More expensive to study in French universities

International students will have to pay more to study at French universities next year.

The French government passed a hard-line immigration law which featured migration quotas and restrictions on citizenship for those born in France to non-citizens.

For international students, this legislation would New legislation adds a deposit to be paid when applying for a student visa and an increase in tuition fees for students from non-EU countries.

The new deposit is to cover “unexpected costs” that may arise during their stay.

This money will only be returned when the student has left France upon the permit’s expiration or when they secure a new visa.

The law also stipulates that international students must prove the “real and serious nature of their studies” every year, Le Monde reported. Failure of this will result in a withdrawal of their permit.

French president Emmanuel Macron is determined that more international students will attend French universities. Several French universities are listed among the top 100 in the QS World University Rankings 2023.

In the 2022/23 academic year, 402,833 chose French higher education institutions, with Morocco, Algeria, China, Italy and Senegal sending the highest number of students.

While France aims to attract 500,000 international students by 2027, the new legislation has drawn criticism from university leaders.

Alexis Michel, director of the Brest National School of Engineering and president of CDEFI’s Europe and International Commission, noted his concerns:

“CDEFI requests the removal of the return deposit and waits for the president of the republic to exercise his constitutional prerogatives to provoke a new deliberation of the bill in parliament,” said Alexis Michel, director of the Brest National School of Engineering and president of CDEFI’s Europe and International Commission.