If you’re trying to decide where to study overseas, do not dismiss France as an option just because of the high cost of living in France. While it is true that the cost of living in France is higher compared to other European countries, the cost of education in public higher education institutions is very affordable because it is subsidized by the French government. Here, we will be looking at some of the affordable universities in France for international students.
By law, international students from the European Union, European Economic Area, Andorra, and Switzerland pay the same annual tuition fees as French nationals:
- Bachelor Degree or Licence – 170 EUR
- Master’s Degree – 243 EUR
- Engineering Degree – 601 EUR
- Doctorate Degree – 380 EUR
Beginning 2024/2022, non-European international students must pay the differentiated registration fees if they enroll at a French public higher education institution. The French government still pays two-thirds of the cost, but non-European international students will have to pay an annual tuition fee as follows:
- Bachelor Degree or Licence – 2,770 EUR
- Master’s Degree – 3,770 EUR
- Doctorate Degree – 380 EUR
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Cheap Universities in France
1. Université de Paris
- Annual Undergraduate Program Tuition Fee: 170 EUR
- Annual Graduate Program Tuition Fee: 243 EUR – 380 EUR
The University of Paris is a public higher education university created in 2019 with the merger of the universities of Paris Diderot, Paris Descartes, and Institute de Physique du Globe de Paris. It is a multidisciplinary university that offers courses in four major areas: Arts, Humanities and Languages; Human, Economic and Social Sciences, Science and Technology; and Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Nursing.
This affordable university in France currently has 63,000 students on its 20 campuses and research sites. Admission to the university is competitive, and prospective international students undergo a pre-enrollment procedure, including an interview and a French-language test.
Due to the pandemic, the University of Paris has decided to grant a partial tuition fee waiver to non-European international students. Thus in 2024/2024, international students will pay the same rates as local students. Regardless of country of origin, students pay a student and campus fee of 92 EUR every year on top of the tuition fees.
2. Université Paris-Saclay
- Annual Undergraduate Program Tuition Fee: 170 EUR
- Annual Graduate Program Tuition Fee: 243 EUR – 380 EUR
The Paris-Saclay University is another affordable university in France for international students. It is known for its excellence in mathematics; in 2024, it ranked 13th in the world Academic Ranking of World Universities and placed first for Mathematics.
The university is composed of five faculties: Sciences, Medicine, Pharmacy, Law-Economics-Management, Sport Sciences, and an Engineering school. It also incorporates three technical institutes, an undergraduate university school, and four grandes écoles. Under the French public education system, the member institutions within Paris-Saclay University retain their independence even if they are a group under the university.
The university offers programs in eight fields of study:
- Biodiversity, Agriculture and Food, Society, Environment;
- Biology, Medicine, Pharmaceutical studies;
- Law, Political Science;
- Humanities;
- Engineering, Sciences and Information Technologies;
- Sport and Human Motion Sciences;
- Basic Sciences; and
- Social Sciences.
3. University of Burgundy
- Annual Undergraduate Program Tuition Fee: 170 EUR – 601 EUR
- Annual Graduate Program Tuition Fee: 243 EUR
Located in the western part of the region of Dijon, the University of Burgundy has ten faculties, four engineering schools, and three institutes of technology that deliver undergraduate courses. The majority of the undergraduate programs are conducted in French, although a few English-taught programs are at the master’s level. In addition, the university has two professional institutes that offer postgraduate programs.
In addition to the annual tuition fee, students pay the Student and Campus Life Contribution fee of 90 euros and special fees for specific English-taught programs.
4. University of Órleans
- Annual Undergraduate Tuition Fee: 170 EUR – 601 EUR
- Annual Graduate Program Tuition Fee: 243 EUR – 380 EUR
Established in the 1300s, the University of Órleans is one of the oldest universities in France. Today, it has over 19,000 students, including around 2,000 international students. The range of programs offered by the university are delivered through three faculties, four Institutes of Technology, a Graduate School for Teaching and Education and a Polytech School of Engineering and the Earth, a Sciences and Astronomy Observatory, and the University School of Physiotherapy.
This cheap university in France has 140 study programs in five fields: Arts, Literature and Languages; Humanities and Social Sciences; Law, Economics, Management, Science, Technology and Health; and Science and Technology of Sport and Physical Activity.
5. University of Caen Normandy
- Annual Undergraduate Program Tuition Fee: 170 EUR – 601 EUR
- Annual Graduate Program Tuition Fee: 243 EUR – 380 EUR
The University of Caen in Normandy is home to about 30,000 students, including nearly 3,000 international students. The university offers 180 courses in four main fields of studies: Arts, Literature and Languages; Law, Economics and Management; Humanities and Social Sciences; and Science, Technology and Health.
This affordable university in France attracts many international students because it also houses Carré International, a teaching hub for students who want to learn French to attend higher education institutions in France.
6. Jean Monnet University
Jean Monnet University is a multidisciplinary university belonging to the University of Lyon. It has five faculties, five research institutes in six campuses located throughout the city of Saint-Etienne.
The university’s research efforts revolve around three main areas, Surfaces, Interfaces, and Optics; Health, Sport, and Engineering; and Humanities, Mutation, Territories. It is an active member of the Technical and Industrial Scientific Culture in the Loire Area and has partnerships with 60 laboratories worldwide.
7. University of Strasbourg
- Annual Undergraduate Program Tuition Fee: 184 EUR
- Annual Graduate Program Tuition Fee: 256 EUR – 610 EUR
Another affordable university in France for international students is the University of Strasbourg, which traces its roots to a Lutheran German school founded in the 1500s. Through various transformations, expansions, divisions and reunifications throughout the years, it has emerged as one of the best universities in the League of European Research Universities. The university boasts of 19 Nobel laureates, including Karl Ferdinand Braun, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909.
The university has 52,000 students enrolled in a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The university’s 37 departments cover five major fields of study: Arts, Literature, and Languages; Law, Economics, Management, and Political science; Humanities and social sciences; Science and Technologies; and Health.
