Studying in France for Russians in 2026: admission, visa, cost and residence

Russian nationals can study in France in 2026: the application round for the 2027/28 academic year opened on 1 October 2026. Applications go through the Études en France procedure and a Campus France interview, and the visa is issued only after admission. A year of a bachelor’s at a public university costs a non-EU student €2,902, a master’s €3,950, and the visa requires at least €877.50 a month to live on.

For a well-off family, a French degree is more than an education. A graduate with a French master’s gets a year to look for work, qualifies for the talent passport for French graduates, which a Russian degree does not open, and shortens the path to citizenship. But the procedure is strict: first-year applications close on 15 December, the language test is due by 1 March, and a bachelor’s degree alone does not qualify for the job-search card.

Études en France: how Russian nationals apply in 2026

The Études en France procedure remains in place for Russia. According to Campus France Russia, it is mandatory for Russian citizens permanently resident in Russia and for foreign nationals lawfully resident there, for any course longer than 90 days. Campus France has five offices in Russia: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk (contacts).

• Online file. The applicant fills in a file on the Études en France platform, chooses programmes and sends it for review to the office for their region.
• Fee and interview. Once the file has been reviewed, a registration fee is paid, followed by a compulsory online interview with Campus France.
• Connected and non-connected institutions. Connected institutions see the file in the system. Non-connected ones receive documents directly, under their own rules and deadlines, but the applicant still goes through Études en France for the visa.
• No procedure needed. EU citizens and Russians already studying in France on a long-stay visa or residence permit.

Deadlines: when to apply and when the academic year starts

The academic year at French universities starts in September. Preparation begins almost a year earlier: for a September 2027 start, the French Foreign Ministry has set these deadlines (Campus France Russia).

Do not leave the interview and the language test to the last weeks: Campus France warns that slots may run out.

Admission straight after school

Applicants are admitted to the first year of university (Licence 1) with a Russian school-leaving certificate. For Russian nationals without a French school diploma, this is not Parcoursup but the same Études en France procedure, which serves as the preliminary first-year application (DAP).

• Three universities. No more than three universities can be chosen for first year.
• French. A DELF B2, DALF C1 or C2, or a TCF test with the written part, is required. Exemptions include a TEF score of at least 14 out of 20 and graduates of Franco-Russian bilingual sections at certain schools.
• Parcoursup. It applies if the child is obtaining a French school diploma, and for preparatory classes (CPGE) for the grandes écoles and two-year BTS programmes. The visa is still processed through Études en France afterwards.

A bachelor’s (licence) takes three years. If the child is not yet 18 when studies start, a guardian in France is mandatory; more on that below.

Master’s and English-taught programmes

Master’s applications (two years) go through Études en France by 30 January, with a bachelor’s or specialist degree and a certified translation. For programmes taught entirely in English, documents are translated into English and language skills are shown as the programme requires. It is the master’s that opens the job-search card and the talent passport for graduates.

How much studying in France costs

Public institutions charge differentiated fees (droits différenciés) to non-EU students. They were set by the order of 19 April 2019; since 2024/25 the amounts have been indexed to inflation each year.

Sources: Campus France, University of Tours, service-public.

• The national rate applies, besides EU citizens, to long-term resident card holders, refugees and those who have been tax resident in France for at least two years, including through their household (Article 3 of the order). If the parents move first and live in France for two years, the child pays €178 instead of €2,902.
• Waivers are being cut. Decree No. 2026-385 of 19 May 2026 caps partial waivers at 30% of an institution’s international students in 2026/27, 25% in 2027/28 and 20% from 2028/29. A discount from the university can no longer be counted on when planning the budget.

The student visa and card: money, fees, work

Students travel on a VLS-TS étudiant long-stay visa, which itself serves as a residence permit for four months to a year (service-public). Russian nationals apply after admission, once it has been recorded in the Études en France file, through a VFS Global visa centre; how filing works and where the centres are is covered in the article on how to move to France from Russia.

• Money to live on. From 1 August 2026, Decree No. 2026-526 (Article R422-2 CESEDA) requires at least 47% of the gross monthly SMIC: €877.50 a month, or €10,530 a year. It used to be €615. The threshold rises with the SMIC. It is shown with a bank statement, a scholarship, or a parental guarantee backed by statements of regular transfers. It does not apply if you passed the entrance competition of an institution that has an agreement with the state.
• Fees. The visa costs €50 instead of €99 for students who went through Campus France (France-Visas), plus a VFS service fee of €36. Online validation of the VLS-TS within three months of arrival costs €100. A multi-year student card costs €150, and renewal is filed four to two months before expiry.
• Work. Up to 964 hours a year, 60% of normal working time, with no separate permit; the employer files a declaration with the prefecture at least two working days in advance (service-public).
• Healthcare. Registration with the state health insurance is free and compulsory for students, through etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr after enrolment (Campus France).

Money from Russia. EU Regulation 833/2014 bars EU banks from accepting deposits of more than €100,000 per bank from Russian nationals, but does not apply to holders of a temporary or permanent residence permit in the EU (Article 5b, consolidated text). A student budget is rarely affected, and once the visa is validated the restriction generally stops applying. Banking and transfers are covered in the article on moving to France.

Example: a bachelor’s in Paris straight after school

A Moscow family is sending their daughter, who turns 18 by September, to a three-year bachelor’s at a public university in Paris. They rent a 30 m² studio: on the official rent map the top of the advertised range in Paris is €37.89 per m² including charges (more in the article on life in France), around €1,137 a month. For food, transport and phone we budget €700 a month; that is our estimate, not an official figure.

Tuition is at the 2026/27 rate; the second and third years will cost slightly more because of indexation. For the visa, the account must show at least €10,530 a year, but real spending in Paris is €22,044 a year. The key point for the family is not the sum: a bachelor’s alone does not qualify for the job-search card, so a plan to stay in France is built on a bachelor’s plus a master’s, five years in all.

Under-18 students and the family

• Under 18. If the child is not yet 18 when studies start, a guardian in France is mandatory, and without one the student visa is refused (Campus France Russia). A visa for a minor in education is issued, and within two months of turning 18 the student applies to the prefecture for a residence permit (Campus France).
• Parents and spouse. A child’s or spouse’s studies give the family no residence right of its own: unlike the talent passport, the student card has no accompanying family card. Parents who want to live nearby need their own basis, most often a visitor visa on their own means. After two years of tax residence on that basis, the child also moves to the national tuition rate.
• Family taxes. The parents’ move changes their tax residence and makes them liable to French taxes, including IFI on real estate; plan that before moving, see taxes in France.

Residence after graduation: the job-search card and the talent passport

A graduate can stay in France on the «recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise» card for 12 months (service-public).

• Who qualifies. Graduates with at least a master’s, a licence professionnelle, a Mastère Spécialisé or a Master of Science obtained in the last 12 months on a student card. An ordinary bachelor’s is not enough.
• When. The application is filed within the two months before the student card expires. The fee is €150. A graduate who has left can return on this card within four years of graduating.
• What next. A job related to the degree paying at least €2,800.53 gross a month, one and a half times the SMIC, allows a switch to the salarié card. A French master’s and a salary of at least €39,582 a year open the talent passport for qualified employees, for up to four years; with a Russian degree that category is closed. All categories and thresholds are in the article on French talent passport categories. For a business of your own, the same card gives a year to set up a company.
• Citizenship. A degree from a French university after two years of study shortens the residence requirement for naturalisation from five years to two; more in the article on French citizenship.

If you are choosing a country for your children’s studies and the whole family’s move, compare the terms in the article Spain or France. To go through your own case, the programme, the budget and the parents’ move, describe it and we will tell you free of charge where to start.

Frequently asked questions

Can Russians study in France in 2026?

Yes. The Études en France procedure is in place for Russia, Campus France has five offices in the country, and admissions for 2027/28 opened on 1 October 2026. Russian nationals file the student visa through a VFS Global centre after admission. The student card has no separate restrictions for Russian citizens.

How much does it cost to study in France?

At public institutions a non-EU student pays €2,902 a year for a bachelor’s and €3,950 for a master’s in 2026/27, plus the €105 student contribution. Private and business schools usually cost €6,000 to €18,000 a year. Three years of a bachelor’s in Paris with a rented studio cost a family about €75,489.

Can you go to university in France straight after school?

Yes, the first year of university accepts a Russian school-leaving certificate. The file goes through Études en France from 1 October to 15 December, with no more than three universities, and French at B2 level by DELF or TCF is due by 1 March. If the child is under 18 when studies start, a guardian in France is required.

When does the academic year start in France, and when do you apply?

The year starts in September, and applications are made almost a year ahead. For September 2027, first-year files are accepted until 15 December 2026 and master’s files until 30 January 2027. Universities answer by 30 April, the choice is confirmed by 31 May, and the visa is filed in the summer.

How do you get a French student visa?

First get admitted through Études en France and record the admission in the file, then apply for a VLS-TS étudiant visa through VFS Global no earlier than three months before departure. The fee for Campus France students is €50, plus a €36 VFS service fee. After arrival the visa is validated online within three months for €100.

How much money do you need for a French student visa?

From 1 August 2026, at least 47% of the SMIC: €877.50 a month, or €10,530 a year. Before that the threshold was €615. It is shown with a bank statement, a scholarship, or a parental guarantee backed by statements of regular transfers.

Can you stay in France after graduating?

Yes, after a master’s or a licence professionnelle a graduate gets a 12-month card to look for work or set up a company. A job related to the degree paying at least €2,800.53 gross a month leads to a salarié card, and with a French master’s and a salary of at least €39,582 a year, to the talent passport.

Can parents move to France with a student?

Not on the strength of the child’s studies: student status has no family card. Parents need their own basis, most often a visitor visa on their own means. If they live in France as tax residents for two years, the child pays university fees at the national rate.

Official sources

• Campus France Russia: applications and 2027/28 deadlines; Campus France offices in Russia; Campus France: under-18 students
• Order of 19 April 2019 on tuition fees; Decree No. 2026-385 on waivers; Campus France: cost of studies; service-public: fees and CVEC
• Decree No. 2026-526 on students’ means; service-public: student visa and card; service-public: student work; service-public: job-search card
• France-Visas: visa fees; Campus France: health insurance; Campus France: housing; EU Regulation 833/2014, as at 16 January 2026