study in Lyon
France's second university city — a large, liveable place with strong science and medicine, at a fraction of Paris's housing cost.
Lyon is the most balanced option in France: a genuinely large city with a substantial student population, serious universities, and living costs well below Paris. It sits at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône, two hours from Paris by train and close to both the Alps and Provence.
Its economic specialisations are pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and chemicals — a cluster with real depth — alongside a widely known gastronomic culture that is more accessible than its reputation suggests.
For most students the practical case is straightforward: the same national tuition framework, the same CVEC, the same work rights, at markedly lower rent than the capital.
Several universities and grandes écoles across the metropolitan area. Check each institution's own fee policy for non-EU exemptions.
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
Sciences, medicine, pharmacy and sport science — the largest science faculty in the region.Université Lumière Lyon 2
Social sciences, economics, psychology, languages and the humanities.INSA Lyon
A leading public engineering grande école; mechanical, civil, computer and biomedical engineering.École Centrale de Lyon
Generalist engineering grande école with strong industrial links.Lyon costs substantially less than Paris — rent above all — in a city large enough to have real employers and a real student scene. The national tuition framework and the CVEC are identical.
Against the other cities we cover in France, Lyon is mid-range. That is our reading of this country’s own spread, not a published index.
Tuition at a French public university for non-EU students is around €2,850 a year for a licence and €3,879 for a master's.
The practical texture of the place — what a week actually looks like.
Climate
Continental-leaning: colder winters and hotter summers than Paris, with the Alps two hours away.
Getting around
Metro, trams, funiculars and buses, with student rates. Compact enough that many students walk or cycle.
Housing
Far easier and cheaper than Paris. CROUS residences and the private market are both more accessible; a guarantor or Visale is still required.
Working
Up to 964 hours a year on a student residence permit. French is normally required for anything customer-facing.
Language
Fewer English-taught programmes than Paris outside the engineering schools. French matters more here, day to day.
Industry
A substantial pharmaceutical and biotech cluster — the specific reason to choose Lyon for life-sciences students.
The differentiated non-EU rate at French public universities is around €2,850 a year for a licence and €3,879 for a master's — but a great many universities exempt international students from it entirely.
This is the highest-value ten minutes of research you can do about France. Find the university's own frais d'inscription page and look for whether non-EU students are exonerated. Two students on the same programme can pay very different amounts depending on which institution admitted them — and no agent's summary is a substitute for the university's published policy.
Lyon is one of 3 cities we cover in France. Tap any pin to compare — the city you pick moves your total cost more than almost any other choice you make.