How many rupees does a first year in France really take? Every line of the budget, from the visa fee to rent, food and transport in the Paris region, converted at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka rate, with the income you can earn back and the rules for sending money from home.
Which exchange rate should you plan with?
Use the CBSL indicative rate to plan, and keep a margin for the day you actually pay.
Every rupee figure on this page uses the euro indicative rate published by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL): LKR 370.8597 for €1 on 29 October 2026, rounded to 370.86. Over the week before, the CBSL rate moved between LKR 369.74 (28 October) and LKR 372.90 (22 October). That is small, but your bank’s selling rate for euros will differ from the indicative rate, and a first-year budget is paid over many months.
A simple stress test: if the rupee lost 5% against the euro, a budget of €21,229 would cost about LKR 393,600 more. AI2’s guidance on proof of funds for a French student visa suggests keeping a margin of 5 to 10% above the minimum when the account is held in local currency, as a precaution rather than a rule.
What do you pay before you leave Sri Lanka?
No Campus France fee, but the visa fee is not the reduced one.
Sri Lanka is not one of the 75 countries using Campus France’s Études en France procedure, so there is no Campus France application fee to budget. You apply to the institution directly and then for the visa. The costs and sums of money to plan before departure:
| Item | Amount | In rupees | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-stay student visa fee | €99 full rate (€50 reduced rate) | LKR 36,715 (LKR 18,543) | The reduced rate is for students whose file was examined by an Études en France centre. Sri Lanka is outside that procedure, so plan for €99 and confirm the amount on your France-Visas application. |
| Visa centre service fee | Set by the centre | Check when booking | Check the current amount when you book at the visa application centre in Colombo. |
| Tuition deposit | Stated in your admission letter | Varies | For AI2’s February 2027 intake, enrolment and deposit are due by 15 December 2026. |
| Proof of resources | €877.50 a month, €10,530 for twelve months | LKR 325,429 a month, LKR 3.91 million a year | Money you must hold or be guaranteed, not a fee. Tuition comes on top. |
| Flight to Paris | Not covered here | Not covered here | No official benchmark exists; get quotes once your visa dates are known. |
The visa procedure itself, documents and processing times are covered in our France student visa guide for Sri Lanka.
How much is tuition for a year?
The biggest variable in your budget, and the easiest to pin down in writing.
| Programme | Per year | In rupees |
|---|---|---|
| Public institution, master’s, non-EU rate (2026-27) | €3,950 | LKR 1.46 million |
| Public institution, bachelor’s, non-EU rate (2026-27) | €2,902 | LKR 1.08 million |
| Private institutions (Campus France range) | About €6,000 to €18,000 or more | LKR 2.23 to 6.68 million or more |
| AI2 Bachelor in Applied AI, Years 1 and 2 | €9,000, AI2 scholarships possible | LKR 3.34 million |
| AI2 BSc final year (top-up) | €9,900, AI2 scholarships possible | LKR 3.67 million |
| AI2 MSc Year 1 | €12,500, or from €10,500 after scholarship | LKR 4.64 million, or from LKR 3.89 million |
| AI2 MSc 18-month direct entry (single fee) | €13,000, or from €11,300 (IoT from €11,800) | LKR 4.82 million, or from LKR 4.19 million |
| AI2 Fast-Track, 11 months, February 2027 | €12,500, or €11,000 before 15 November 2026 | LKR 4.64 million, or LKR 4.08 million |
Campus France notes that Decree No. 2026-385 of 19 May 2026 changed the rules for tuition fee waivers at public institutions, so a waiver should not be part of your plan. Private institutions set their own fees, which is why the admission letter is the document to budget from.
What does it cost to live in the Paris region each month?
Rent decides most of it.
Official sources give benchmarks rather than a single figure. The table builds a monthly budget from the ones we could verify; it leaves out phone, energy, books and leisure, which have no reliable official benchmark.
| Item | Per month | In rupees | Source detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room in a CROUS residence, Paris | €450 | LKR 166,887 | Campus France; CROUS places are hard to get and not allocated automatically |
| Private studio, Paris | At least €800 | LKR 296,688 or more | Campus France; about €400 elsewhere in France |
| Food | €181 | LKR 67,126 | FAGE 2026 average for students; a CROUS canteen meal costs €1 |
| Transport, imagine R student pass | €33.44 | LKR 12,402 | €401.30 a year for metro, bus and RER in Île-de-France, divided by 12 |
| Complementary health insurance (mutuelle) | €5 to €50 | LKR 1,854 to 18,543 | Registration with the national health insurance is free; the mutuelle is optional but recommended |
| Total of these lines | About €669 to €1,064 | LKR 248,000 to 395,000 | Our calculation, CROUS room to Paris studio |
Two benchmarks frame these totals. The visa requires at least €877.50 a month, whatever your actual rent. And AI2 estimates living costs at about €900 to €1,700 a month in the Paris region, rent included, with flat-sharing near its Écouen campus bringing that down. A student in a CROUS room can live close to the visa minimum; a student alone in a Paris studio will spend more.
What about deposits, guarantors and housing aid?
The housing rules changed in 2026; budget without APL.
- Deposit: under French law, the security deposit cannot exceed one month’s rent (excluding charges) for an unfurnished flat, and two months for a furnished one (Service-Public, verified 9 June 2026). For an €800 furnished studio, that can mean €1,600, about LKR 593,000, on top of the first month’s rent.
- Guarantor: landlords in France usually ask for a French guarantor. Campus France points to VISALE, a free rental guarantee for students, which you can request before arriving.
- Housing aid (APL): since 1 July 2026, students from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland can no longer receive APL unless they hold a needs-based grant, according to Service-Public. Students with a professional activity or an apprenticeship or professionalisation contract may still be eligible. Older guides that count on APL are out of date.
Where to look and how to avoid scams: our guide to student accommodation in Paris for international students.
What do you pay in your first weeks in France?
Keep cash for the first month; most of it is due before any income arrives.
| Item | Amount | In rupees | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| VLS-TS validation tax | €100 | LKR 37,086 | Online, within three months of arrival |
| CVEC student life contribution | €105 (2026-27) | LKR 38,940 | Before administrative enrolment, if your programme requires it: it applies to students in initial training at higher education institutions; ask your school |
| First month’s rent and deposit | One to three months of rent | From about LKR 333,800 for a CROUS-level rent | At signature of the lease |
| Household set-up | Not covered here | Not covered here | Bedding, kitchen basics; no official benchmark |
The full first-year budget in rupees
Tuition plus the legal living minimum, by programme.
The table adds tuition, the visa minimum for living costs (€877.50 a month), the €99 visa fee and the €100 validation tax. It is the floor the embassy will check, not a comfortable budget: for a Paris studio, add the difference between your real rent and the visa minimum, plus deposit and flight.
| First year | Tuition | Living (visa minimum) | Total in euros | Total in rupees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public university master’s, non-EU rate | €3,950 | €10,530 (12 months) | €14,679 | LKR 5.44 million |
| AI2 BSc final year (top-up) | €9,900 | €10,530 (12 months) | €20,629 | LKR 7.65 million |
| AI2 Fast-Track, applied before 15 November 2026 | €11,000 | €9,652.50 (11 months) | €20,851.50 | LKR 7.73 million |
| AI2 MSc Year 1, after scholarship | €10,500 | €10,530 (12 months) | €21,229 | LKR 7.87 million |
| AI2 MSc 18-month direct entry, first 12 months | €11,300 | €10,530 (12 months) | €22,029 | LKR 8.17 million |
| AI2 MSc Year 1, standard fee | €12,500 | €10,530 (12 months) | €23,229 | LKR 8.61 million |
For comparison with the UK and Germany, and for an Écouen versus Paris rent calculation, see our wider guide to the cost of studying AI in France.
How much can you earn back while studying?
Useful from the second month, not for the visa file.
A student residence permit lets you work up to 964 hours a year without a separate authorisation (Service-Public F2713). The minimum wage is €12.31 gross and €9.74 net an hour (Service-Public F2300, verified 1 June 2026).
| Source of income | Amount | In rupees |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time job at the minimum wage, 964 hours | About €9,389 net a year, €782 a month on average | LKR 3.48 million a year, LKR 290,000 a month |
| Internship of more than two months | At least €4.50 an hour; Service-Public’s example of a full-time internship from January to March 2026 gives €1,984.50, about €661.50 a month | About LKR 245,000 a month |
| Work-study contract (AI2: Bachelor Year 2, BSc final year, MSc Year 2) | Tuition paid by the employer’s training fund, plus a salary | Depends on the contract |
Two cautions. Job income cannot replace the resources you show for the visa, which must exist before you travel. And a job or work-study contract is never guaranteed at admission. The rules are in our guide to working while studying in France.
How do you show and send the money from Sri Lanka?
Bank evidence for the embassy, an authorised bank for the transfers.
Service-Public accepts several proofs of resources: a bank certificate showing a sufficient balance, or a sponsor’s identity document with bank evidence of scheduled regular transfers or a sworn statement that the monthly amount will be paid, or a scholarship certificate. AI2’s scholarship page adds a point many families miss: a tuition scholarship reduces the fee but does not count towards the €877.50 a month.
For the transfers themselves, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka clarified on 20 April 2020 that family members residing in Sri Lanka are permitted to send money to persons abroad for studies, covering university and course fees and living expenses, through an Authorized Dealer in foreign exchange (a licensed commercial bank or a permitted licensed specialised bank), on presentation of the documents the bank usually requires. Confirm the current documents with your bank before the first payment.
Where AI2 fits in a Sri Lankan budget
AI2, the Applied Institute of Artificial Intelligence, teaches 100% in English on its Écouen campus, 22 minutes from Paris Gare du Nord by Transilien line H, with intakes in February, May and September 2027. Three features matter for a family budget:
- Automatic scholarship assessment. Every international applicant is assessed for the AI2 scholarship, with no form and no fee. Awards can combine a partner-channel criterion (applying through one of AI2’s partner institutions in Sri Lanka), merit and full payment of the year; the amount is stated in the admission letter.
- One-year formats with a single fee. The BSc final year (€9,900) suits HND holders, and the 11-month Fast-Track in data science (€11,000 for applications before 15 November 2026) includes a six-month internship in a company in France.
- Instalments. Tuition can be paid in staggered instalments set out in the admission letter, which spreads transfers from Sri Lanka over the year.
The degree-by-degree entry rules for Sri Lankan qualifications are in our guide to studying AI in France from Sri Lanka, and how to choose between French master’s routes in master’s in France for Sri Lankan students. Full figures are on the AI2 tuition fees page.
📘 Related guides: Scholarships in France for Sri Lankan students · Bachelor in France for Sri Lankan students.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to study in France for one year from Sri Lanka?
Counting tuition, the €877.50 a month required for the visa, the €99 visa fee and the €100 validation tax, a first year costs about €14,679 (LKR 5.44 million) at a public university master’s and €20,600 to €23,200 (LKR 7.65 to 8.61 million) at AI2, at the CBSL rate of 29 October 2026. Flight and rent deposit come on top.
How much bank balance do I need for a French student visa from Sri Lanka?
At least €877.50 for each month of your stay, €10,530 for twelve months, which is about LKR 3.91 million at the CBSL rate of 29 October 2026. Tuition not yet paid comes on top, and a margin protects you against exchange-rate moves.
What is the French student visa fee for Sri Lankans?
The France-Visas fee table sets €99 for a long-stay visa, with a reduced €50 rate for students whose file was examined by an Études en France centre. Sri Lanka does not use that procedure, so plan for €99, plus the visa centre’s service fee, and confirm both when you apply.
Can Sri Lankan students get housing aid in France?
Since 1 July 2026, students from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland cannot receive APL housing aid unless they hold a needs-based grant. Students with a professional activity or an apprenticeship or professionalisation contract may still be eligible.
Can my parents send money from Sri Lanka for my tuition and living costs?
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka clarified in April 2020 that family members residing in Sri Lanka may send money for study fees and living expenses abroad through an Authorized Dealer, such as a licensed commercial bank, with the usual supporting documents. Check the current requirements with your bank.
How much can I earn while studying in France?
Up to 964 hours of work a year. At the minimum wage of €9.74 net an hour, that is about €9,389 net a year, around LKR 3.48 million. This income cannot be used as proof of resources for the visa.
Does an AI2 scholarship count as proof of funds?
No. The AI2 scholarship reduces tuition but does not count towards the €877.50 a month of resources required for the student visa.
Sources consulted on 29 October 2026: Central Bank of Sri Lanka: EUR/LKR indicative exchange rate · Central Bank of Sri Lanka: remittance of funds to Sri Lankans abroad to pursue studies (20 April 2020) · France-Visas: visa fee table (PDF) · Campus France: countries using the Études en France procedure · Campus France: tuition fees 2026-27 · Campus France: student housing in France · Campus France Pakistan: prepare your budget · FAGE: cost of the 2026 academic year for students · Service-Public: student visa and residence permit, F2231 (verified 1 August 2026) · Service-Public: housing aid for non-EU students (1 July 2026) · Service-Public: security deposit, F31269 (verified 9 June 2026) · Service-Public: work for foreign students, F2713 · Service-Public: minimum wage, F2300 (verified 1 June 2026) · Service-Public: internship gratification, F32131 (verified 1 January 2026) · etudiant.gouv.fr: CVEC FAQ · AI2: tuition fees 2027 · AI2: scholarships 2027
Apply online: AI2’s admissions team reviews your file, holds an online interview and states your programme, tuition, scholarship and payment schedule in your admission letter, the figures your family and the embassy will rely on.
