"Differentiated fees" are registration fees specific to non-EU international students. The amount is different from the registration fee for national or European students. These fees must be paid annually.
 

Le décret n°2026-35 du 19 mai 2026 governs the application of differentiated tuition fees at the university

Fees for the  2026 / 2027 academic year	Bachelor	Master
registration fees for French and European students	178 €*	255 €*
registration fees for non-EU international students	2902 €*	3950 €*

*including membership of the Library at a cost of €34
 

Are you concerned by the differentiated registration fees?

The decree of May 19, 2026, lists the cases in which differentiated duties do not apply.

You will not be required to pay the differentiated fees only in the following cases:

depending on your nationality

• if you are a national of one of the Member States of the European Union, another State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, or the Swiss Confederation;
•  if you are a national or resident of Quebec;
•  if you are a national of a country that has concluded an international agreement applicable to the French Republic providing for the payment of registration fees identical to those applicable to French nationals or exempting nationals of that country from the requirement to hold a residence permit in France;

depending on your status

• if you hold a residence permit bearing the notation “Residence card for a family member of a citizen of the European Union/EEE/Switzerland”;
• if you have been granted refugee status or subsidiary protection, or if you are a person whose father, mother, or legal guardian has been granted such status or protection;
•  if you hold a 10-year residence card issued under the conditions set forth in Chapter IV of Title I of Book III of the Code on the Entry and Residence of Foreigners and the Right of Asylum, or if you hold a document of the same nature issued under an international agreement applicable to the French Republic, or if you are a minor under the age of eighteen years old and a direct descendant or dependent of the holder of one of these cards;
• if you have been tax-resident in France, or part of a tax household domiciled in France, for at least two years as of January 1 preceding the start of the academic year for which enrollment is requested (tax notice 2026 for 2025 income, and tax notice 2025 for 2024 income)

depending on the program you are enrolled in

• if you are a student enrolled in a doctoral program or preparing for the Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (HDR)
• if you are enrolled in a preparatory class for the grandes écoles at a public high school and are planning to enroll in a public institution with a scientific, cultural, or vocational focus,

depending on your situation in 2018–2019

• if you were enrolled in 2018–2019 or earlier at a university, a school under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation (MESRI), or a French as a Foreign Language (FLE) center
   

Additionnal information

The Campus France portal (find out more) can provide you with additional information on the cost of higher education in France.
 

Regulatory framework

Order of April 19, 2019, regarding tuition fees at public higher education institutions under the jurisdiction of the Minister responsible for higher education

Decree No. 2026-385 of May 19, 2026, regarding the procedures for exempting foreign students from tuition fees when pursuing a program at public higher education institutions under the jurisdiction of the Minister responsible for higher education