French Public Universities 2026/27 Fees for Non-EU Students: €2,902 a Year for Bachelor’s, €3,950 for Master’s, Waiver Rules Changed

Campus France updated its guide to higher education costs on June 25, 2026: non-EU students in bachelor's (Licence), master's or engineering programs at public institutions under France's Ministry of Higher Education pay "differentiated" registration fees; doctorates are excluded.

Registration fees for 2026/27 (per year)

• Non-EU students: €2,902 for a bachelor's; €3,950 for a master's; €398 for a doctorate.
• EU, EEA and Swiss students: €178 for a bachelor's; €255 for a master's; €630 for engineering programs under the ministry (€2,620 at the Écoles Centrales and Mines Nancy); €398 for a doctorate.
• Public institutions include all French universities (such as Sorbonne University and Université Paris-Saclay), the universities of technology, experimental public institutions (EPE) and university groupings.
• Engineering schools under the Armed Forces (such as École polytechnique), Economy, Agriculture and Culture ministries, and arts schools, set different fees; check each school's website, and note some charge exam or application fees.

Non-EU students who do not pay differentiated fees

• Holders of a long-term resident card, or those who have filed taxes in France or belonged to a French tax household for over two years.
• Refugees or beneficiaries of subsidiary protection and their children; Quebec residents.
• Students in doctorates, the HDR and third-cycle medical, dental and pharmacy degrees (except short cycles).
• Students in preparatory classes for the grandes écoles (CPGE) with a dual Licence registration at a university.

Waivers

• Automatic full waivers: French government scholarship holders, and students coming under an agreement providing for reciprocal full fee waivers (inter-institutional agreements, European and international programs).
• Waivers granted by institutions: on request, based on personal circumstances (from a country in crisis, refugee status, disability, family financial hardship, etc.).
• Decree 2026-385 of May 19, 2026 changed the conditions for institutional waivers, with transitional rules: students with a waiver for 2025/26 keep the old rules until they finish their current cycle (the full bachelor's or master's) at the same institution, as do those granted a 2026/27 waiver before the decree was published.

Advice for students and families

• For bachelor's or master's study at a French public university, budget about €2,900–3,950 a year in fees plus living costs.
• If you are going through an exchange or partnership between your home university and a French institution, check whether it is a reciprocal fee-waiver agreement.
• If you hope for an institutional waiver, check your target school's policy under the new decree early.

Sources: Campus France, Tuition fees in France; Le coût des études supérieures en France (French). Check the official sources for the latest policy.