Cost of Studying in France for Indian Students: Your First-Year Budget in INR (2027)

Pricing a year in France from India? Here is the whole first-year bill in rupees: tuition, Campus France and visa steps, the money the consulate checks, rent and insurance, and where a loan or a part-time job fits.

Which rupee rate should you use for a France budget?

Almost everything in France is priced in euros, so budget in euros first, then convert. All rupee amounts on this page use ₹105.8641 per euro, the FBIL reference rate published on the Reserve Bank of India website at 1.00 pm on 28 October 2026. They are rounded, and large amounts are in lakh (₹1 lakh = ₹1,00,000).

How much is tuition in France for Indian students?

Public universities charge fees set by the French ministry; private institutions set their own. Students from outside the EU, which includes Indian nationals, pay the “differentiated” public rate.

For public universities, Campus France notes that Decree No. 2026-385 of 19 May 2026 changed the rules on tuition waivers, so count a waiver only once you have it in writing, and check the teaching language before you compare fees.

At AI2, every international applicant is assessed for the scholarship automatically, with no form. The award can combine a partner-channel criterion (applicants coming through AI2’s partner institutions, including in India), merit and full payment; it applies to the first year and cannot be combined with other discounts. Details on AI2 tuition fees 2027.

What do you pay in India before you fly?

India follows the Études en France procedure: an online file with Campus France India, a fee, an academic interview, then the visa application on France-Visas and an appointment at a VFS Global centre.

Campus France India asks for the visa application as soon as you hold an unconditional acceptance letter and at least three months before the intake. The procedure, VFS centres and documents are in our France student visa from India guide.

How much money must you show for a French student visa?

Since 1 August 2026, the minimum is €877.50 a month, up from €615, according to both Service-Public (page verified 1 August 2026) and Campus France India. In rupees that is about ₹92,897 a month, or about ₹11.15 lakh (€10,530) for twelve months. This is not a fee: it is money you must be able to prove, and tuition comes on top of it.

How to present each type of evidence is covered in our guide to proof of funds for a France student visa.

What is the cost of living in France for Indian students?

Rent moves your budget most. Monthly figures published by Campus France:

In Paris, a CROUS room, food and the transport pass come to about €781 (₹82,701) a month; a private studio instead takes it to about €1,131 (₹1,19,753). AI2 estimates living costs in the Paris region at €900 to €1,700 a month, rent included (about ₹95,278 to ₹1,79,969). Phone, internet and leisure come on top.

Paris and the Écouen area are compared line by line in our cost of studying AI in France guide.

Which one-off costs come in your first weeks in France?

1. 1
   CVEC: €105 (₹11,116)

   The student life and campus contribution is €105 for 2026-27 (Service-Public, verified 20 August 2026). You pay it on cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr before you enrol, and it is not refunded if you withdraw. Campus France India’s arrival checklist still shows an older €91: the Service-Public amount is the current one. Ask your institution whether your programme requires it.
2. 2
   VLS-TS validation tax: €100 (₹10,586)

   Within three months of arrival you validate your long-stay visa online and pay this tax, which comes on top of the visa fee (Service-Public).
3. 3
   Rent deposit and first month

   A landlord may ask a deposit of at most one month’s rent excluding charges for an unfurnished flat, and two months for a furnished one (Service-Public, verified 9 June 2026). Campus France advises having the first month’s rent and the deposit ready when you sign.

Your worked first-year budget in EUR and INR

Every amount we could source, added up for a public university master’s and for AI2’s MSc Year 1 after scholarship, with living costs at the visa minimum.

The same method for other AI2 formats:

These are floors. At AI2’s upper estimate of €1,700 a month, the MSc Year 1 total rises to about ₹33.13 lakh.

How does an education loan fit into the budget?

1. 1
   Match the visa calendar

   Campus France India wants the visa application at least three months before the intake, with resources already visible. The sanction, and ideally the disbursement, has to come first.
2. 2
   Know what counts as proof

   Service-Public lists bank balances, a sponsor’s scheduled transfers and scholarship certificates, without mentioning loans. Money disbursed into your account shows as a balance; for a sanction letter alone, check your personalised France-Visas checklist.
3. 3
   Borrow for the full schedule

   Tuition, every month of living costs and the one-off fees above. At AI2, a deposit confirms your place (by 15 December 2026 for February 2027) and tuition can be paid in instalments set out in the admission letter.

Collateral, margins and the Indian schemes that cover only study in India are explained in our education loan for studying in France guide.

Can part-time work pay for living costs in France?

Partly, once you are there. A student residence permit allows up to 964 hours of paid work a year, 60% of the legal annual working time, without a separate work authorisation (Service-Public). The minimum wage (Smic) has been €12.31 gross and €9.74 net an hour since 1 June 2026, so 964 hours at that rate pay €11,866.84 gross, about €9,389 net: roughly ₹9.94 lakh a year, or about €782 (₹82,833) a month on average.

Job income does not count for the visa: the consulate checks your resources before you have any work. Internships that are part of your degree do not count towards the 964 hours, says Campus France. With work-study, the employer’s training fund (OPCO) pays your tuition for the period covered and you earn a salary; at AI2 it is possible from Bachelor Year 2, in the BSc final year and in MSc Year 2, never guaranteed at admission. More in working while studying in France.

Where does AI2 fit for an Indian student?

AI2, the Applied Institute of Artificial Intelligence, teaches applied AI, data science, cybersecurity and IoT 100% in English: English at B2 level, no French required. Its campus is the Hub Nikola Tesla in Écouen, 22 minutes from Paris Gare du Nord by Transilien line H. Intakes are planned in February, May and September 2027, with a priority deadline of 30 November 2026.

Each MSc final year awards the AI2 diploma and prepares a professional certification recognised by the French State, registered in the RNCP at level 7 (master’s level, EQF 7) and certified by DATAKOO, AI2’s parent company. Which entry year your B.Tech, BSc or BCA leads to is explained in MS in AI in France for Indian students, and the wider route from India in Masters in France for Indian students.

📘 Related guide: Masters in cybersecurity in France for Indian students: budget in rupees, visa and careers.

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Frequently asked questions

Apply online: AI2’s admissions team reviews your transcripts, holds an online interview and states your entry year, tuition and any scholarship in your admission letter, the figure your family, your bank and Campus France India will work from.

Apply nowSee all AI2 fees