Study in Lyon, France

About Lyon

Lyon is France's third-largest city and the capital of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, built where the Rhône and the Saône meet. According to INSEE, the French statistics office, the city had 519,127 inhabitants in 2023, and 100,080 of them, about one in five, were aged 15 to 24.

Students choose Lyon for its universities and grandes écoles, for French courses that run all year, and for a city that is large enough to offer plenty of jobs and culture but easier to manage than Paris. It works for a full degree, an exchange semester or a few months of language study.

Studying in Lyon

Our directory lists three active schools in Lyon itself, all of them teaching French as a foreign language:

• the Alliance Française de Lyon, a private higher-education institution and official examination centre recognised by the French Ministry of National Education, with more than 1,200 students a year; it prepares students for the DELF, DALF and TCF exams
• the École Interculturelle de Français (EIFE 2F), at 3 grande rue des Feuillants, which organises its teaching by semester; courses for complete beginners start in September, October, February and June
• Lyon Bleu International, which runs French courses all year for all levels, for adults from age 16, and prepares students for the TCF

Lyon's main universities and grandes écoles appear in our directory under Lyon 7e, the arrondissement where several of them are based. Examples are Sciences Po Lyon, a public institution founded in 1948 with about 2,000 students, 300 of them international, and the École normale supérieure de Lyon, which prepares students for careers in teaching and research. The Université Lumière Lyon 2 also runs a Centre International d'Études Françaises with university diplomas in French as a foreign language. Degree programmes are taught mainly in French, so a language course before or during the degree is common.

Cost of living for students

French courses are priced by the month or the term. In 2026, an intensive course of 80 hours a month (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 1 pm) costs €860 for one month or €2,388 for three months at the Alliance Française de Lyon. At the École Interculturelle de Français, a four-week month of the intensive course (20 hours a week) costs €720 in November 2026.

At public universities, tuition for the 2026-27 academic year is €178 a year for a bachelor's degree and €255 for a master's degree for students from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, according to Campus France. Non-EU students at institutions under the Ministry of Higher Education pay differentiated fees of €2,902 and €3,950 a year. Degree students also pay the Student and Campus Life Contribution (CVEC), €105 for 2026-27.

No official source gives a typical rent for Lyon. Campus France notes that in large cities prices are often close to those of Paris. Rooms in CROUS residences, the public student halls, cost €350 a month on average outside Paris but are hard to get because demand far exceeds supply. Language schools offer alternatives: the Alliance Française de Lyon helps students find housing and host families, and Lyon Bleu International offers homestays and residence rooms. Students who rent may be eligible for housing assistance (APL or ALS) from the CAF.

Getting around and daily life

Lyon's metros, funiculars, trams, trolleybuses and buses are run by TCL, which uses six fare zones. A single ticket for zones 1 and 2 costs €2.10 and is valid for one hour. Young people aged 18 to 25 pay €26 a month for zones 1 and 2, or €35 for all zones, and students aged 26 and 27 pay the same prices. Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport is less than 30 minutes from the city centre by the Rhônexpress tram, with tickets from €9.90.

Non-EU students who stay more than three months need a long-stay student visa. International students may work up to 964 hours a year alongside their studies.

Frequently asked questions

Is Lyon a good place to learn French?

Yes. Language schools such as the Alliance Française de Lyon run courses all year from beginner to advanced level, and the Université Lumière Lyon 2 offers university diplomas in French as a foreign language.

How much does a French course in Lyon cost?

In 2026, a month of intensive French (80 hours) costs €860 at the Alliance Française de Lyon and €720 at the École Interculturelle de Français.

Which universities are in Lyon?

Several are in the 7th arrondissement, listed in our directory as Lyon 7e: among them Sciences Po Lyon, the ENS de Lyon and the Université Lumière Lyon 2.

How much is public transport for students in Lyon?

A monthly TCL pass for 18- to 25-year-olds costs €26 for zones 1 and 2 or €35 for all zones.