Study in France from Nigeria: Entry, Visa and Costs
France charges €178–2,902 per year for a public bachelor's and €50 for the student visa, but every Nigerian applicant must pass through Campus France's Études en France procedure before the consulate will look at the file. Living runs €600–800 per month. The binding condition is language: the degrees are taught in French.
Is France a good choice from Nigeria?
The Nigerian cohort is small: 1,378 students among 443,500 international students in 2024/25. Price is the reason to look. A public licence costs €178–2,902 per year and a public master €255–3,950 per year, plus the CVEC contribution of €105 per year — against €14,900–23,900 per year at a private school. Living costs €600–800 per month, and registration with the state PUMA health scheme is free once you enrol.
Your WASSCE or NECO gives direct access to the first year of a licence, with no bridging year imposed. The catch is the language: teaching is in French, and the DAP procedure makes the TCF tout public with its written-expression module compulsory unless you already hold a French-language diploma at B2 or above. More in studying in France.
Entry with the WASSCE/NECO
Each university decides, and the mainstream reading is that the WASSCE or NECO is Baccalauréat-equivalent. Université Grenoble Alpes accepts the WAEC certificate for direct Licence 1 entry through the DAP, with competitive selection in the sciences and a separate entrance examination for medicine. The University of Lille and the University of Strasbourg take it for direct L1 entry through Études en France with no foundation year. Université Paris-Saclay reads it as ≥5 credits incl. English and Mathematics.
Sorbonne University and Université Paris Cité compare it to the Baccalauréat inside the DAP dossier and publish no subject-grade cut-off. ENIC-NARIC France issues an attestation de comparabilité, which Campus France states is not an equivalence in itself — the university still rules. If your French sits below B2, the DUEF year at a university language centre runs 9 months at €2,800–3,860 per year and a B2 diploma exempts you from the TCF. Compare campuses in universities in France.
The student visa from Nigeria
Two steps, in that order. The Campus France Nigeria ‘Études en France’ procedure comes first, and only then do you file the visa at TLScontact in Abuja or Lagos. The visa is the VLS-TS étudiant (long-stay visa valid as residence permit, student category). Nigeria pays the reduced CEF rate of €50, plus a service-centre fee of €28–31.
Official guidance is 2–7 weeks, but TLScontact Lagos advises allowing at least two months before departure, and validating the Campus France file takes about two weeks on top. Biometrics are taken; no TB test or medical is required. Nigeria is not a Hague Apostille party, so certificates go through the issuing body and then the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja or Lagos for full legalisation. See France student visa requirements.
Money: what a first year costs
A public licence is €178–2,902 per year, a public master €255–3,950 per year, and the CVEC adds €105 per year. Living costs €600–800 per month; health cover through PUMA is free, with an optional mutuelle top-up priced by the insurer. The visa is €50 plus €28–31, and the OFII stay tax of €100 falls due after arrival. Two national schemes are open to Nigerian nationals: Eiffel and Erasmus Mundus. Full figures sit in cost of studying in France and scholarships for Nigerian students.
From Nigeria to France: key facts
| Where to apply | TLScontact Abuja and TLScontact Lagos |
|---|---|
| Who takes the application | TLScontact |
| Apply without leaving Nigeria | Yes |
| Visa or permit fee | €50 |
| Processing time (national guide) | 2–7 weeks |
| Refusal rate | 50.7% (2025) — short-stay visas, not a student figure |
| School certificate | WASSCE / NECO SSCE / NABTEB |
| Certifying documents | Consular legalisation — no apostille |
| TB test | Not required |
| Scholarships open to Nigerian nationals | Eiffel, Erasmus Mundus |
| Nigerian students in France | 1,378 (2024/25) |
Last verified 2026-09-09 against official sources (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu · france-visas.gouv.fr).
What works in your favour
- Public tuition is low by European standards: €178–2,902 per year for a licence, €255–3,950 per year for a master, with no separate application fee at the university.
- The WASSCE or NECO gives direct entry to Licence 1 through the DAP at Grenoble Alpes, Lille, Strasbourg and Paris-Saclay — no foundation year is imposed.
- Health cover is free: PUMA registration is automatic on enrolment for non-EU students under 28.
- Work is built into the permit: no separate work permit, up to 964 hours a year across term and holidays, at a minimum wage of €12.31 per hour.
- The deadline is published and fixed: the DAP file for September 2027 entry opens on 1 October 2026 and closes on 15 December 2026.
The honest downsides
- French, not English, is the working language of the licence, and the DAP makes the TCF tout public compulsory — so most applicants need a paid language year first.
- Money is assessed against €877.50 per month, raised from €615 on 1 August 2026. Insufficient or unclear resources is the first refusal reason France lists.
- The cheap fee is not guaranteed. Non-EU students officially owe the full differentiated rate, and a May 2026 decree restricts exoneration to individual financial-hardship cases, so blanket institutional exemptions are ending.
- A standard licence earns no stay-back: the job-search permit requires a qualification at least equivalent to a master’s.
- The cohort is thin — 1,378 Nigerians across 3,500 institutions — so there are few alumni to ask before you commit.
Our core guidance is free, funded by the commission universities pay when you enrol. We work the Études en France calendar backwards from your intake, name the universities whose published policy fits your WASSCE or NECO, and time the TCF so the result lands before the DAP closes. We vet transcripts, legalisation and proof of funds before submission. Premium Placement is optional and paid. We never sell guaranteed admission — see [how to spot a fake agent](/spot-a-fake-agent/).
How to apply to study in France from Nigeria
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Check your certificate against the DAP rule
Confirm your WASSCE or NECO meets Nigerian university-entry conditions, then check each target university's published reading of it for Licence 1 entry.
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Open an Etudes en France file
Create your file with Campus France Nigeria when the platform opens on 1 October 2026. The visa appointment cannot be booked until this procedure is complete.
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Book and sit the TCF tout public
Register for the TCF with the written-expression module early enough for the result to reach your file by mid-February, or claim exemption with a B2 French diploma.
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Submit the DAP file before the deadline
File the DAP dossier by 15 December 2026, 18:00 metropolitan France time, for September 2027 entry. Master's candidates file hors DAP on the same platform.
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Legalise your documents
Nigeria issues no apostille. Have WAEC or NECO results and transcripts authenticated by the issuing body, then legalised by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Assemble proof of resources
Gather bank statements, a sponsor's attestation de prise en charge or a scholarship certificate showing at least the monthly reference figure for your stay.
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Submit biometrics at TLScontact
Attend TLScontact in Abuja or Lagos with the completed file and pay the visa and service fees. Allow at least two months before your intended departure.
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Validate the visa and pay the OFII tax
After arrival, validate the VLS-TS online within three months and pay the OFII stay tax, then register with the PUMA health scheme through your university.
Frequently asked questions
A public bachelor's costs €178–2,902 per year and a public master €255–3,950 per year, plus the CVEC of €105 per year. Living runs €600–800 per month, health cover is free through PUMA, and the visa is €50. A private school is a different budget at €14,900–23,900 per year.
Yes, for direct entry to the first year of a licence through the DAP, with no bridging year imposed. Grenoble Alpes, Lille, Strasbourg and Paris-Saclay all accept it; Paris-Saclay reads it as ≥5 credits incl. English and Mathematics. No French body issues a binding equivalence, so each university assesses the file itself.
You start on Campus France's Études en France platform, then submit biometrics at TLScontact in Abuja or Lagos. Official processing is 2–7 weeks. TLScontact Lagos advises allowing at least two months before departure, and validating the CEF file takes about two weeks on top.
The reference figure is €877.50 per month, effective 1 August 2026. France sets no blocked-account rule: bank statements, a guarantor's attestation de prise en charge, an irrevocable-transfer certificate or a scholarship award letter all count, and French government scholarship holders meet the requirement automatically.
The visa sets no language condition — universities decide. English is official at home, and English-taught programmes commonly ask IELTS 6.5 at both bachelor's and master's level. For a French-taught licence through the DAP, the TCF tout public with written expression is compulsory unless you hold a B2 French diploma.
No. Since 2019 non-EU students officially owe the differentiated rate, up to the top of the €178–2,902 per year band at bachelor's. Many universities have exonerated non-EU students down to the EU rate, but that is a university decision, not a right, and the 2026 decree narrows it. Budget the full rate.
Three changes are already in force. The OFII stay tax rose to €100 on 1 May 2026. The resource reference rose to €877.50 per month on 1 August 2026. From 1 January 2026, a civic exam and A2 French apply to a first multi-year permit, which affects your student card after year one.
You can work up to 964 hours a year, spread across term and holidays as you choose, with no separate permit, at €12.31 per hour minimum. Staying on is narrower: the APS job-search permit costs €150 and lasts 12 months, and a standard licence does not qualify.