policy
France Rolls Out School Entry and Device Rules for 2025-26 Affecting Paris Families
Paris households with children in middle and high school face new rules on phone use, brevet requirements and university fees starting this academic year.
How we reported this
Starting with the 2025-26 school year, mobile phones are banned in French collèges, and the brevet des collèges exam is no longer required for entry to lycée. Advancement decisions now rest with the conseil de classe using broader evaluations, while final exams count for 60 percent of the brevet score. These national changes apply directly to Paris middle schools and affect families planning secondary education transitions.
University fee adjustments for non-EU students
From the 2026-27 academic year, new non-EU students at public universities will pay differentiated fees of €2,895 per year for bachelor’s degrees and €3,941 per year for master’s degrees. The measure replaces previous waivers and applies to Paris institutions that enroll international students. Local families with non-EU relatives considering higher education will need to account for these annual costs in their planning.
Local proposals and upcoming tests
Candidates in the 2026 Paris municipal elections have put forward education measures that include banning smartphones at middle school entrances, delaying middle school start times to 9 a.m., and allocating €8 million for after-school staff training. Separately, a new early mathematics test for first-year general and technological baccalauréat students begins in June 2026 and will count toward the 2027 Bac exams. President Macron has proposed extending the phone ban to lycées in 2026-27, though confirmation is pending.
These policies reach Paris residents through daily school routines and long-term education costs. Families with children entering collège will manage device restrictions at school gates, while those preparing for lycée will see evaluation methods shift away from a single mandatory exam. University-bound students from outside the EU will encounter the new fee schedule when enrolling from 2026 onward.
The government states the changes will take effect on the stated timelines, with the mathematics test positioned to reinforce subject importance in the baccalauréat pathway. Paris residents can track implementation through school communications and municipal election platforms as the 2026 vote approaches.