"The State provides scientific, cultural and professional institutions
with supplies, staff and funds for the purpose of carrying out their
educational mission. They may also receive financial resources from
legacies, donations and foundations, payment for services, special
funds, employer contributions to initial technological and professional
training, and various subsidies. They receive registration fees paid by
students and auditors. Lastly, they can receive subsidies for
operations and supplies from the regions, departments and communes and
their groups".
Registration fees for universities
The
amount of the enrolment fees is set each year jointly by the ministry
in charge of higher education and the ministry in charge of finance. In
the context of the organisation of the European higher education
programme, ( LMD) tuition fees
have been revised and standardised in order to facilitate student
orientation. A single fee has been introduced for each course of study:
165 euros for a licenceprogramme, 215 euros for a
master’s programme and 326 euros for a doctoral programme (rates valid
for the 2007/2008 academic year). Engineering and paramedical
programmes maintain their own registration fees. For engineering
degrees, the annual tuition rate for public institutions of higher
education under the authority of the Ministry of Higher Education has
been set at 512 euros.
This system allows tuition fees to be paid by
semester, a measure that is supported by government aid. Some
establishments require additional payments (special fees), which are
set by its board of administration. These usually range from 10 €-30 €,
but can go as high as 100 € for some services, such as unlimited
computer access. Additional fees cover preventive medical costs,
athletic and cultural activities, photocopies, and, in some
universities, student reception services. A breakdown of fees paid is
listed on the student’s university card.
The cost of certain special programmes, like the
diplôme d’université(DU),
is almost entirely paid for by the student, ranging from 80 € to 650 €
(rounded figures valid for the 2005/2006 school year) depending on the
course of study. These costs are either mandatory or optional depending
on the school. Some universities do not charge them.
Universities have no legal right to increase the
national registration fees through additional charges. French law gives
schools the possibility of requesting additional fees, but specifies
that the request must be clearly indicated as optional.
Registration fees for grandes écoles
Public schools under the authority of the Ministry of higher Education and research:
Registration
fees vary according to the degree. There may also be additional fees to
fund the activities of the Student Office. Schools concerned include
university engineering institutions, universities of technology,
national engineering schools, national institutes of applied sciences,
and the national higher institute of arts and professions (ENSAM).
Public schools under the authority of another ministry:
Tuition
is the same as in the other schools, however some require a
contribution to cover additional costs. For information purposes, the
Ecole nationale des Ponts et Chaussées asks for approximately €300 on
top of schooling fees for school co-ordination purposes and the
purchase of pedagogical equipment. The national institute of public
works charges160 € per student to finance language testing. The grandes écoles
not only dispense free education, but also pay their students: the
polytechnical institute comes under the authority of the Ministry of
Defence, but has one of the hardest admissions tests in France. The écoles normales supérieures
Registration fees for private higher education institutions
Private engineering schools
Fees
range from 1,500 € to 6,000 € (rounded figures valid for the 2005/2006
school year) depending on the school. Most offer 2-3 year programmes.
Business schools
Registration fees range from 5,500 € to 7,000 € (rounded figures valid for the 2005/2006 school year).
To
provide easier access to students from families with modest incomes,
private engineering and business schools often have a system designed
to lower registration fees or stagger payments. State recognition
allows schools to accept students on State-funded scholarships. Some
schools offer internal scholarships and loans (which can be paid back
ten years after the student’s studies are completed, for example), and
offer them paid positions at the institution.
Some schools offer
programmes that alternate school studies and apprenticeships in
companies. Students in these programmes are exempt from tuition fees
and receive a small salary of up to 78% of minimum wage (gross minimum
wage = as of 1st July 2007, the hourly rate of gross minimum wage
amounts to 8.44 Euros, i.e. 1,280.07 Euros/month based on 35 legal
working hours per week).
also pay their students a salary Eurydice - the information network on education in Europe