Study says non-EU students should pay university fees

A new study recommends that French universities ask non-European Union students to pay the full cost of their courses, which are currently provided free for a small registration fee, reports RFI. According to UNESCO figures, French universities have the third highest number of overseas students in the world. In 2012, 271,000 students came to study in France, which is 6.8% of the world’s mobile student population, estimated at 4 million.

In the US and Britain, overseas students pay much higher fees than local students, or in Britain’s case, fellow EU students. Such students are a major source of income for higher education institutions. French universities wishing to attract foreign students are increasingly in competition with institutions in the Middle East or parts of Asia.

France Stratégie, which prepared the report, which is called Investing in the Internationalisation of Higher Education, reckons that universities could reap €850 million (US$960 million) per year if they charged overseas students the full real cost of their education.
Full report on RFI site