QUESTIONS REGARDING THE DIFFERENTIATED TUITION FEES? READ THE CHOOSE FRANCE FAQ

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On 19 November 2018, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe introduced “Bienvenue en France,” his administration’s plan to make France more attractive to internationally mobile students. International students should know that they will be subject to higher tuition rates under the plan. The information presented here, which is based on the government’s announcements, is intended to allow students to make their study decisions under the best possible conditions. Formal regulations governing the plan are due to be published in France’s Journal Officiel.

TUITION PAYMENTS AND EXEMPTIONS

Will tuition rates for some foreign students go up in September 2019?

At this stage, it is expected that so-called differentiated tuition rates (that is, rates different from those paid by French students) will take effect at the beginning of the fall 2019 semester for certain international students :

Not affected are students already enrolled in the French Higher education system in 2018/2019 and students from within the European Union, the European Economic Area, Andorra, Switzerland, and countries that have a tuition agreement with France.
Subject to the new rates are students (expect students already cited) enrolling for the first time in a new degree programme at the undergraduate or graduate level (first enrollment in Bachelor, Master or Doctorate degree).

International student already enrolled in French Higher education system for the academic year 2018/2019 won’t be subject to the new, differentiated tuition rates. Due to the national framework provided by the French government and the exemptions decisions made by the French institutions, they will continue to pay the same tuition fees as French and European students.

Fall 2019 is also expected to be the effective date of increases in the number of scholarships and tuition exemptions granted by the French government (including French government scholarships, Eiffel scholarships, and the Bienvenue en France / Choose France tuition exemptions) or by universities and other institutions of higher education.

One purpose of these scholarships and exemptions, when offered by institutions of higher education, will be to enable students completing one level of study to continue on for a new degree at the next level.

Are foreigners residing in France exempted from paying the new differentiated tuition rates?

International students who are legal residents of France or the European Union are not affected by the new differentiated tuition rates. They will continue to pay the same tuition as students who are nationals of member countries of the European Union.

The same applies to foreign students who are in France as members of families headed by legal residents (with visas marked “vie privée et familiale”).

Are students from countries that have begun the process of joining the EU (i.e., Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey) subject to the new differentiated tuition rates?

Students who are nationals of countries that are not yet members of the European Union or the European Economic Area are affected by the differentiated tuition rates that will take effect in fall 2019.

Are recipients of French government scholarships exempt? Will they enjoy priority access to services from France’s regional student services agencies (CROUS)?

Recipients of French government scholarships are and will remain exempt from tuition when enrolling in a programme that leads to a national diploma. They and other international scholarship recipients will have priority access to a dedicated share of the housing managed by CROUS.

Are recipients of scholarships from foreign governments and foundations exempt from payment of differentiated tuition rates?

Recipients of scholarships awarded by foreign governments will continue to be ineligible for tuition exemptions from French universities.

However, recipients of foreign government scholarships whose studies are cofinanced by France (e.g., in the form of health insurance coverage) will be treated as recipients of French government scholarships and will therefore be exempt from tuition.

Will students who are already enrolled in a French-as-a-foreign-language programme in preparation for enrollment in a licence, master, or doctoral programme be exempt from payment of differentiated tuition rates?

International students (except for the categories already cited) who are presently enrolled in a programme to prepare them to begin a degree programme (licence, master, doctorate) and who will enroll in said degree programme for the first time in fall 2019 will be able to benefit from a tuition exemption granted by the university or school enrolling them.

Are students who have earned a French baccalauréat or graduated from a French lycée abroad exempt from payment of differentiated tuition rates?

International students (except for the categories already cited) who earned a French baccalauréatabroad or studied in a French lycée abroad are not, by virtue of this fact alone, exempt from the differentiated tuition rates.

On the other hand, those who passed the baccalauréat in France and who are legal residents of the European Union (EU) or are present in France and hold a visa marked “vie privée et familiale” will continue to enjoy tuition rates identical to those of nationals of member countries of the EU.

Will international students enrolled in postsecondary technical certificate (BTS) programmes or preparatory programmes for admission to the grandes écoles (CPGE) be subject to the new tuition differentiated rates?

International students (except for the categories already cited) who, in fall 2019, enroll or continue in a BTS or CPGE programme in a public institution will not be subject to tuition.

However, International students enrolled in preparatory classes who also enroll in a French university for the first time in fall 2019 (for example, to benefit from equivalences and the opportunity for further study) will be subject to the differentiated tuition rates.

The universities may, under their international recruitment policy, issue full or partial tuition exemptions to such dually enrolled students.

Will international students enrolled in two-year university technical degree (DUT) programmes or in university-based schools of engineering have to pay the new differentiated tuition rates?

International students (except for the categories already cited) enrolled in university programmes leading to national diplomas are covered by the new policy of differentiated tuition rates. This includes DUT programmes and university-based engineering programmes.

What tuition rates will apply to joint doctoral candidates whose dissertation is being supervised by two advisers, one of whom is affiliated with a French university?

International students (except for the categories already cited) are subject to the new differentiated tuition rates.

However, universities and schools will continue to have the discretion to provide full or partial exemptions from tuition under their partnership agreements with foreign institutions, including agreements for joint supervision of dissertation research.

Furthermore, a portion of the Bienvenue en France / Choose France exemptions awarded by France’s embassies will benefit doctoral candidates.

Doctoral candidates will benefit from specific support programmes designed to enhance the recruiting power of French research laboratories. The tuition charges of international doctoral candidates (except for the categories already cited) may in such cases be covered by general funding for the research projects in which the candidates are participating.

What tuition rates will apply to Erasmus + students from third countries?

International students (except for the categories already cited) who come to France under the Erasmus + programme are covered by cooperative agreements between institutions of higher education. As such, they are not subject to the differentiated tuition rates and will continue to pay rates identical to those of students who are nationals of EU member countries.

FOREIGN STUDENTS IN FRANCE

Are students who have already begun their studies in France affected by the new measure?

The differentiated tuition rates apply only to international students (except for the categories already cited) whose initial enrollment in a particular degree programme (licence, master, or doctorate) occurs in fall 2019—that is, students who are beginning their studies for that degree.

Are students with refugee status exempt from payment of tuition?

Students who are refugees or have subsidiary protection status are exempt from tuition.

FOREIGN STUDENTS OUTSIDE FRANCE

Is it possible to make tuition payments over time?

Students may already ask their institution to allow them to pay tuition in installments. Universities and schools will be authorized to allow students to pay differentiated tuition in installments.

How do I obtain a scholarship?

Students residing abroad may apply for a scholarship or for a Bienvenue en France / Choose France tuition exemption under the conditions set forth by French diplomatic posts in their country of residence. Those conditions are published on the embassy’s website.

Following the example of the French government, which has decided to triple the number of scholarships and tuition exemptions for international students, institutions of higher education may also decide to award scholarships as part of their international recruitment strategy. Institutions make such decisions when considering applications for admission.

EXEMPTION CASES

You are not subject to the new, differentiated tuition rates (that is, rates different from those paid by French nationals) if:

You are a national of a member country of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area(EEA), or Switzerland ;
You are a national of a country that has entered into an agreement with France providing for payment of tuition at the same rates as French students: Andorra, Canada (with your legal residence in Quebec) ;

You are a national of a country other than those listed in points 1 and 2 and ...

... You were enrolled in a public Higher education institution in 2018/2019.
... You were enrolled in 2018/2019 in a programme to prepare you to begin a licence, master, or doctoral programme (such as a programme in French as a foreign language) and you will begin that degree programme in 2019/20.
... You are coming to France under an inter-university partnership that exempts participants from paying tuition at the host institution—for example, an Erasmus + exchange programme.
... You are the recipient of a French government scholarship or of a tuition exemption grant awarded by the French embassy in your country of origin or the country in which you live.
... You are coming to France with a scholarship or tuition exemption awarded by the French institution in which you will enroll.
... You are coming to France with a scholarship or an exemption scholarship assigned by the institution in which you will be welcomed.
… You have refugee status or benefit from subsidiary protection.
… You are a legal resident of France or hold a residency permit marked "vie prive et familiale"