A decree published on 19 May 2026 (décret n° 2026-385) confirms that most foreign students from outside the European Union will pay higher tuition at French public universities starting in the 2026/2027 academic year. The differentiated fee policy first surfaced in 2019. University councils blocked parts of it back then, and many institutions quietly kept charging the lower rate ever since. The new decree resets the legal footing.
For context, in 2025/2026 the differentiated rates landed at €2,895 a year for a licence and €3,941 a year for a master's. European students paid €178 and €254 respectively. The Ministry has not yet announced the exact rates for 2026/2027.
Who is affected
- You pay the higher fee if you are not an EU national, you are enrolling for the first time or moving institutions in 2026/2027, and you have no personal exemption.
- You are automatically exempt if you hold a passport from an EU country, from the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), or from Switzerland. Indian nationals are not on this list.
- You keep your old rate if you were already enrolled and held an exemption before 21 May 2026, and you continue in the same programme at the same university.
- Universities can also exempt students individually. Each one can waive the differentiated fee for up to 30% of its foreign students from outside the EU in 2026/2027. That cap drops to 25% in 2027/2028 and settles at 20% from there onwards. Typical criteria include scholarship holders, students under bilateral cooperation agreements, refugees, and students with strong academic records.
What it means for you
For a typical Indian master's student, the gap is roughly €3,700 a year. That is a real chunk of your annual budget. The hike does not affect the validity of your student visa or your CAF housing aid eligibility, but it does change the maths on whether to apply to a public university, a grande école, or a private institution where international rates have always been standard.
What to do
- Ask the international office (service des relations internationales) at every target university directly. Get their exemption policy and quota for 2026/2027 in writing.
- If you hold a Campus France scholarship (Charpak, BGF, others), confirm in writing that it covers the differentiated rate.
- If you are continuing at the same university, say moving from L3 to M1, explicitly request to keep your existing exemption. It is not automatic across degree levels.
- Budget the higher fee into your VLS-TS financial proof. The €615 a month bank balance requirement assumes the lower tuition. You may need to show extra funds.
- Before paying anything, verify the official decree text on Légifrance. Some universities have historically charged the lower rate in defiance of the policy.
Source: service-public.fr