Scholarships and Bursaries at Paris International Schools

Comparison table

Indicative figures, 2026. Private school aid figures are not published; the bands here reflect the practical pattern.

The Paris market splits cleanly in two. Private international schools (ISP, ASP, Marymount, British School of Paris, Ecole Jeannine Manuel) are fee-paying, with tuition at EUR 25,000 to 42,000 per child per year and only limited, discretionary need-based aid. State-system international sections (Lycée International de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Section Internationale at Sèvres, Lycée Honoré de Balzac) are free at the point of use, with an annual supplement of EUR 7,000 to 9,000 covering the international stream; entry is by competitive exam rather than scholarship.

There is no equivalent in Paris of the fully-funded merit scholarships that operate in Jakarta, Singapore or Dubai. Scholarships at Paris international schools, where they exist, are need-based, partial, and rarely advertised. The state international section is the structural saving, roughly EUR 22,000 to 35,000 per child per year against the private route.

Schools with published programmes

International School of Paris (ISP). Confidential need-based aid, reviewed annually. Families apply through the admissions office with documented financials; the school does not publish the maximum award or the number of places. Awards are partial, not full-fee, and concentrated at the upper-secondary and IB Diploma stages.

American School of Paris (ASP). Tuition assistance is considered case by case, with priority for families already enrolled who experience genuine financial hardship. No published merit competition.

Marymount International School Paris. A limited need-based bursary programme, partial and renewable subject to continued need. Marymount, founded in 1923 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, maintains a small bursary fund tied to its Catholic mission; the practical scale is small.

British School of Paris (BSP). Bursary applications considered case by case, with no published scholarship competition. Sibling discounts are stronger here than at most peers, stacking from the second child onwards.

Ecole Jeannine Manuel and EAB. A limited needs-based programme funded through alumni and parent donations to the Fondation Jeannine Manuel. The fund prioritises continuation cases over new entrants.

The pattern across all five is identical: aid is real but limited, partial rather than full-fee, and not designed as a discount mechanism for new families seeking a lower headline fee.

State-system international sections

The Sections Internationales are the structural alternative for families who want an internationally framed education without the international-school fee load. Lycée enrolment is free; the section supplement (covering the second-language stream and external examinations) runs EUR 7,000 to 9,000 per year. The combined cost lands at roughly 20 to 25% of the equivalent private route.

Lycée International de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The historic flagship, founded 1952 to serve NATO's Supreme Headquarters when the alliance was based in Paris. Fourteen national sections operate alongside the French national curriculum, including British, American, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. Entry is by competitive examination in both French and the section language, with priority for children arriving from a comparable system abroad.

Section Internationale at Sèvres. The Sèvres campus operates the British and American sections south-west of central Paris, with the same fee structure and admissions principle.

Lycée Honoré de Balzac (17e). Central Paris's main international section, with British, American, German, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic and Chinese sections. The 17e location is the practical advantage for families in Batignolles and the western 16e. Lycée Lucie Aubrac (Courbevoie) and Lycée Jean Monnet (Sceaux) carry international sections for the western suburbs and the southern fringe.

Sections typically take 25 to 50 students per year; oversubscription is the norm. Children who have lived in the section's language country are favoured at entry. Most families time arrival so the child enters at sixième (Year 7) or seconde (Year 11), the two main entry years.

AEFE bourses scolaires for French expatriate children

The AEFE (Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Étranger) network operates 580 French lycées across 138 countries. The bourses scolaires programme pays partial or full school fees at AEFE-conventionné and AEFE-homologué schools for French-passport-holding children whose parents are tax-resident abroad. The award is means-tested; applications go through the local French consulate annually.

The Paris angle is asymmetric. The bourse is conditional on residence abroad; a French family returning to Paris does not bring it with them. Families repatriating from an AEFE posting often retain priority access to the central Paris lycées (Henri IV, Louis-le-Grand, Janson de Sailly) and the international sections through the AEFE-to-France placement programme.

Private school need-based aid in practice

Aid at the five private schools is administered through the bursar's office under annual review.

Eligibility. Tax filings, salary statements and a written application. A household income below roughly EUR 120,000 with two or more dependants is the practical floor; above that, the school will usually decline.

Quantum. 20 to 50% of tuition is the typical band; full-fee bursaries are rare and concentrated at the secondary stage. Capital fees, registration, lunch, transport and uniform are not covered.

Renewal. Reviewed annually; families demonstrate continued need each year.

The practical implication: the bursary is not a tool for arriving in Paris on a budget. It is a tool for families already inside the system whose circumstances change, or for those with a strong continuation case from a previous international posting.

Sibling and employer arrangements

Sibling discounts at private international schools run 5 to 15% on second and subsequent children, with British School of Paris and Marymount at the higher end. The discount is automatic on enrolment of the second child. A two-child family at ASP or ISP saves EUR 2,000 to 4,500 per year from sibling discounts alone.

Employer fee packages are the dominant source of fee coverage at the premium tier. Senior corporate hires on director-level or above packages typically negotiate full or substantial fee coverage as part of the relocation. Diplomatic postings (US Embassy, UK Embassy, OECD, UNESCO) carry standardised allowances that cover most or all of the tuition. For corporate hires below director level, fee coverage is negotiable rather than standard; pushing at the offer stage is more effective than asking after acceptance.

CESU and crédit d'impôt (the French state's domestic-employment subsidy and tax credit) do not apply to school fees; the rebate frameworks cover childcare and household help.

Application timelines

Private school need-based aid. Applications for September entry open in October to December of the preceding year; bursary applications are filed alongside the main admissions file or at the offer stage. Applying late materially reduces the chance of an award.

State international section examinations. Lycée International, Sèvres and Balzac examinations run in February and March for September entry. France Éducation International (formerly CIEP) administers the language papers; registration closes in January. Families based outside France can sit the exam at French diplomatic posts.

AEFE bourses scolaires. Filed through the local consulate in two annual rounds (campaign opens October to December). Decisions arrive March to June.

Bourses du Mérite. Administered through the family's local académie in trimestrial instalments.

Related reading

• International School Fees in Paris
• Affordable International Schools in Paris
• Best International Schools in Paris
• Cost of Living in Paris
• Best British Schools in Paris

FAQs

Are scholarships at Paris international schools widely available? No. Aid at ISP, ASP, Marymount, British School of Paris and Ecole Jeannine Manuel is limited, partial, need-based and confidential. None runs a published full-fee merit scholarship of the kind seen at JIS Jakarta, UWC South East Asia or Aiglon.

Is the Lycée International in Saint-Germain-en-Laye a scholarship route? Not in the conventional sense. The lycée is part of the French state system: enrolment is free, and the section supplement is EUR 7,000 to 9,000 per year regardless of family income. Entry is by competitive examination, not by means-tested scholarship.

Can French expatriate families use AEFE bourses to pay for Paris international schools? No. AEFE bourses scolaires are conditional on parents being tax-resident outside France. Returning AEFE families often access the central Paris lycées and international sections through priority placement.

Do Paris international schools offer sibling discounts? Yes. Most reduce fees by 5 to 15% for second and subsequent children, automatically on enrolment. British School of Paris and Marymount sit at the higher end of the band.

What is the régime des impatriés and does it apply to school fees? The impatriate regime exempts up to 50% of foreign-source income and the impatriation bonus from French income tax for up to eight years for qualifying new arrivals. It applies to income tax, not to school fees directly. A senior hire on the regime has more after-tax income to deploy against tuition; the school sees no reduction in the headline fee.

Sources

• ISP, ASP, Marymount, British School of Paris and Ecole Jeannine Manuel admissions and bursar's office published guidance, 2026.
• Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale et de la Jeunesse, guidance on Sections Internationales and entrance examinations.
• France Éducation International (formerly CIEP), section examination calendars.
• Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Étranger (AEFE), bourses scolaires programme rules.
• Direction de l'Information Légale et Administrative, Bourses du Mérite scheme.
• Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFiP), régime des impatriés guidance.
• ISG fee data for Paris international schools.