Facing increasing financial strain, the governing board of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University has voted to increase tuition fees for some international students, a decision finalized Monday and already prompting widespread protest. The new rates, impacting students from outside the European Union, represent a significant increase – from €178 to €2,895 for undergraduate studies – and mark a departure from the university’s previous policy of tuition waivers. While exemptions will be made for students designated as “in exile” and those from the UN’s 44 least developed countries, the move has sparked condemnation from faculty and student groups who fear it will limit access to higher education.
Tuition fees for some international students at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University will increase this academic year, a move that has sparked protests from students and faculty. The university’s governing board approved the change Monday, but exemptions will remain in place for students designated as “in exile” and those from the 44 countries the United Nations classifies as least developed.
The decision to raise fees for a portion of non-European Union students comes as universities across France face increasing financial pressures. Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne had previously refrained from utilizing a policy allowing for differentiated tuition rates, a possibility opened up by the “Welcome to France” strategy implemented in 2019.
The vote to end the tuition waivers passed 18-15 with 3 abstentions, according to university officials. The new rates will apply to students from outside the European Union, with exceptions for those designated as “students in exile” and those originating from the 44 nations identified by the UN as least developed.
Passer la publicité
“Regretful Measure”
University officials described the move as “a measure voted on with regret and under budgetary constraints,” adding that the university “has been facing a growing number of measures decided by the state for several years, with a certain budgetary impact.” Paris 1 expressed hope that it could revisit the decision once its financial situation stabilizes.
Under the new policy, international students will now pay €2,895 annually for undergraduate studies, up from €178, and €3,941 for master’s programs, compared to the previous rate of €254, according to figures from Campus France.
“A Red Line”
Around 100 faculty members and staff at Paris 1 have condemned the decision as “discriminatory patches,” warning of “catastrophic” consequences for affected students, in a joint statement and open letter to university president Christine Neau-Leduc published Saturday on the Afrique XXI website.
Marie-Emmanuelle Pommerolle, a lecturer in political science at Paris 1 and a signatory to the statement, called the measure “a red line.” She explained that it will disproportionately impact students from North Africa, Africa, and Latin America, “who are already asked to fund their bank accounts, pay visa fees, and cover rent.” Their being asked to pay €4,000 seems unrealistic to us.
” A general assembly of approximately 200 students and staff had already voiced their opposition last week.
Passer la publicité
“This is a huge attack,” said Luz Duchowney, a student representative on the Paris 1 governing board for the student association Le Poing Levé, in a statement to the AFP Monday evening. Obviously, we will remain mobilized.
” In a communiqué released Monday, Le Poing Levé stated it refuses for the Sorbonne to become a university where national preference becomes the norm for welcoming students.
”
