Choosing your programmes on Études en France: a strategy for your choices

Information checked on 11 September 2026.

On Études en France (the online platform used to apply to study in France), your list of programmes is not a wish list: it is a strategy. The number of choices is limited, the most sought-after programmes receive far more applications than they have places, and since the 2026 intake the cost of enrolling at a university as a non-European student has changed significantly. Here is how to build a list that holds up: how many choices you have, what each option costs, how to check that a school is recognised, and how to spread your choices between ambition and safety. For the procedure as a whole, see our complete Campus France guide (Campus France is the French agency for international students).

How many choices on Études en France?

The number of choices depends on the procedure your programme falls under. Campus France Congo sums it up like this:

The DAP (demande d'admission préalable) is the prior admission request for the first year at university; the licence is the French bachelor's degree. A few details given by Campus France offices:

• For the first year of licence, the three choices can be three programmes at the same university or the same programme at three different universities, and you must rank them in order of priority (Campus France Côte d'Ivoire).
• For architecture, Campus France Mali and Campus France Senegal state two choices.
• For a mixed file, the DAP deadline, the earliest one, applies to the whole file (Campus France Congo).

If you don't yet know which track your project falls under, read DAP or hors DAP first. And since the detailed rules vary from one country to another (around seventy countries use Études en France), always check the Campus France website for your country.

One last point: some schools, private ones in particular, are not "connected" to the platform. You then obtain admission directly from the school and follow the « Je suis accepté » (I have been accepted) procedure of your Campus France office. These schools don't count towards your choices, but they call for the checks described below.

Public universities: differentiated tuition fees in 2026-2027

At public universities, non-European students pay differentiated tuition fees, far higher than the national rate. According to service-public.gouv.fr (news item updated on 20 August 2026), for the 2026-2027 academic year:

Those not concerned include nationals of the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland. The University of Tours also lists doctoral students and refugees among the exempt groups. For the doctorate, the rate is in fact the same for everyone: €398 per year.

Exemptions exist, but they are now capped. Until now, many universities exempted their international students widely, who then paid the national rate. Decree no. 2026-385 of 19 May 2026 limits these exemptions to 30% of enrolled international students for 2026-2027, then 25% in 2027-2028, and 20% in the long run. In practice:

• each university sets its own exemption policy within this limit; the University of Tours, for example, examines individual requests within the limit of 30% of its non-EU students for 2026-2027;
• an exemption has to be requested, it is not automatic;
• it is never guaranteed at the time you submit your choices.

For your strategy, count on the differentiated rate. If the exemption comes, all the better; if you built your budget on it and it doesn't come, the whole year is at risk. Check the « droits d'inscription » (tuition fees) page of each university on your list: that is where its rules are published. The full budget for leaving is detailed in how much Campus France costs.

Private schools: checking that a diploma is recognised

Private schools don't apply differentiated fees: they set their prices freely. Campus France Algeria gives a range of €5,000 to €30,000 per year. At that price, the first question is not the school's ranking but the value of its diploma. In France, "recognised" can mean very different things:

To check:

An RNCP title is genuine professional recognition, but it is neither a national diploma nor a grade: if you plan to go on to a public master's or to have your diploma recognised in another country, the difference matters. And a diploma with no recognition at all is hard to defend at the Campus France interview, which focuses precisely on the coherence and seriousness of your project.

Balancing ambitious and safe choices

A list containing only highly selective programmes in the largest cities can end with zero admissions. Conversely, a "safe" list with no programme that motivates you will take you where you didn't want to go. The classic breakdown has three tiers:

To estimate where you stand, read each programme's prerequisites, the profiles of admitted students when the institution publishes them, and ask students who are already there. Be wary of "admission rates" shown without a source.

Order matters too. When you are asked to rank your choices, as for the first year of licence, put first the one you would accept without hesitation. Institutions' answers arrive in spring, and you will then have to confirm a final choice within a short deadline: that moment is explained in Campus France answers.

Looking beyond Paris

Paris and the large metropolitan areas attract many international applicants. Yet the same licence or master's programme often exists at universities in medium-sized cities, with comparable content and, in general, lower rents. For a student budget, that second point weighs heavily: housing is the biggest expense.

Widening your map also means:

• comparing curricula rather than city names: a university in a medium-sized city may offer exactly the specialisation you are looking for;
• looking at internships and local job prospects: companies, laboratories, the region's economic fabric;
• thinking about life on the ground: transport, student housing, presence of compatriots.

For a concrete example of a university city, our article studying in Lyon details what awaits you there.

A list consistent with your project

The Campus France adviser reads your list as a whole. Seven programmes in seven unrelated disciplines say only one thing: you don't know what you want. Conversely, a list focused on a single project, with justified variants (a more applied specialisation, a more theoretical one, a more affordable city), tells the story of a well-thought-out project.

Three checks before you validate:

• Each choice is justified by your career plan, in one sentence. If not, remove it.
• Each choice is accessible from your current diploma: check the prerequisites, the required background discipline and the level of French required.
• Each choice is affordable: tuition fees, rent in the city, the resources you must prove for the visa.

The motivation you write for each programme follows directly from this work: that is the subject of our article on the Campus France motivation letter.

Seeing where your compatriots already live

Between two equivalent programmes, the city can make the difference, and not just because of the rent. Arriving in a city where a community from your country already exists means having someone to ask for advice on housing and paperwork, or simply not spending the first weekend alone.

On Compatri, every city has its page, for example Toulouse, listing the communities already there, their number of members and upcoming meetups. You can join your country's community before you even leave, ask students who are there about the city's universities, and compare. If no community from your country exists yet in the city you are aiming for, it will start with its first members living there: the Claim your city page explains how people who have lived there for at least two years become its reference members. How to go about it is explained in joining your community before you leave.

Official sources

• Campus France Congo: how many choices in a single file
• Service-public.gouv.fr: university tuition fee amounts in 2026
• Service-public.gouv.fr: tuition fees for international students from 2026
• University of Tours: differentiated tuition fees 2026-2027
• Campus France Côte d'Ivoire: applying for the first year of licence
• Campus France Algeria: the cost of studying in France