Currently, more than 300 thousand foreign students study in France
"Rich foreign students who come to the European Union pay the same as low-income French people. This is unfair," said Édouard Philippe. According to RFI, he also presented a "strategy to attract foreign students," which involves increasing the number of scholarships and simplifying bureaucratic procedures for foreign students.
As Édouard Philippe noted, the cost of education in France will still be lower than in some European countries. "In the Netherlands, students pay from 8 to 13 thousand euros per year, and in the UK – tens of thousands of pounds sterling," the prime minister said.
The changes will also affect people from former Soviet Union countries. Currently, students pay 170 euros per year for undergraduate studies, 243 euros for master's programs, and 380 euros for doctoral education. The new tuition fee will have to be paid as early as next year.
As the French prime minister stated, despite the increase in the cost of education, the measures presented will attract more non-EU foreign students to universities. Currently, 320 thousand students from other countries study in the country. According to the government's plan, by 2027 their number should grow to 500 thousand.