France - Student

Where and how to apply

You can either register directly with the higher education institution or, in some cases, submit a preliminary application beforehand (Demande d’admission préalable).

Direct registration

You can register directly with the higher education institution as an undergraduate student if you:

• hold a French Baccalauréat, an equivalent French qualification accepted in lieu of the Baccalauréat under national legislation, a Franco-German or international Baccalauréat (depending on the year of graduation and the educational institution);
• are currently the child of a diplomat officially posted in France;
• are a non-EU student coming to study in France under an agreement between the countries' governments or an interuniversity agreement;
• are a non-EU student in receipt of a French government scholarship;
• are a non-EU student in receipt of a scholarship from an international organisation or foreign government that is managed by a French accredited organisation;
• are a non-EU citizen enrolling for the second time as an undergraduate (first cycle), wishing to enrol as a graduate student (second or third cycle) or coming to do a traineeship with a research laboratory;
• are a candidate for a preparatory course for admission to the "grandes écoles" (specialised graduate schools) or to an institution that recruits through a selection procedure of competitive exams, admission panel or on student records (IUT, IEP, écoles universitaires, INSA, Université de Compiègne, ENI and certain engineering schools);
• are applying to enter a university course unless the university requires a preliminary application to be submitted;
• are a non-EU citizen enrolling in an institution independent from the Ministry of Education (schools of music, agricultural, architecture).

If you have or will have a Baccalauréat qualification taken in a school abroad or are applying for a preparatory course for entry to a "grande école" (specialised graduate school), you must apply on the Parcours Sup website.

Preliminary Application for Admission

If you are not allowed to register directly, you will need to file a preliminary application (demande d’admission préalable) with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in your country of origin for admission to an institution of higher education. Holders of secondary school qualifications issued abroad who wish to enrol for the first time as university undergraduates must first apply for admission.

People of some nationalities must apply online via the CEF procedure.

Acceptance of your application will depend on:

• the availability of places to study or training courses in French higher education institutions;
• the availability of reception facilities (accommodation, support classes) at the relevant institutions, which take the final decision on whether to admit the student or not;
• your level of proficiency in the French language. You must take an evaluation test, related to the specific requirements of the courses you intend to follow. It is organised by the "Centre international d'études pédagogiques";
• whether the higher development policy is respected by your country of origin;
• your educational background and motivation.

Visa and student residence permit

You must submit your application for a long-stay student visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS-TS) to the French Embassy or Consulate in your country of origin.

Within the first 3 months of your arrival in France, you must validate your VLS-TS online on the official dedicated website.

Two months before the end of your visa, you will then have to go to the prefecture to either renew your VLS-TS to obtain a "student" temporary residence permit (if you still meet the initial requirements). You can also apply for a multiyear "student" residence permit.

The prefect will inform you of the decision in writing as soon as possible and no later than 60 days from the date of the application being made. If there is no decision, the application is approved.

Documents required

You must:

• receive monthly resources of at least 615 euros (equivalent to at least the monthly maintenance allowance paid the previous year to French scholarship students);
• provide proof of your registration (or pre-registration) at a higher education institution, initial studies or vocational training institution.

For certain countries, the Consulate may require you to provide proof of specific vaccinations.

The applicable fee for a “student” long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit is 60 EUR. The fee for the temporary “student” residence permit or the multiyear “student” residence permit is 79 EUR.

The student residence permit is valid for the duration of the studies, for a maximum of 4 years.

Students who wish to continue studying in France may renew their residence permit. Students at Master’s or Doctorate’s level who already obtained a first "student" residence permit for a period of one year may be granted a multi-annual residence permit, depending on the length of the studies.

Persons of some nationalities are required to apply online via the CEF procedure.

The short-term "étudiant-concours" (student selection) visa is valid for a maximum of 90 days and allows you to sit an entrance examination or specific entry test prior to your definitive registration in a higher education institution. If you are successful, you can obtain a student residence permit without returning to your country of origin.

If you hold a student visa which is valid for over three months, you are exempt from having to apply for a temporary residence permit during the first year of your stay in France.

You must validate your VLS-TS on the official dedicated website within the first 3 months of your arrival in France.

The “student – mobility programme” residence permit with the mention “student” is delivered to third-country national students as a first-time residence permit if:

• you have sufficient financial resources (at least 615 per month);
• you are enrolled in a French public or private institution or training institution or at an organisation providing initial or further vocational training;
• be enrolled in an EU or multilateral mobility programme, or be covered by a mobility agreement between at least two universities in at least two Member States.

This residence permit is valid for the duration of the mobility programme or agreement, for a minimum of two years.

The applicable fee is 269 EUR.

Appeals

You can appeal a decision to refuse a visa to the Commission for Appeals Against French Entry Visa Refusals within two months of the date of notification of the decision.

If the Commission rejects the appeal, or if, despite the favorable opinion of the Commission, ministers confirm the visa refusal, you may, within two months, submit a request for annulment before the Administrative Court of Nantes, which is responsible in the first instance for litigation on visa refusal.

More on appeals against visa refusal decisions

A hierarchical appeal may also be submitted to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

More on administrative and hierarchical appeals

More on studying in France

More on admission applications (demande d’admission préalable)

More on admission procedures

More on long-term visas

More on visa application to France

More on settling in France

Employment during studies

If you hold a long-stay student visa entitling you to reside in France, you may work as an employee without a work permit, provided this does not exceed 964 hours (i.e. 60 % of full time work) of work per year. Algerian students, under a bilateral agreement, must apply for a temporary work permit and are allowed to work 50% of full time work.

Possession of this visa allows you to work anywhere on the French mainland provided your employed had informed the Préfecture of your recruitment and working conditions at least 48 hours before your contract starts.

Non-compliance with the annual maximum hour limit may lead your residence permit being withdrawn.

More on working while you study

Employment after studies

If you have a French qualification equivalent to a Master's degree, you will be allowed to remain on French territory for twelve months in order to seek employment or create a business relating to your training/studies. You must apply for a twelve-month temporary residence permit with the Préfecture at your place of residence no later than four months before the expiry of your residence permit.

During this twelve-month period, you can work on the same terms that apply to employment during studies (i.e. 964 hours / 60 % of full time work).

Change of status

If, at the end of the twelve-month period of temporary residence permit or during the validity of the residence permit, you have found a suitable job or are about to be employed or to create a company, you may apply for the appropriate residence permit in relation with your professional project.

If you have found a job or are ready to create our business immediately after the end of your studies, you can apply immediately for the appropriate residence permit in relation with your professional project and file the application with the Préfecture at your place of residence no later than four months before the expiry of your residence permit.

The conditions for the change of status will depend on the type of project (salaried employee, investor, creation of a company, etc.), the link with the studies performed and the level of remuneration proposed. If your remuneration exceeds 1.5 times the average monthly gross wage (i.e.2,281.83 euros gross per month) and is in relation with the studies, your employer will not have to prove the lack of available candidate on the French labour market.

Students may not apply for an EU long-term residence permit.

You can be joined by your family under the conditions set in the family reunification procedures.

To apply for family reunification, you must:

• have a residence permit valid for at least 1 year, or a “EU long-term resident” residence permit, or a long-term resident permit, or a 10-year residence permit;
• sufficient financial resources to provide for your family;
• suitable accommodation to welcome your family.

More on family reunification in France

However, as a student, it may be difficult for you to meet all the conditions.

The hosting education institution or vocational training establishment in France is responsible for notifying your mobility project to the Ministry of the Interior competent for immigration issues.

This notification may be submitted either when you apply for a residence permit/visa in the first Member State (if you are already planning to carry out part of your studies in the hosting institution in France), or after your admission in the first Member State, once your project to come to France is drawn up.

The hosting institution has to fill in a form notifying the mobility of a student allowed to stay in another EU Member State in France (see here). This form gathers your personal information, information about the hosting institution, and the estimated dates of your period of mobility in France. The hosting institution submits it electronically to the following address : pointdecontact-sejour-dgefinterieur [dot] gouv [dot] fr (pointdecontact-sejour-dgef[at]interieur[dot]gouv[dot]fr)

Upon the reception of your application, the Ministry has a period of 30 days to issue a refusal. After this period, if there is no decision, you are granted the right to stay in France with the residence permit/visa issued by the first Member State.

To notify your mobility project, you need to provide the hosting institution in France with:

• a copy of your valid travel document,

• a copy of the residence permit as student issued by the first Member State,

• proof of sufficient personal resources to cover your personal expenses during your stay in France,

• proof of health insurance,

• proof that you are coming to study in France as part of a EU or multilateral programme, or an agreement between universities,

• proof you have been accepted in the hosting institution in France.

N/A

You cannot benefit from the residence permit for “job-searching/entrepreneurship”, whose requirements include the issuing of a diploma in France.

If you wish to come to France to start your business or to apply for a job, you will have to apply for the relevant residence permit, using the regular procedure.