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Starting July 1, 2026, non-European students without scholarships will be ineligible for France’s personalized housing assistance (APL). This decision, part of France’s 2026 budget law, was enacted by decree and affirmed by the Constitutional Council last February. It was officially published in the Official Journal on June 28.
The regulation limits APL access for non-EU students to those eligible for higher-education grants based on social criteria. Notably, students who work even a minimal amount, such as one hour a week, can continue receiving APL, which ranges from 150 to 250 euros monthly.
This move coincides with stricter rules on tuition fee exemptions for non-European students. Supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space, the related decree 2026-385 has been documented in the Official Journal since last May.
Consequently, many non-EU students will face higher tuition fees, with institutions permitted to waive fees for «up to 20% of their non-EU students» only. For the upcoming academic year, the exemption cap is set at 30%. This will decrease to 25% by 2027 and eventually to 20%.
Through the «Choose France For Higher Education» initiative championed by minister Philippe Baptiste, the goal is to enforce differentiated tuition fees introduced in 2019, which have so far been partially implemented. Undergraduate tuition will increase to €2,895 annually from the current €178. Master’s level fees will rise to €3,941 from €254.
Students granted tuition exemptions for the 2025–2026 academic year will retain them «until the end of their university cycle», as long as they remain in «the corresponding programmes at the institution that granted the exemption». Those receiving exemptions for 2026–2027 secured before the new rules take effect «will retain the benefit under the same conditions».
