Plans to dramatically increase tuition fees paid by international students in France have sparked protests and highlighted problems facing the European country’s higher education sector.
The “Choose France for higher education” plan, initially announced last month, aims to remove the opt out system that French universities often used to maintain. Non-EU student fees Same as their EU counterparts.
As a result, the vast majority of non-EU students heading to France for the 2026/27 academic year will have to pay annual tuition fees of €2,895 ($3,391) for a bachelor’s program and €3,941 for a master’s degree. This is a 16-fold increase from previous prices and the move is expected to bring an additional €250 million per year to universities.
“The proposal represents a dangerous step forward with respect to the commitment to equal access to higher education. By significantly increasing tuition fees for non-EU students, the French government risks institutionalizing a system in which access to education is increasingly determined by nationality and financial capacity,” said a statement from the Union of European Students and the Federation of General Student Associations in France.
This response embodies France’s long-standing attitude that education should be accessible to all. But with increasing pressure on universities, and students more able to choose courses outside their homeland, Professor Christian Gaulier of the Toulouse School of Economics argues change is needed. Policy document on the future of European universities Published this week by King’s College, London.
morality vs money
“Given the state of our public finances, tuition-free education eliminates the only real option for financing competitive salaries for teaching and research staff. Who knows how in France, today, young lecturers, who have accumulated ten years of higher education and a few years as a postdoc, face a gross annual salary of €30,000, while the best universities in the world are able to offer five to ten times more to recruit the most promising of them. Are capable,” he wrote.
France is not the only country struggling with funding its universities, with international students often an easy tool for discussion. While in some European countries, high international student fees finance cheaper domestic places, in others there are concerns that students who study in an EU country and then pay income tax elsewhere are giving a poor return on investment for the country of education.
An example of this comes Netherlands. A bachelor’s degree there costs around €2500 for EU students, while foreign students have to pay much higher prices, ranging from €13,000 to €32,000 depending on the type of study. The King’s College report found that 57% of international students are still in the Netherlands a year after graduation, but after 5 years this number drops to about 25%. It also found that international students are more likely to stay than students from fellow EU countries.
One of the Dutch government’s responses has been to ensure that more courses are taught in Dutch rather than English, and that no new English-language courses are introduced. Due to this policy, the number of international students has seen a decrease of about 5% in this academic year (2025-26) compared to the previous year.
Britain has a big advantage in Europe
In direct opposition to much of Europe, UK It has put a premium on international students by introducing fees as early as 1981. It, along with other countries where English is the native language, has long had an advantage in attracting foreign students due to the global spread of English.
Indeed, although the UK has seen a decline in the number of EU students coming to the UK due to Brexit, England still remains the largest European country to recruit students from abroad. A Study by economic consultancy London Economics Put the net economic benefit of those students at €43 billion.
Currently, international students make up 23% of the UK university populationHowever the numbers are falling. Fees for international students can reach up to €44,000, with fees for British students currently capped at €11,300 per year. But rates depend on which country of the UK you are in and which course you choose.
Another country that operates outside the European Union, Switzerland, Has gone in a different direction. Under a bilateral agreement between Switzerland and the bloc signed in December 2024, international and domestic tuition fees will be equalized, reducing prices for international students.
“Switzerland will treat EU students and Swiss students equally with respect to tuition fees and all other fees or charges related to study at most public universities,” read. EU Commission statement. Prices vary by establishment but are usually around €800 per semester.
No common policy within the EU
The Spanish language has also become widespread within the European Union. spain An increasingly popular option for international students. Data from education market analysts ICEF Monitor It turns out Spain enrolled 10,000 more foreign students in 2023/24 than the previous academic year, an increase of 6.5%. Bachelor degrees for EU students at public universities start at around €2,100 and can rise up to €5000 but each institution sets its own fees. This is also true for international students, who generally pay slightly more, although not always.
Neighbour portugal The number of international students is also increasing, with government figures showing the number doubling from 20,000 in 2015 to 42,000 in 2024. About half of them come from Portuguese-speaking communities outside the country, mostly from Brazil. Those international students can expect to pay more than their EU counterparts, whose fees are mandated by the government, ranging from around €500–700 per year for a bachelor’s degree, depending on the university. International students can expect to pay over €2,500.
In GermanyFees are usually even lower, no matter where you’re from. Most public universities charge small tuition fees of only €200–500 per semester, although private institutions can and do charge more. Like all countries, there will be a visa fee for international students, but the country remains the cheapest way to earn a degree in Europe.
Many other European countries offer cheap or free programs for EU students Austria, Croatia, Ireland, Greece and SwedenBut international fees vary wildly. For example, Sweden and Ireland charge more than €10,000 per year for a standard degree, while Austria is around €700 per semester and Greece and Croatia come in just north of €1,000 per year in many cases.