In Nice, the generalization of differentiated fees for non-EU foreign students is not a hypothesis: it is already their daily reality. Moving from 178 to 2,895 euros for a bachelor’s degree, and from 254 to 3,941 euros for a master’s degree, for many means choosing between eating and studying. They testify.
On April 20, 2026, the Minister of Higher Education Philippe Baptiste announced his intention to end “massive exemptions” of tuition fees for non-EU foreign students. The measure is a continuation of the “Welcome to France” plan, implemented in 2019, which introduced differentiated fees while leaving universities the option to exempt some of their students from them. In Nice, Côte d’Azur University was already applying this logic: since 2019, differentiated fees existed, with a partial exemption policy limited to 10% of affected students. From the start of the 2025/2026 academic year, following a deliberation by its board of directors on March 14, 2025, even this exemption possibility has disappeared for new arrivals. What the government now wants to extend throughout the country, students in Nice are already experiencing. And the consequences are visible.
Working to pay for studies, studying to survive
In the Côte d’Azur capital, one of the most expensive cities in France, the elimination of fee exemptions has transformed the daily life of many students into a constant race. Rent, food, transportation: expenses accumulate before even addressing university fees. For many, the only way out is work. But working more means studying less.
Alpha Amadou Baldé, a student in Nice, testifies to this: “I had to work much more to be able to pay the 579 euros a month, otherwise I wouldn’t be accepted to exams. I was forced to combine day and night work, temporary contracts and permanent jobs to get by. All of this seriously affected my grades, not to mention the fatigue, lack of sleep, the classes I attended but completely didn’t understand. And the worst part is, we cannot exceed the hours imposed by the prefecture per year as a foreign student.”
Issa Diallo, a student in Nice, confirms: “the elimination of this exemption represents a significant financial burden. It greatly increases my annual expenses and makes my budget harder to manage. It’s really not easy at all.”
Fatoumata M’Baye, a student in Nice, describes a pressure that goes beyond the simple financial framework: “in my case, it represents significant financial pressure, which weighs on me and my family and demands very strict daily organization. It can limit the time and energy devoted solely to studies, because we must think about how to manage expenses in parallel. To cope with this situation, I’m considering looking for a student job and finding out about possible aid. I’m also trying to manage my budget better.”
Between food insecurity and daily pressure
The social and solidarity grocery stores of the Federation of Student Associations and Corporations of 06 (FACE06) are a concrete barometer. Célia Bounemri, member of FACE06 and elected to the National Council of Higher Education and Research, observes: “since the elimination of this exemption, we’ve seen that the number of our beneficiaries has skyrocketed. These are students who face multiple administrative difficulties, who are breaking all records for food insecurity or housing issues and who must even overwork themselves to survive.”
Antoine Diatta, president of the Association of Senegalese Students in Nice, sees this daily: “there are students who struggle to pay their rent, to buy groceries. Some have to choose between eating properly and paying their bills. With this increase, some will have to work even more, when we’re already limited to a number of hours. Obviously, it impacts studies, fatigue, results. We’re talking about tuition fees, but in reality, these are dreams we’re making inaccessible.”
Issouf Soumaila, president of the Association of Ivorian Students in Nice, is direct: “the move from modest fees to several thousand euros forces students to choose between exhausting student jobs or outright abandonment, or choose other paths that have nothing to do with their dream.”
Between classes and survival, an impossible choice
Beyond the numbers, it is a sense of rupture that dominates. Alpha Amadou Baldé sums up this disenchantment: “this decision fundamentally undermines the continuation of my studies in France. Because I realize that I’m going to spend most of my time working to be able to pay for university and this will prevent me from being fully dedicated to classes.”
Antoine Diatta shares this observation: “we talk about excellence, but in reality, we’re making life even more complicated for those who are already making enormous efforts. We ask more from those who already have less.”
Issouf Soumaila denounces a “two-tiered university, where knowledge becomes a luxury product rather than an accessible right.” For Célia Bounemri, the answer necessarily requires deep reform: “we really need to understand what the students’ problems are. Right now, there are students who are starving, who skip meals, who have to choose between going to class and going to work.”
Solutions exist according to Célia Bounemri, who refuses to resign herself despite a decision already made. She proposes some ways out. “There would need to be a reform of scholarships so that non-EU students who have been here for several years, or in particular situations, can access them,” she argues. But beyond financial mechanisms, it is human support that she places at the heart of the solution. “Given that the decision has already been adopted, the best we can do is ensure that when they need help, they really get it.”
Adama Sanogo
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