How much does Campus France cost? Fees by country and the total budget for leaving

Campus France application fees are only the first line of the budget. Amounts by country taken from official websites, visa, tuition fees, CVEC, VLS-TS validation, the first month on site: every item, with its source.

Espero AKPOLI

Founder · Compatri, the social network for diasporas

Information checked on 11 September 2026.

"How much does Campus France cost?" The question comes up every year, and the short answer is misleading: the application fees are only the first line of a much larger budget. Between applying and your first month in France, you need to count the Campus France fees (Campus France is the French agency for international students), the visa, tuition fees, the CVEC, the plane ticket, validating your visa on arrival and settling in, not to mention the resources you must prove to get the visa. Here is every item, with its amount when a text or an official source sets it, and with no figure when none does. For the full procedure, start with our complete Campus France guide.

Campus France fees, country by country

Études en France application fees (Études en France is the online application platform) are not set in Paris: each Campus France office sets its own amount, in local currency, and its payment arrangements. Here is what the official websites of several offices show, consulted in September 2026:

Country	Application fee	Payment
Benin	70,000 FCFA	Société Générale (Orabank in Parakou)
Burkina Faso	70,000 FCFA	As instructed by the office
Cameroon	85,000 FCFA, plus 16,000 FCFA TLS fees	By appointment at TLS Contact
Congo-Brazzaville	75,000 FCFA	BCI branches
Côte d'Ivoire	80,000 FCFA (Campus Classique package)	Société Générale
Mali	70,000 FCFA	Ecobank, on Campus France's instruction
Morocco	1,900 dirhams	Online by card, or at Crédit du Maroc with 95 dirhams of bank fees
Senegal	85,000 FCFA	Sunu Bank (formerly BICIS), after the payment request

Two of these pages may be out of date: Burkina Faso's was updated in 2024, and Benin's FAQ mentions a deadline from a past campaign. Reconfirm the amount before paying. The others correspond to the latest or current campaign, and may change for the 2027 intake. If your country is not listed here, the amount is on your Campus France office's website, in the section on the procedure or fees.

Campus France Côte d'Ivoire also offers a « Campus Pro » package at 110,000 FCFA, which adds three two-hour workshops (CV, motivation letter, interview) in partnership with the Institut français. It is optional.

What these fees cover, and what they don't

The application fees pay for the processing of your application by the Campus France office, interview included. Three rules apply almost everywhere:

Only pay after your office's payment request. Campus France Senegal is explicit: no payment before you have received the authorisation.
These fees are not refundable, including if you withdraw, are not admitted or are refused a visa (Campus France Morocco, Cameroon, Mali, Senegal).
They guarantee neither admission nor a visa (Campus France Benin).

They do not cover, on the other hand: the French test when it is required (paid to the exam centre, at its rate), translations by a sworn translator for documents that are not in French, or any of the items below. Some profiles are exempt from application fees, for example, in Morocco, French government scholarship holders who fall under the « Je suis accepté » (I have been accepted) procedure.

The visa and the resources you must prove

The long-stay student visa. The full rate for a long-stay visa is €99. Students whose file went through Campus France pay a reduced rate: €50 according to Campus France Mauritius, and Campus France Côte d'Ivoire states 35,000 FCFA instead of 65,000 FCFA on presentation of the Campus France receipt. When the visa application goes through an external provider, service fees are added; the amount is shown when you book the appointment. The steps are detailed in applying for a student visa.

Minimum resources. This is not an expense, but it is the heaviest line in the file: for applications filed since 1 August 2026, you must prove at least €877.50 per month, or €10,530 per year (decree no. 2026-526 of 22 June 2026, 47% of the gross monthly minimum wage, the SMIC). The threshold had been €615 since 2002, and some local pages still show that old amount: €877.50 is what applies. Everything is explained in minimum resources for the student visa.

Tuition fees and the CVEC

Public university. Non-European students pay differentiated tuition fees: for 2026-2027, €2,902 per year for a licence (bachelor's) and €3,950 per year for a master's, compared with €178 and €255 at the national rate (service-public.gouv.fr). Universities can exempt some of their international students, but these exemptions are now capped at 30%: count on the full rate. The details, and how to factor them into your choices, are in choosing your programmes on Études en France.

Private school. Prices are free: Campus France Algeria gives a range of €5,000 to €30,000 per year.

The CVEC. The contribution de vie étudiante et de campus (student and campus life contribution) funds social, health, cultural and sports support for students. According to cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr, it is €105 for the 2026-2027 academic year. It is paid online on that site, and the certificate is required to finalise enrolment. Those exempt include French government scholarship holders, refugees, beneficiaries of subsidiary protection and asylum seekers, who must still obtain an exemption certificate.

The ticket and the first month on site

The plane ticket. No serious amount can be given: it depends on the departure city, the airline and above all the date, late August and September being the busiest period. Book early, but preferably with change conditions: the date you get your visa is not entirely in your hands.

Validating the VLS-TS. Within three months of arrival, you must validate online your long-stay visa serving as a residence permit (VLS-TS) on the ANEF website (the online portal for foreign nationals), and pay a tax of €100 (campusfrance.org, page updated on 12 August 2026; service-public.gouv.fr). The exact amount is shown at payment. The step-by-step process is in validating your VLS-TS.

Housing. In the first month, you usually pay the first rent and a security deposit, capped by law at one month's rent excluding charges for unfurnished housing and at two months for furnished housing. If you have no guarantor in France, the Visale guarantee from Action Logement can take its place. Home insurance is compulsory for a tenant. To search without getting caught out, read finding student housing from abroad.

Housing benefit. Since 1 July 2026, non-European students who do not hold a bourse sur critères sociaux (means-tested grant) generally no longer receive the APL (French housing benefit). Don't include it in your budget without checking your situation in APL and international students.

Health. Affiliation to French social security is requested free of charge on etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr. The Assurance Maladie recommends adding a complementary health insurance, whose price varies from one contract to another.

The rest (transport, phone, groceries) depends heavily on the city: a transport pass or a rent does not cost the same in Paris, Lille or Poitiers.

The summary budget

Only lines whose amount is set by an official source are included:

Item	Amount	Source
Campus France fees	70,000 to 85,000 FCFA depending on the country, 1,900 dirhams in Morocco	Campus France office websites
Long-stay student visa	€50 reduced rate, €99 full rate	Campus France Mauritius, service-public
Tuition fees, public university	€2,902 (licence) or €3,950 (master's) per year	service-public.gouv.fr
CVEC 2026-2027	€105	cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr
VLS-TS validation	€100	campusfrance.org, service-public.gouv.fr
Security deposit	at most 1 month's rent excl. charges (unfurnished), 2 months (furnished)	service-public.gouv.fr
Resources to prove, not an expense	€877.50 per month	Decree no. 2026-526
Ticket, first rent, insurance, transport	Variable	To be estimated locally

For a licence at a public university without exemption, the fixed lines alone (reduced-rate visa, tuition fees, CVEC, VLS-TS validation) already come to €3,157, excluding Campus France fees and the ticket. For a master's, €4,205. Housing and daily life come on top, and they weigh most on the year.

Asking people who live there what a month really costs

Official sources give the fixed amounts. They don't say what a student month really costs in your future city: the rent for a room in a given neighbourhood, the price of the transport pass, the shop where you can find products from home without going broke. The only people who know are those who live there.

On Compatri, you can join the community of your country in the city where you plan to study before you even have your visa, and ask members who are settled there: how much do your housing, transport and groceries cost? The « Étudiants africains » (African students) group also brings together students from several cities, who share tips on grants, student housing and mutual help between campuses. Compatri is neither a bank nor a visa agency, sells no blocked account and gives no legal advice: for the visa and resources, official services are the reference. How to go about it is explained in joining your community before you leave.

Official sources

Campus France Budget Studying in France Visa and residence permit Tips

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How much are Campus France fees?

The amount depends on the country: each Campus France office sets its own. In September 2026, official websites show for example 70,000 FCFA in Benin and Mali, 75,000 FCFA in Congo-Brazzaville, 80,000 FCFA in Côte d'Ivoire, 85,000 FCFA in Cameroon and Senegal, and 1,900 dirhams in Morocco. These fees are not refundable and guarantee neither admission nor a visa.

What does Campus France cost in Cameroon?

Campus France Cameroon states 85,000 FCFA in procedure fees, payable by appointment at TLS Contact after Campus France's authorisation, plus 16,000 FCFA in TLS fees paid online. These fees are not refundable. Check the amount on the Campus France Cameroon website before paying, as it can change from one campaign to the next.

How much does the French student visa cost?

The full rate for a long-stay visa is €99, but students who went through Campus France get a reduced rate, €50 according to Campus France Mauritius. Service fees are added when the application goes through an external provider. On arrival, validating the VLS-TS costs another €100.

How much money do you need to study in France?

For the visa, you must prove at least €877.50 per month, or €10,530 per year, for applications filed since 1 August 2026. On top come the fixed costs: for a licence at a public university without exemption, visa, tuition fees, CVEC and VLS-TS validation add up to €3,157 (€4,205 for a master's), excluding Campus France fees, the ticket and housing.

Are Campus France fees refunded if you are refused?

No. The Campus France offices in Morocco, Cameroon, Mali and Senegal state that these fees are not refundable, including if you withdraw, are not admitted or are refused a visa. They pay for processing the file, without guaranteeing the outcome. So only pay after your office's payment request, once your file is complete.