Studying in France: 877.50 euros a month to prove since 1 August 2026
The resources foreign students must prove in France rise from 615 to 877.50 euros a month, or 10,530 euros over twelve months instead of 7,380. The decree of 22 June 2026 took effect on 1 August. What it changes for Moroccan families funding studies in France, what counts as resources, and why the figure will keep rising.
The threshold had not moved in more than twenty years. It has just gone up by 43%.
Since 1 August 2026, a foreign student applying to stay in France for study purposes must show 877.50 euros a month, up from 615 euros. Over twelve months that comes to 10,530 euros instead of 7,380. The text setting the rule is decree no. 2026-526 of 22 June 2026, published in the Journal officiel.
For a Moroccan family preparing a child's move to a French university, the bar has risen by 3,150 euros over a year.
What exactly changes
| Before 1 August 2026 | Since 1 August 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly resources | €615 | €877.50 |
| Over twelve months | €7,380 | €10,530 |
| Calculation method | fixed amount | 47% of the gross monthly SMIC |
| Revision | none in over twenty years | automatic with each SMIC increase |
The change of method matters as much as the amount. The 615 euros was a frozen figure, unchanged since the early 2000s. The 877.50 euros is 47% of the gross monthly minimum wage, currently 1,867.02 euros. Each time the SMIC is revalued, the threshold follows without a new decree.
Who is affected
The decree targets third-country nationals, meaning outside the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland. Moroccans are in that group.
It amends articles L. 422-1, L. 422-4, L. 422-5 and L. 422-6 of the code governing entry and residence of foreign nationals, which frame residence for study purposes, and creates an article R. 422-2.
The rule applies to applications filed from 1 August 2026. That covers both a first application made from Morocco and a residence permit renewal once in France. A file submitted before that date stays on the old scale, but its renewal moves to the new one.
What counts as resources
The decree sets a level, not a single form. Resources can come from a scholarship, a personal account, income, or support from a relative.
What all these situations share is the need to show the money will actually be available during the stay. A bank statement showing the sum on the day of the appointment says nothing about the ability to hold out for twelve months.
When a parent settled in France, Belgium, Canada or elsewhere supports the student, consulates and prefectures generally ask for the sponsor's identity document, proof of income and evidence of regular transfers to the student.
Nor is it a sum to lock away in one block on a blocked account, as Germany does with its Sperrkonto. The French text refers to a level of resources across the duration of the stay.
The point many will discover at renewal
Indexation applies across the whole course of study. A student who obtains a permit in 2026 on the basis of 877.50 euros will, at renewal, have to show the threshold in force at that time. If the SMIC rises in the meantime, the bar rises too.
The budget to prove is therefore no longer a fixed figure you prepare once. It is an amount to check again at each permit deadline.
What the reform does not touch
The resource threshold is only one piece of the file. Admission to an institution, health cover, housing and, depending on the route, the Études en France procedure remain separate steps with their own requirements.
The increase does not apply to short-stay visas, nor to other residence grounds such as work or family reunification, which fall under different texts.
It also does not apply to other destinations. A student aiming for Belgium, Spain, Germany or Canada falls under completely different scales, and those scales follow their own revision calendars. Our comparison guide to the five resource thresholds puts them side by side with the official source for each.
Frequently asked questions
Do the 10,530 euros have to be blocked in an account? No. The decree sets a level of resources across the stay, not a blocked deposit. What is required is to show the money will be available. That is an important difference with Germany, where the blocked account is the rule.
A file submitted in July 2026, which threshold applies? The old one, 615 euros a month. The new threshold applies to applications filed from 1 August 2026.
Is a scholarship taken into account? Yes. Scholarships, income, personal funds and family support are all admissible resources. What is examined is the level reached and its regularity.
My child is already a student in France, is he affected? At the renewal of his residence permit, yes, as soon as the application is filed from 1 August 2026.
Will the amount rise again? Mechanically, yes. It is set at 47% of the gross monthly SMIC and follows each SMIC revaluation, with no new decree needed.
Why 47% of the SMIC and not another figure? That is the percentage set by the decree of 22 June 2026. It fixes both the starting level and the indexation rule.
Sources
- •Decree no. 2026-526 of 22 June 2026 updating and indexing the level of resources a third-country national must prove in order to be admitted to residence for study purposes, Journal officiel, Légifrance
- •Code governing entry and residence of foreign nationals and the right of asylum, articles L. 422-1, L. 422-4, L. 422-5 and L. 422-6
- •French Ministry of the Interior, France-Visas and Campus France for filing procedures
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