card does not permit auto-entrepreneur activity under the Service-Public guidance. For personal safety, foreign nationals can use the free online complaint service for property offences such as theft, burglary, damage or scams where the perpetrator is unknown. Preserve evidence and note that the police or gendarmerie may contact you to complete the declaration in person.

• Save the Crous, Lokaviz, Visale and institutional housing contacts before arrival.
• Carry proof of address, insurance, enrolment and visa validation when completing local procedures.
• Locate the campus health centre, social service, international office and student association desk.
• Ask an employer to complete the prefecture declaration before your job starts.
• Keep work hours below the applicable annual limit and retain payslips and contracts.

Post-Graduation Work Visa

Plan the transition from student status to employment, job search, apprenticeship or another lawful residence route.

Plan before graduation

A student visa or student residence card is tied to study, so begin planning the next status before the document expires. Service-Public requires a student renewal application four months to two months before expiry while you remain in study, but post-graduation planning requires a separate review of the work or residence route that matches your qualification and employment. Keep your final transcript, certificate of success, diploma, employment contract, payslips and proof of address. France-Visas states that a graduate with a French higher-education diploma at least equivalent to a master’s can benefit from a circulation visa in the particular context described for regular visits, but this should not be confused with an authorisation to settle or work indefinitely.

Use the final year to test the employment route through internships, campus careers services and lawful student work. A non-EU student can work 964 hours per year during study with the required student title, but a student residence card does not permit auto-entrepreneur activity. An apprenticeship can be possible under the conditions described by Service-Public: generally, the student must have been in France for more than one year, although the one-year condition is not required in the stated case of a master-level or recognised equivalent programme. A validated apprenticeship contract can allow work beyond 964 hours within the course, while a professionalisation contract has separate rules and may require employer authorisation beyond the annual limit.

Employment transition

Choose an employment contract that can support the next application and verify the employer’s administrative obligations before starting. The student employment guidance distinguishes ordinary salaried work, apprenticeship, professionalisation contracts and paid work sequences within a course such as a salaried doctoral arrangement. Where work exceeds 964 hours, the employer may need to apply for and obtain work authorisation before the activity begins. The employer must also make the nominative declaration to the prefecture at least two working days before the start date. Keep the signed contract, job description, salary information, employer identity and proof of the declaration, because these documents demonstrate that the employment is genuine and that the correct procedure was followed.

A short-term contract may be used for replacement, a temporary increase in activity or seasonal work, and the official employment guidance states that the term must be specified in the contract. A permanent contract, or CDI, is described as the conventional contract type when there is no reason to use a short-term contract. A student should therefore compare the contract’s duration, probation period, working hours, salary, termination conditions and renewal prospects rather than accepting any offer solely because it appears quickly. Ask the employer whether the role is compatible with the residence route you intend to use and whether the employer will provide the documents required by the relevant administration.

Long-term planning

If your objective is immigration or long-term residence, treat graduation as the beginning of a new administrative phase rather than an automatic right to remain. The supplied official sources establish student permits, student work limits, work-authorisation procedures and some special residence categories, but they do not establish a single universal post-study visa duration or automatic permanent-residence route for every graduate. Your nationality, degree, contract, salary, profession, employer and current residence document may affect the available option. Consult Service-Public, France-Visas and the prefecture responsible for your address before the student document expires, and ask the institution’s international office whether it can review your file.

Create a personal deadline table at least four months before your student permit ends. Record the date your current document expires, the date by which the next application must be filed, the required employment or graduation evidence, the employer’s declaration or authorisation step, the appointment or online submission route, and the consequences of a late filing. The renewal guidance says that an online application produces a dematerialised deposit certificate and that a prefecture may require fingerprints. If a decision is delayed, keep the certificate and monitor the file. Do not continue working after a permit or authorisation has expired without confirming that your status and work rights remain valid.