Preparing your stay

All students must register for health insurance when living in France. When you arrive in France, contact the French National Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie). This registration is free and compulsory, it allows you to benefit from the reimbursement of your health expenses.

For more information, see: https://etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr/#/ (available in French).
Note that while complementary health insurance is not compulsory, it is highly recommended, especially in the event of hospitalization.
 

A European student card is given to you after your registration, do not lose it.

It gives you access to several services, for example:

• The Crous restaurant 
• Book borrowing at university libraries
• The loan of a computer 
• The reservation of student study cubicles

There are no tuition fees at French public universities but there are modest registration fees because the State covers the majority of the cost of these education programs provided in public establishments. The real cost of studies is the same as elsewhere in the world, approximately € 10,000 per year. 

The registration fees set for the year 2023-2024 are as follows:

170 euros for a year in the bachelor’s cycle
243 euros for a year in the master’s cycle
601 euros for one year of an engineering program
380 euros for a PhD year

Loss of the student card
In the event of loss, damage or theft of the European student card, it is possible to request its renewal using a dedicated form posted on the University website.

Depending on the situation, this duplicate will be made free of charge or invoiced:

• In the event of loss or deterioration of the card, renewal is subject to payment (by check or bank card) of € 15 payable to the accounting officer of Sorbonne University.
• In the event of theft or technical failure, the renewal is carried out free of charge; it is subject to the presentation of a duplicate of the official theft declaration which must contain the following information: surname, first name, date of theft and listing of the Sorbonne University student card in the list of stolen objects.

Please note:

• In the event of a theft declaration in a foreign language, a translation by a sworn body is required
• The same theft declaration cannot be used to issue several duplicates
• People receiving a scholarship are not exempt from the fixed fee

Students having financial difficulties can obtain assistance from the University, with the services depending on the student's situation:

• Ad hoc assistance
• Exemptions, exceptional refunds of registration fees
• Refund of registration fees for scholarship students who paid during administrative registration.

Students should check with the services of their faculty (links in French).

• Faculté des Lettres 
• Faculté de Santé
• Faculté des Sciences et Ingénierie

Age limits

Students that are under 28 years of age on September 1 of the year of enrollment in higher education, in a first application for a higher education scholarship on social criteria. Students that are more than 28 years old must not interrupt their studies in order to continue to benefit from a grant.

Qualifications

Students with a title or diploma admitted as an exemption or equivalent from the French baccalaureate for registration in the first year of higher education. This condition is not required for the award of a scholarship when entering the second year of graduate studies.

Nationality requirements

The citizen of a Member State of the European Union other than France or of another State party to the European Economic Area must fulfill one of the following conditions:

• Have previously held a job in France, full-time or part-time. The activity must have been real and effective and have been carried out as an employee or self-employed;
• Justify that one of his or her parents, the legal guardian or the delegate of parental authority received income in France.

Please note: The condition of detention of the quality of community worker or child of community worker is not required for the student who attests to a certain degree of integration in French society. The degree of integration is assessed in particular in view of the length of stay (one year minimum), the education in France or family ties in France. This condition is in any case not required if the student can prove five years of uninterrupted regular residence in France.
All of these provisions are applicable to citizens of the Swiss Confederation, in application of Articles 3 and 9 of Annex 1 to the Agreement on the free movement of persons, signed on June 21, 1999 between the Swiss Confederation and the Community European Union and its Member States.

Conditions linked to the situation

• Have refugee status recognized by the French office for the protection of refugees and stateless persons (Ofpra) or by the National Court of asylum law in application of the provisions of article L. 713-1 of the Entry Code and the residence of foreigners and the right of asylum;
• Benefit from the subsidiary protection granted by Ofpra in application of article L. 713-1 of the Code for the entry and stay of foreigners and the right to asylum;
• Hold a temporary residence card or a resident card issued in application of the code for the entry and stay of foreigners and the right of asylum. In this case, the student must also be domiciled

How to file the request

• The grant request on social criteria is made using the DSE electronically by connecting to the digital portal www.etudiant.gouv.fr, section "messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr", between January 15 and May 15 preceding the start of the academic year.
• Beyond this date, the scholarship request presented by the student can nevertheless be examined according to the elements produced to justify this delay.
• No scholarship request can be accepted after December 31 of the current academic year.

The University calendar 2023-2024

The university calendar sets the teaching periods, exam sessions and teaching breaks for students annually, as well as the start and end of the academic year (links below are in French).

• Faculté des Lettres
• Faculté de Santé
• Faculté de Sciences et Ingénierie

The knowledge verification procedures detail the applicable rules for all university degrees, in examining and calculating results (links below are in French).

• Faculté des Lettres 
• Faculté de Santé
• Faculté de Sciences et Ingénierie
• Charte des régimes spécifiques de scolarité