• Budget : how much does it cost to study in France ?

Foreigners wishing to study in France are required to prove that they have resources above a minimum threshold level recommended by the French Ministry of Welfare (Ministère des Affaires Sociales), but students should realize that this threshold amount ( EUR  5,124 per year) is very unlikely to cover usual living expenses in France. Here's a sample monthly budget. You'll note that half of your monthly expenses go for your housing (the figure here is for a private apartment) and that the living costs in France depend widely from where you live. They depend also of your way of life, your personal choices and priorities, so keep in mind this is just an indicative budget. Don’t get afraid by the figures!  

  Some tips:

• Accommodation: Flat-sharing has become very widespread in France for the last years. It greatly reduces accommodation expenditures, so think about it!

(More information in the “Accommodation” section)

• Food: In France, university restaurants are a fixture of student life. The prices are low: a complete meal costs just 2.50 Euros. Anyone with a valid student ID card can use any of the 450 university restaurants found throughout France. Some are open nights and on weekends.

(More information in the “Daily Life” section)

• There are plenty of ways to save money in your daily expenditures: go to hard discount supermarkets, go to the cinema during the week (or in the morning), buy your train tickets online, get a haircut from an apprentice in a training centre…

Encounter some good ideas on the Studyrama website: http://www.studyrama.com/bonplan.php

• Grants and scholarships : how to finance your studies in France?

Funding opportunities for foreign students who come to study in France depend on their home country and on their education level. Briefly, we can say there are three main funding sources: the French government, your home country government and private institutions.    1. French government grants for international students in France. The French government funds approximately 22,000 foreign students each year. Most of the aid is administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry of Education also offers occasional grants to international students, subject to the availability of funds.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ programs are of two types:     - Scholarship funds made available under bilateral assistance programs between France and foreign governments or under an annual scholarship program. Areas of study are identified in each agreement and generally correspond to the needs expressed by the foreign partner. Many grants are jointly financed. More than 80 percent of French government scholarships fall into this category.    - Scholarships for excellence. Scholarship programs have been set up to enable French institutions of higher education to attract the finest international students and, through them, to develop interuniversity cooperation.     - Where can you get informed? Scholarship information may be obtained from the cultural service of the French embassy in your country, or from the nearest French consulate (see addresses below). You can also visit the Egide website:http://www.egide.asso.fr/uk/guide/preparer/obtenir/bourses The Ministry of Education’s grants to foreign students: The ministry in charge of Higher Education attributes two types of grants: on social criteria and on university criteria. In both cases, the categories of foreign students concerned by these grants are rather limited, most concerning only the students of the European Union or the foreign students whose parents have been living live in France for a certain number of years.   - Grants on social criteria:

You can apply for this grant if you’re less than 26 and follow a regular degree course in an higher education institution. Preference is given to French students, natives of Andorra and students from the EU. The calculation of the amount of the grant is made on the basis of the resources of the family and/or the student, appreciated on a national scale, set every year by the ministry. The amount varies according to five levels: in 2005/2006, the amount of the 1st level was 1 335 Euro/year, that of the 5th level 3 607 Euro/year. The file (DSE: student social File), which allows if needed to apply simultaneously for a flat in a hall of residence, is to be withdrawn with the CROUS and deposit before April 30 preceding the start of the academic year. The request must be renewed each year.

   - Grants on university criteria: These grants target the students who cannot ask for grants based on social criteria. To benefit from them, it is necessary to have a good university report. But, even there, the conditions of nationality limit the access for the foreign students. Files are to be withdrawn and deposited completed in the registrar’s office or in the service of grants of the university.    - Where can you get informed?To know more about it, consult the service of the grants in your university or school or the CROUS (see addresses below). 2. Your home country government’s grants.

Some countries attributes grants for their students while abroad. To know more about these opportunities, contact the Ministry of Education in your country, or the institution which deal with scholarships. 3. Private institutions grants

There are a certain amount of grants or scholarships awarded by international institutions, non-governmental organizations or private foundations. Their access is often very limited and you'd be very lucky if you met all the conditions. Anyway, to find out if you could be one of the lucky winner, check the Unesco database: it includes some 3,000 entries on courses and scholarships in different higher-education academic and professional disciplines in over 145 countries. Other sources of information:

The French association iEDU lists many possible grants and scholarships on its website: http://www.iedu.asso.fr/

The French foundation "Fondation de France" also lists many possible grants: http://www.fdf.org/jsp/site/Portal.jsp?page_id=55