Study in France from Nepal
A public master’s degree for €3,950 a year, 964 hours of work rights, and a 12 month job search permit after you graduate. Here is what it costs now that three French rules changed in 2026.
How much money is required to study in France?
For one year at a public university, a student who plans to study in France from Nepal should budget €16,000 to €19,000 all in. That is €2,902 tuition at licence level or €3,950 at master’s, the €10,530 in living costs you must now evidence, €105 for the CVEC, €50 for the visa, €150 to validate it on arrival and about €700 for airfare.
The living cost figure is an evidence figure, not a spending plan. It is also now higher than Campus France’s own estimate of what a student actually spends, which is €600 to €800 a month.
| First year cost | EUR |
|---|---|
| Tuition, licence (bachelor’s) | 2,902 |
| Tuition, master’s | 3,950 |
| Tuition, doctorate | 398 |
| Tuition, private school or grande école | 7,000 to 20,000 |
| CVEC student and campus life contribution | 105 |
| Living costs you must evidence | 10,530 |
| Health cover, state registration | free |
| Long stay student visa | 50 |
| VLS-TS validation on arrival | 150 |
| Airfare, Kathmandu to Paris | about 700 |
| Indicative first year, public master’s | 16,000 to 19,000 |
Add NPR 2,000 for your NOC, the Études en France procedure fee, your language test, and translation and notarisation costs. Housing benefit is no longer part of this budget, see below. Scholarships can cut it, so start with our counselling team.
Three French rules changed this year
All three landed between June and August 2026, and all three make France more expensive. If you are planning to study in France from Nepal on advice written before this summer, your budget is wrong by several thousand euros.
Tuition is now compulsory
Universities could previously charge non EU students the EU rate of €178 or €255. From 2026/27 the differentiated rate is mandatory, and no more than 10% of students may be exempted.
Funds rule up from €615
Decree 2026-526 of 22 June 2026 raised the monthly resources you must prove, from 1 August 2026. The old figure had stood since 2002 and is still on most consultancy pages.
Housing benefit withdrawn
From 1 July 2026, non EU students without a social criteria scholarship no longer receive APL or ALS. Any budget that nets it off your rent is out of date.
Read together, that is roughly €5,000 to €6,000 more than the same year cost in 2025. France is still far cheaper than Australia, the UK or the United States. A French public master’s costs about a tenth of an Australian one. It simply is not nearly free any more, and you should plan on the real number.
Why study in France?
France hosted 443,500 international students in 2024/25 and subsidises €10,000 to €15,000 of every student’s place from public money. Even at the new rates, you pay a fraction of what the education costs to deliver.
Universities in the global top 100
PSL 28th, Institut Polytechnique de Paris 41st, Paris-Saclay 71st, Sorbonne 72nd. 35 French institutions rank in QS 2026.
Work rights per year
About 20 hours a week. At the €12.31 minimum wage that is roughly €11,870 gross. Internships do not count against it.
Job search permit after a master’s
The « recherche d’emploi » permit lets you stay and work without restriction. Non renewable, so apply before your student permit expires.
France teaches well over a thousand degree programmes entirely in English, so you do not need French to be admitted, and most Nepali students take that route. But daily life, part time work and the prefecture all run in French. Arrive at A2 or better. Our language preparation team can get you there.
Eligibility checklist
These are the baselines you have to clear to study in France from Nepal. Three bodies assess you and they do not ask the same question: your institution judges your academics and language, Campus France judges the coherence of your project at an interview in Kathmandu, and the consular section in New Delhi decides the visa.
Academic
- +2 or Grade 12 from a recognised board, typically 60% and above, for licence entry
- A recognised bachelor’s degree for master’s entry, with a clear subject match
- Transcripts, character certificate and migration certificate where your board issues one
Language
- English taught programmes: IELTS 6.0 to 6.5 or an accepted equivalent
- French taught programmes: DELF or DALF B2, or TCF and TEF at B2
- Some institutions accept prior study in English instead of a test
Finances
- €877.50 a month, about €10,530 a year, from 1 August 2026
- Bank statements, a bank attestation, a sponsorship undertaking with the sponsor’s income proof, a recognised education loan or a scholarship letter
- Funds that appear suddenly and cannot be traced are the fastest route to refusal
- Do not budget for housing benefit
Documents and coherence
- Passport, academic originals, language certificate, proof of tuition payment
- Proof of accommodation in France, which Campus France Nepal asks for at interview
- A statement of purpose and CV that make one argument: this course, this country, this career, this budget
- Any study gap or previous refusal explained plainly
Unsure where you stand? Our visa application assistance team assesses your profile against every line above, free, before you spend a rupee.
Campus France and the Études en France platform
If you intend to study in France from Nepal this is unavoidable. Nepal is one of the countries where the Études en France platform is compulsory: you cannot apply to a French public university, or lodge a student visa, without a file on it.
- 1
Build your EEF file
Identity, academic history, language results, motivation and your choice of programmes.
- 2
Apply through the platform
All public universities are on EEF. Some private schools accept direct applications, but you still need an EEF file for the visa.
- 3
Pay the procedure fees
The Études en France fee through the platform, plus the Campus France Nepal fee. Keep both receipts.
- 4
Attend your Campus France Nepal interview
In Pulchowk, Lalitpur. Bring your convocation, pre registration certificate, both receipts, passport, all academic originals, language certificate, proof of tuition payment and proof of accommodation in France.
The Nepal routing nobody explains
France has no visa section in Kathmandu. On the France-Visas portal you must select India as your country of submission, because your file is decided by the French Embassy’s consular section in New Delhi. You then submit your documents at VFS Global in Kathmandu, open Tuesday and Friday, 9am to 1pm. Book at least 15 days before departure, and far earlier than that for a September intake.
Campus France Nepal runs free orientation sessions every Wednesday at 2pm, onsite and online, and its counselling is free. Go to one. Our job is what happens around it: choosing programmes you will actually be admitted to, building a file that holds together, and getting the interview and the visa right the first time.
Intakes in France
| Intake | Course starts | Apply from Nepal by |
|---|---|---|
| September, main intake | Late Sep to early Oct | Oct to Jan, prior year |
| January, limited | Jan to Feb | Jun to Sep |
| Private school rolling starts | Varies by school | Varies |
September carries essentially the whole course catalogue. Because the EEF campaign, the Campus France interview, the VFS appointment and Delhi processing all sit in sequence, start ten to twelve months before your intended start date. That is longer than Australia or New Zealand, and underestimating it is the most common planning mistake we see. Meet our counsellors at an upcoming education expo.
Your journey to France
- 1
Free counselling and profile assessment
We shortlist programmes you can genuinely be admitted to, English taught or French taught. Book a session.
- 2
Language test or preparation
IELTS for English taught, DELF or TCF for French taught. This step determines your intake, so start here.
- 3
Build your EEF file and apply
Motivation statement, programme choices and documents, lodged inside the campaign window.
- 4
No Objection Certificate
NPR 2,000 at noc.moest.gov.np, issued in 3 to 7 working days. You cannot legally remit tuition without it.
- 5
Campus France Nepal interview
We rehearse it with you and check your documents against the official list, including the accommodation proof applicants most often forget.
- 6
Visa lodgement through VFS Kathmandu
France-Visas application with India selected, appointment booked, decision from New Delhi. We handle the file.
- 7
Enrolment, CVEC and travel
Pay the €105 CVEC, complete enrolment, arrange accommodation and insurance, book your flight.
- 8
Arrival and validation
Validate your VLS-TS on ANEF within three months, €150. Register free with French social security, open a bank account, collect your student card.
Universities and scholarships
Nepcoms places students who study in France from Nepal across all three of France’s parallel systems, and they are not interchangeable.
Public universities
Large, research led, cheap. €2,902 or €3,950 a year at the 2026/27 non EU rates.
Grandes écoles
Engineering and business schools, Sciences Po. Selective, prestigious, private sector fees.
Private schools
Quality varies enormously, and so does state recognition. Check before you pay.
The one check to make before you pay anyone: confirm the qualification is a state recognised national diploma, a diplôme visé or a grade de master, not just a school’s own certificate. A privately awarded certificate can cost €15,000 and carry no weight with a French employer or with a prefecture assessing your job search permit. Any consultancy that will not answer that question directly has told you something about itself. See our partner institutions.
Scholarships for Nepali students
France Excellence Eiffel
- €1,200 a month at master’s, €2,100 at doctoral level, from January 2026
- Plus international airfare, health cover and cultural activities
- Does not pay tuition
- You cannot apply yourself. Only a French institution can nominate you, so ask them
Other routes
- Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, EU funded, covers tuition, travel and an allowance
- Institution and regional awards, where most successful applications actually land
- Campus Bourses, Campus France’s searchable database
- Most deadlines fall six to twelve months before the intake
Frequently asked questions
How much money is required to study in France from Nepal?
What is the new €877.50 rule?
Why did French university tuition go up in 2026?
Can I still get housing benefit (APL) as a Nepali student?
Can I work while studying in France?
Do I need to speak French to study in France?
Where do Nepali students apply for the French student visa?
What is the Études en France procedure and is it compulsory for Nepal?
What is the post study work permit in France?
Do I have to validate my visa after I arrive?
Is France cheaper than Australia for a Nepali student?
Related Nepcoms pages
Weighing up other destinations before you commit to study in France from Nepal?
Official sources for the figures on this page
- Campus France, Tuition fees in France 2026-2027The €2,902, €3,950 and €398 rates
- France-Visas, Student visaVisa types and the €50 Études en France rate
- France-Visas, NepalVFS Kathmandu submission, New Delhi processing
- Campus France NépalÉtudes en France procedure and interview documents
- Campus France, Working while studyingThe 964 hour annual limit
- Campus France, Registering to social securityFree and compulsory health registration
- Service-Public, job search and business creation permitThe 12 month post study permit
- CVEC, Contribution de vie étudiante et de campusPay and download your CVEC attestation
- Ministry of Education, Nepal, NOC portalNo Objection Certificate applications
Tuition rates and the resources threshold are reviewed each year, and the threshold is now indexed to the minimum wage. Last checked 31 August 2026.