French government tightens selection of foreign students
Source · Education desk
— Summary
Higher-education minister Philippe Baptiste announced on Monday evening in Le Parisien a "Choose France for Higher Education" plan — act two of the 2018 "Bienvenue en France" scheme initiated by then-prime minister Edouard Philippe. From the 2026 academic year, tuition fees for most non-EU foreign students will jump: €2,895 for an undergraduate degree and €3,941 for a master's, compared with the standard French rates of €178 and €254 respectively.
The 2018 rules had been sidestepped — only around 10 universities out of 78 (La Rochelle, Le Havre, Grenoble Alpes, Paris Panthéon-Assas) fully applied differentiated fees — but mass exemptions will no longer be allowed. "Differentiated fees are the rule, exemption the exception," Baptiste insists. Each university can exempt up to 10% of non-EU students, and top performers will be eligible for a French government scholarship.
Within two to three years the reform is expected to generate about €250m per year for universities, seen as badly needed in a tight budget context. The government also wants to prioritise science and engineering to support reindustrialisation. The reform will apply by decree to new arrivals and to students changing cycle, excluding scholarship holders. Source: Les Echos, 21 April 2026, Marie-Christine Corbier.
The story in one line. Paris is multiplying non-EU tuition fees by roughly 15 to fund universities and steer foreign students toward science and engineering — while teeing up a pre-presidential wedge issue.
Key numbers
Undergraduate: €2,895 vs €178 today (×16)
Master’s: €3,941 vs €254 today (×15.5)
10% exemption quota per university
~€250m/year expected revenue within 2-3 years
10 universities out of 78 fully applied the 2018 scheme (La Rochelle, Le Havre, Grenoble Alpes, Paris Panthéon-Assas)
Enforced by decree from September 2026
Why it matters
Uniform enforcement of differentiated fees — which had failed since 2018 — pushes French higher-education policy toward the Anglo-Saxon model: full pricing plus targeted scholarships. The budgetary impact (€250m per year) is real but secondary to the political one: putting foreign students on the presidential-campaign agenda. The risk is diverting part of the non-EU student base toward more competitive foreign universities.
Takeaway
The ministry is betting that European peers remain more expensive, and that top non-EU students will keep choosing France via the scholarship route. If that bet works, the €250m yearly revenue sticks; if not, the inflow shrinks and Paris hands the UK, Germany and the Netherlands an argument.
Source: Les Echos, 21 April 2026, Marie-Christine Corbier.