France proposes new fees for public preparatory classes and BTS in 2027 draft budget

Proposed registration fees for higher tracks

France's draft finance bill for 2027 introduces annual registration fees for non-scholarship students enrolled in Advanced Technician Certificate (BTS) courses and classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles (CPGE) based in public high schools. Under Article 54 of the bill presented on 1 October 2026, non-scholarship students will pay €178 per year in BTS programs and €270 per year in CPGE tracks. Scholarship recipients, wards of the Nation and the Republic, and students holding refugee or asylum seeker status will remain fully exempt from the charges. The proposed fees will also be indexed annually to inflation.

Public high school tracks have historically charged no tuition, though CPGE students already pay other mandatory higher education fees. Preparatory students must register concurrently at a university for approximately €180 per year and pay the student life and campus contribution (CVEC), which stands at €105 for non-scholarship students this year. With the new €270 registration fee added, the annual direct cost for a non-scholarship CPGE student will increase from €285 to €555. According to the draft legislation, the measure represents €33 million in credits within the National Education budget.

Public spending disparities and enrollment figures

In the budget text, the government defended the new fee structure as a matter of equity, describing free enrollment in public high school tracks as a singularity within the French higher education system. Officials argued that uniform zero-fee tuition applies without regard to student resources, unlike the university system where registration fees vary based on personal income and status. The government also characterized the planned registration sums as modest.

The administration highlighted that both CPGE and BTS programs require higher annual state spending than standard university courses. State spending per student averages €19,000 per year in CPGE and €17,000 per year in BTS, compared to €12,500 per year for university students. The proposal also noted long-term enrollment growth across these selective sectors. Preparatory classes expanded from a few thousand students in the late 1940s to 40,000 in 1980, 64,000 in 1990, and 87,000 in 2024. In parallel, BTS programs now enroll 217,000 students nationwide.

Union and political backlash

The policy announcement coincided with student demonstrations, school blockades, and clashes reported across multiple French cities. Trade union leaders and left-wing politicians rejected the draft provisions. Speaking on Franceinfo on 1 October 2026, CGT Secretary General Sophie Binet criticized the timing of the budget and questioned Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's approach.

While our high schools are on fire, literally as well as figuratively unfortunately, the budget contains an additional provocation by installing registration fees for BTS and prep class students.

Binet urged political parties to amend the 2027 finance bill or vote to censor the government if the measures remain intact, stating that the draft provides no additional resources for high schools. Addressing protest incidents, Binet said that violence harms the movement but condemned the government's security strategy, stating that managing high school demonstrations through the Ministry of the Interior is irresponsible. La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon posted on X that the government chose an active youth mobilization to deepen social injustice in higher education.