Today, foreign students enrolled in French higher education institutions receive a hefty tuition subsidy from the French government. This report argues that in order to sustainably improve the quality of the French higher education system, non-EU students –excluding those at the doctoral level –should be charged for the full cost of their education. The resources generated would amount to some 850 million EUR a year, which, properly reinvested, would allow for much-needed improvements to the system. The authors argue for three main objectives: ensuring fair access to a French higher education for all countries of origin through a readjustment of the current scholarship policies, in favour of the French-speaking area; improving services for the international students; and reinforcing the attractiveness of the French higher education system.