Does Brexit mean higher university fees for Britons in France?
We explain the situation for students from families living in France who go to study at French or British universities
Britons living in France will be covered by the Withdrawal Agreement that guarantees them same rights as EU citizens
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We are a British family living in France since 2012. Our son hopes to start university. Might he have to pay high international fees? L.G.
No, since you were living in France before 2021, you will be covered by the Withdrawal Agreement and presumably have residency cards to prove this.
The agreement aims to ensure you broadly maintain the same rights as an EU citizen within the country where you live (ie. France). As a result, you have the right to ordinary fees, not the increased fees that French universities have charged to non-EU nationals since 2019, said Fiona Godfrey, a British lawyer and co-chair of the British in Europe group.
This is also confirmed by the UK government.
Likewise, the UK offers ‘home fees’ to EU citizens doing British courses who were living in the country before 2021 and have applied for ‘settled status’.
Having said this, French home fees also apply to some non-EU citizens, for example if they have proof they have been living in France long-term, this official site confirms. Britons simply moving to France to study now face the higher fees, which, where they are applied, include €2,770/year for an undergraduate degree instead of €170.
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Young Britons living in France: what study rights in Britain?
French education: Alternative schools still lag in France
