Data reported relate to public higher education institutions and courses under the responsibility of the Ministry for higher education and research (MESR) and regulated by the Order of 19 April 2019. Fees applied for school or university diplomas (Diplômes d'Etablissement and DU-Diplômes universitaires), and by government-dependent private higher education institutions vary from one HEI to another and are not accounted for. Regarding short cycle programmes, answers refer to short-cycle higher education programmes carried out in public upper secondary schools (STS- sections de technicien supérieur) which are free of charge.

Part-time student status does not exist.

Short cycle programmes refer to short-cycle higher education programmes carried out in public upper secondary schools (STS- sections de technicien supérieur) which are free of charge. The same rule applies to international students.

Students also pay an annual Student Life and Campus Contribution - Contribution annuelle de vie étudiante et de campus/CVEC - to co-finance their social, cultural and sports activities, as well as the provision of health care in addition to the above fees. In 2023-24, it amounts to EUR 100. Recipients of grants based on social criteria (Bourses sur critères sociaux/BCS) and the annual specific aid (aide spécifique annuelle) are exempted from tuition fees and the CVEC contribution (the latter is also not paid by several other categories of students, including students in STS's short-cycle programme, refugees and asylum seekers). International students who come to France under an inter-university partnership are not subject to CVEC.

Academic performance or length of studies have no impact on the amount of fees.

The specific discipline has impact on the amount of fees:

- Fees for students in paramedical programmes (for ex: Diplôme d'Etat de psychomotricien) are higher than those applying to other 1st cycle programmes

- Fees for students preparing engineering diplomas (i.e. second cycle programmes) are higher than those applying to Master's degrees.
 

International students (non-EU/EEA citizens) who are not coming to France under an inter-university partnership are required to pay differentiated (i.e. higher) fees if: a) they don't have a permanent residence in France; b) it is their first enrolment for bachelor's, master's degree or for an engineering programme (2023/2024); c) the degree is followed in a higher education establishment that falls within the scope of the Ministry of higher education and research (MESR). Besides, some non-EU students pay registration fees identical to those paid by French and EU students based on their status and the degree for which they are studying.  The state covers two-thirds of the study cost. The total registration fee that they are required to pay is:
   - EUR 2 770 per year at the licence (bachelor) level
   - EUR 3 770 per year at the master level

Part-time programmes are not available.

Need-based and merit-based grants are available to full-time home and international students. Need-based grants are usually paid in 10 monthly instalments and merit-based grants in 9 instalments.

Beneficiaries of need-based grants are exempt from tuition fees. Need-based grant can be cumulated with other types of financial support: merit-based grant; "talents scholarship"; mobility grant; specific and occasional support from the National Emergency Aid Fund for students facing financial difficulties; financial help in finding a first job; support from regional and local authorities; grant for geographical mobility for students who were grant-holders in upper secondary school; support for Masters mobility. Other types of support (from the National Emergency Aid Fund) can be granted to students facing financial difficulties but who do not benefit from need-based grants: Specific annual allowance for students in difficulty, whose amount ranges from 1 454 € to 6 335 € per year in 2023-24 (i.e. same amounts as for the need-based grant).

For students who benefit from a needs-based grant during the summer holidays (and receive 12 instalments), the minimum amount per year is EUR 1 745 and the maximum yearly amount is EUR 7 602.

Students can receive a merit based grant for 3 years at most (3x900€). It only applies to students receiving needs-based grants and it is based on their baccalaureate results. This 3-year limitation applies both in the context of a linear course of study and in the context of a reorientation. In the event of repetition, students can no longer benefit from merit-based aid unless the repetition is based on medical reasons. 

Data on share of grant beneficiaries for 2023/2024 is not available.

The age limit for study grant is 28 years.

Loans are available to home full-time students.

The amount of the loan may not exceed EUR 20 000 (over the entire period of study in higher education, all cycles considered) and the loan must last at least 2 years. However, there is a possibility of deferred repayment.

 State-guaranteed loans for students are granted by banking institutions that have signed a contract with BPI France (French public investment bank). The student loan is open to all students, with no means test and no parental or third party guarantee, as it is guaranteed by BPI France. However, the student must:

- be enrolled in an institution to prepare for a competitive examination or a French higher education diploma;
- be under 28 years of age on the date the loan is granted;
- be of French nationality or have the nationality of one of the EU or EEA Member States, provided that they can prove that they have been legally resident in France for at least 5 years at the time the loan is granted.