Tuition fees

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For diplomas earned at French public universities, tuition fees are set by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the French Ministry of Economics, Finance, Industrial & Cyber Sovereignty.

Photo : Back to school on the Victoire campus © Olivier Got - University of Bordeaux
Back to school on the Victoire campus © Olivier Got - University of Bordeaux
  • Tuition fees are payable at the time of registration online by credit card in one or three instalments without charge;
  • or at the registrar's office in a lump-sum payment by credit card, bank transfer, postal or bank cheque or in cash.

Student Life and Campus Contribution (CVEC)

The CVEC has replaced student social security fees since March 2018. Collected by the CROUS, it is 103€ per year. It is used to improve life on campus: reception, health, culture and sports... It is due by all students, except for some special cases.

Who has to pay?

All French and foreign students enrolling in undergraduate studies at a French university must pay this fee before beginning the registration procedures with their university. A proof of payment number is issued to each student after payment.

How do you pay?

The payment procedure is completed on a dedicated website: messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr

Who is exempt?

Students who are exempt from paying this fee are:

  • Scholarship students or beneficiaries of a yearly allowance granted within the framework of specific annual aid
  • Refugee students
  • Students benefiting from subsidiary protection
  • Students registered as asylum seekers with the right to remain in the country
  • Trainees enrolled in continuing education.

Scholarship students who have received their conditional grant allocation are automatically detected on the cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr website, and can download their proof of CVEC payment at the end of the procedure online, without paying the fees in advance or at a later date.

If you become eligible for CVEC exemption during the academic year, you can get a refund of the fee paid. To do so, and for the current academic year, you just have to apply for it as from September 15th, 2021. This also applies to those who paid the CVEC in advance but ended up failing the baccalauréat exam and were therefore not admissible.


Tuition and library fees

Tuition fees

Student categories

Bachelor, vocational Bachelor,
 DAEU, MNESS

Master

CPBx

PhD

French students w/o grants,
EU / EEE / Switzerland / Monaco nationals

175 €

250 €

618 €

391 €

International students from low- and lower-middle income (in French) countries (according to the World Bank) + Algeria and Gabon

175 €

250 €

618 €

391 €

International students (not listed above)

2 850 €

3 879 €

2 850 €

391 €

International student exemptions

By decision of the University of Bordeaux board of directors on April 16th, 2019 (in French), students with refugee status or under subsidiary protection are exempt from tuition and library fees. The exemption is valid for the duration of the degree cycle, up to a limit of 4 registrations for a Bachelor degree and 3 registrations for a Master degree.

Conditions for refund of tuition fees

You must have paid all your registration fees to obtain a refund (in the event of payment in three instalments, the refund will only be possible after the last instalment) if:

  • you are a scholarship student or you signed an apprenticeship or professional training contract but you were unable to prove that status at the time of registration: the refund of your tuition fees is granted, with no deduction for registration-related processing costs. You will be asked to provide proof of your change of status (scholarship notification, apprenticeship contract, professional training contract).
  • you cancel your registration for a national diploma before September 30th of the academic year (cf. the President's decision). The refund of your tuition fees will be granted after a deduction of 23€ for processing costs.
  • you successfully passed a competitive exam after the effective date of the first day of classes and you request a refund during the first semester.
  • you are suffering from a serious or long-term illness, preventing you from attending your university course regularly. The refund of your tuition fees will be granted upon presentation of all the relevant supporting documents  allowing the university to assess your situation and after the President's decision. A deduction of 23€ will be applied for processing costs.
  • you have been granted gap-year status. That status entitles you to register at a reduced rate by obtaining a partial refund of your tuition fees after your administrative registration. That refund, for the 2022/2023 academic year, is 57€ for a Bachelor degree and 84€ for a Master degree.

Scholarship students

Scholarship students enrolled in higher education are exempt from:

  • tuition and library fees collected by the university,
  • the CVEC fee collected by the CROUS.

If you are a scholarship student, you are not required to make any payments to register.

However, you must log on to the messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr website to obtain the CVEC certificate, free of charge, which will be requested when you register online.

Student Social File (DSE)

The DSE enables you to apply for grants and housing in student halls of residence. Remember to fill in the file every year!

Learn more


Social assistance and financial aid

Rent, utilities, food, books and extracurricular activities... For many students, even before enrolling at university, the question of financing their studies comes up. There are solutions and the social services can help you.

Learn more