Study in France: Admission, Cost, Visa and Scholarships (2027)

France runs higher education on the LMD system: Licence (bachelor, 3 years), Master (2 years) and Doctorat (3 years), aligned with the rest of the European Higher Education Area so credits transfer under ECTS. Two kinds of institution take degree students. Public universities teach mostly in French and charge fees set by the government. Grandes ecoles, which include the engineering, business and political science schools, run their own admissions and set their own fees, often teaching at master's level in English.

Since a 2019 reform, public universities charge non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss students a differentiated tuition rate set by the government: EUR 2,902 a year for a Licence and EUR 3,950 a year for a Master, in force for the 2026-2027 academic year under Decree No. 2026-385 of 19 May 2026. Doctoral fees are not differentiated. Many universities waive some or all of this rate for non-EU students and charge instead the EUR 178 (Licence) or EUR 255 (Master) that EU students pay; each university sets its own exemption policy and the government caps how many students a university can exempt at 30% of its non-EU intake for 2026-2027, falling to 25% and then 20% in later years. Grandes ecoles set their own fees outside this system: Sciences Po charges non-EU students EUR 14,900 a year at bachelor's level and EUR 20,640 at master's level, and Ecole Polytechnique's international bachelor's programme charges EUR 19,600 a year.

The academic year starts in September. Most non-EU applicants to a first year of a bachelor's degree submit a DAP (Demande d'Admission Prealable) application; where a university does not use DAP, EU-style platforms such as Parcoursup, eCandidat or Mon Master apply instead. Applicants from around 73 countries, mostly across Africa, the Middle East, the Americas and Asia, must also register on the Etudes en France platform, which manages the file up to the visa request. Bangladesh is not one of these 73 countries, so a Bangladeshi applicant for a first bachelor year applies directly to the cooperation and cultural action department of the French Embassy in Dhaka, and a Bangladeshi applicant for a master's or doctorate applies directly to the institution; the visa application follows once a place is offered.

Most bachelor's teaching is in French and asks for at least a B2 certificate (TCF, DELF or DALF) unless the applicant already studied in French. English-taught programmes, common at master's level and at the grandes ecoles, set their own IELTS or TOEFL minimum; there is no single national English threshold.

Campus France puts a basic monthly budget for food, transport and housing at EUR 600 to 800 outside Paris, and higher inside it. A student residence permit holder can work up to 964 hours a year, about 60% of full-time working hours, without applying for a separate work permit. A graduate who completes at least a master's degree, regardless of nationality, can apply for a one-year residence permit to look for work or start a business linked to their studies.