The 2026 academic year is the first in which public universities must apply the cap on exemptions from differentiated tuition fees. A university can now exempt only 30% of its non-EU students who pay these fees, falling to 25% in 2027-2028 and 20% from 2028. On the ground, practice varies: Lille is not applying the decree this year, Grenoble-Alpes is postponing it by a year, and Paris 8 is applying it to new students.
Ce qui s'applique depuis le décret du 19 mai
As a reminder, differentiated tuition fees were introduced in 2019 under the « Bienvenue en France » strategy. They apply to non-EU students who came to France to study and are enrolled in a bachelor's or master's programme at a public higher education institution. Until now, each university could exempt entire groups of students: according to the ministry, only around 10% of the students concerned paid the full rate. The 2026-2027 amounts and the list of students who don't pay these fees are in our article on tuition fees for 2026-2027.
The Minister for Higher Education, Philippe Baptiste, announced the reform on 21 April with a 10% cap, raised to 20% on 12 May. Decree no. 2026-385 of 19 May 2026, published in the Journal officiel on 20 May, has been in force since 21 May.
The only option it leaves is an individual exemption, full or partial. You have to apply for it yourself, and the university president decides based on your personal situation, especially your financial resources. Your family situation, your circumstances in your home country and any disability are also taken into account.
Some students remain exempt by right and don't count towards the cap: French government scholarship holders (BGF), students receiving needs-based grants, wards of the Nation, and students hosted under a reciprocal agreement between institutions.
Les accords d'échange doivent prouver la réciprocité
One case was left open by the decree: students who come under an agreement between universities. The order of 22 July 2026, published in the Journal officiel on 28 July, sets out when such an agreement allows a student to be exempted outside the cap. It does if the agreement provides for a mutual exemption from tuition fees. Otherwise, any one of these criteria is enough:
- two-way mobility, in an agreed volume;
- a mobility programme framed by an intergovernmental agreement, or funded by a government;
- a substantial, identifiable benefit for the French university, financial or otherwise.
Universities have 18 months to bring agreements that don't meet these conditions into line. If you're coming on an exchange, it's your specific agreement that decides whether you pay the national rate.
Une application qui varie selon les universités
On paper, the rule is the same everywhere. In practice, each university applies it in its own way.
In Lille, the board of governors voted at the end of May to keep its exemption policy for 2026-2027. Its president, Régis Bordet, believes staff cannot apply the decree as it stands. Université Grenoble-Alpes has made 2026-2027 a transition year: students have to apply for an exemption and declare their resources, and the decree will apply in full from the 2027 academic year.
At Paris 8, in Saint-Denis, differentiated tuition fees apply to new students on bachelor's, master's and university bachelor of technology (BUT) programmes, including those transferring from another institution. If they don't apply for an exemption, the university charges them.
At Montpellier Paul-Valéry, president Anne Fraïsse is concerned that students may have to pay before their application is reviewed, then wait for a complicated refund. The universities of Bordeaux and Le Mans have publicly opposed the decree.
In practice, for the same bachelor's degree, what you pay in 2026-2027 depends on your university and how it applies the rules.
Un recours en attente au Conseil d'État
On top of these differences, there is legal uncertainty: the decree is being challenged before the Conseil d'État. On 9 July, the judge hearing urgent applications rejected a request to suspend the decree, filed by an Algerian student. Urgency had not been shown, and the judge did not rule on whether the decree is lawful.
On 21 July, the Seine-Saint-Denis département asked the Conseil d'État to annul the decree, arguing that it breaches equal treatment between French and international students. No ruling on the merits has been issued so far, so the decree applies.
Ce que ça veut dire pour ton inscription
If you already have an exemption for 2025-2026, it stays valid until the end of your degree cycle (bachelor's or master's), as long as you stay at the same university. The same goes for a 2026-2027 exemption granted before 21 May 2026.
In all other cases, your application follows the new rules: submit it to your university when you enrol, with the proof of resources it asks for. Each university sets its own procedure and timeline, and they don't all apply the cap in the same way yet.
Our advice: before paying anything, contact your university's student registry or international relations office, and keep a written record of what they tell you about your exemption.
Sources
- Légifrance – Decree no. 2026-385 of 19 May 2026 on exemptions from tuition fees for international students
- Légifrance – Order of 22 July 2026 setting out how reciprocity under Article R. 719-49-1 of the Education Code is assessed
- Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space – FAQ on differentiated tuition fees (English version, PDF)
- Conseil d'État – Order of the judge for urgent applications no. 517202 of 9 July 2026
- L'Étudiant EducPros – Higher tuition fees for international students: why applying the decree is causing difficulties for many universities
