Overview
- On Thursday the 2027 draft budget included article 54 proposing annual registration fees of €178 for BTS students and €270 for prépa students for those who are not bursary recipients.
- The text would exempt bursary holders, pupils of the Nation/Republic and people with refugee or asylum status and would index the fees each year to follow inflation.
- The government defended the move by citing higher per‑student costs in CPGE and BTS (about €19,000 and €17,000) versus university (€12,500) and strong enrolment growth in those tracks.
- The proposal drew immediate rebuke from unions and left‑wing politicians during active lycée mobilizations, with critics calling the timing provocative and urging its withdrawal.
- Minister Édouard Geffray announced the government would remove the clause and leave the final decision to Parliament, where the measure faces an uncertain path given the lack of a government majority.