Budget for studying in France from Morocco: tuition, visa and required funds
Studying in France from Morocco means budgeting several items: the Campus France procedure fee, the institution's tuition, the student life and campus contribution, visa steps, then the cost of living. This guide gives the amounts that can be verified on official pages or public institutions, flags those that vary by institution, and sets aside the outdated figures still in circulation. Amounts change from year to year: confirm them before committing.
By the numbers
The expense items to plan for
A Moroccan student's budget in France has five items. The Campus France Morocco procedure fee (1,900 MAD, non-refundable) is paid even before admission. Tuition varies with the type of institution and your situation. The CVEC is due each year unless exempt. The visa and its validation on arrival involve fees and taxes. Finally, housing, food, transport and insurance weigh on every month of your studies.
The following sections give, for each item, what official sources allow us to state.
The Campus France procedure fee
Campus France Morocco's application fee is 1,900 MAD, paid online by bank card. If you have a “Je suis candidat” file and then a “Je suis accepté” file, you pay only once for the period 10/2026-09/2027. The fee is in no case refundable, even in case of non-admission or visa refusal. Procedure details are in our guide on Campus France Morocco.
Tuition at public universities
For 2026-2027, Service-Public lists the following standard-rate tuition for a university: €178 for a licence, €255 for a master's and €398 for a doctorate. A reduced rate exists in some cases. These are the amounts for French and European students.
Non-European students, including Moroccans, may be subject to differentiated tuition. For 2026-2027, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord displays €2,902 per year for a licence and €3,950 per year for a master's for non-European students. Doctoral students are not subject to differentiated tuition, according to Université d'Évry, which cites the April 19, 2019 order.
Older figures still circulate in blog articles: always check the amount on the target institution's page.
Who pays differentiated tuition, who can be exempt
Decree no. 2026-385 of May 19, 2026 changes the rules letting universities grant exemptions. According to Université d'Évry, the number of exemptions is capped progressively: 30% in 2026-2027, 25% in 2027-2028 then 20% in 2028-2029. Holders of French government scholarships and wards of the Nation are exempt from tuition, according to Service-Public.
Implementation varies by university. At Évry, for 2026-2027, differentiated tuition applies to non-Europeans arriving for the first time in L1, DEUST 1 or BUT 1, except those from low-income countries according to the World Bank, who can request an exemption from a committee; students who already paid differentiated tuition or were exempt in 2025-2026 are not subject to it in 2026-2027. At Sorbonne Paris Nord, exemption requests are filed online. Ask the target institution: application rules and request deadlines may differ.
Engineering schools, business schools and private institutions
The amounts above concern public universities. Engineering schools, business schools, art schools and private institutions set their own tuition, often higher. Check each program's page: our France orientation tool links to each institution's official page.
The CVEC
The student life and campus contribution is €105 for the 2026-2027 academic year, according to Service-Public. It is due each year unless exempt, notably for scholarship holders and refugees or asylum seekers. It is separate from tuition.
The visa and validation on arrival
The “student” long-stay visa valid as a residence permit (VLS-TS) must be validated online within 3 months of arriving in France, with payment of a tax. Service-Public, on a page checked August 1, 2026, states an amount of €100 for this tax. Renewing the “student” residence permit involves a tax and stamp duty whose amount is shown on the same page. The fee for filing the visa application itself should be checked on the official France-Visas site, which could not be consulted here.
Proof of resources: €877.50 per month
To obtain a student VLS-TS or residence permit, you must show resources of at least €877.50 per month, according to Service-Public (checked August 1, 2026). Lower figures, such as €615 per month, circulate on unofficial sites and reflect old rules: do not rely on them. If your resources have several sources, you must attach proof of each.
This amount is a minimum to show, not a comfortable budget. The real cost of housing and living varies greatly by city.
Building your budget: a five-step method
First, note your program's tuition on the institution's page for the full length of the course, checking whether you are concerned by differentiated tuition or an exemption. Second, add up procedure costs: Campus France, CVEC, visa, VLS-TS validation, French certification. Third, check the proof of resources of €877.50 per month over the length of your stay. Fourth, estimate housing and daily life for your target city using the institution's and city's official sites. Fifth, keep a margin for the unexpected and the first months.
If the budget does not work, look first at the institution's exemptions and scholarships before borrowing or entrusting your file to an intermediary.
Official sources consulted
Service-Public: “Foreign student in France: long-stay visa or residence permit” (checked August 1, 2026) and “University tuition fees” (checked August 20, 2026); Campus France Morocco: “Campus France application fees”; Université Sorbonne Paris Nord: “Tuition fees”; Université d'Évry: “Application of differentiated tuition for the 2026-2027 academic year”. Consulted on October 26, 2026. Amounts and rules may change: check them with official sources and the target institution before acting.