Dozens of people marched peacefully outside the French Embassy in Yaoundé on Tuesday, protesting new financial requirements imposed on Cameroonian students admitted to private institutions in France, ahead of the autumn academic intake.
Dozens of students and parents attended the march on Tuesday, after Cameroonian students were informed, in a statement from Campus France Cameroon dated 9 July, that they must now provide proof of full payment of their tuition fees, or demonstrate that they possess the corresponding funds, prior to the issuance of any visa for France.
The measure came after several students in Cameroon had already submitted their applications.
New policy on student mobility
Yvan Odjo, a candidate for a Master's degree in public law at a private French university, told RFI's correspondent in Yaoundé that he had been rejected because of the new policy on student mobility.
"We were asked for 25,000 euros, including processing fees, a sum that, in reality, a family cannot cover," he said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one parent denounced the move as brutal for his son, who is already enrolled at a private university in Lyon.
"The cost is around 14,500 euros; we were due to finish making the instalment payments in May, and we were fully prepared, having already paid the 3,500-euro registration fee required by the university," he said.
Inclusive dialogue
The organisers of the silent march called for inclusive dialogue over the decision.
"We must take the repercussions of this decision into account, even if it means postponing the decision until next year, or simply advocating for fairness for all students," Salomon Ondoua, representative of the collective for access to study projects, told RFI.
"It is not right for a Cameroonian student to face greater difficulties studying in France than, for example, an Ivorian student," he added.
Officials from Campus France intend to address the press regarding student mobility before the end of the week, according to a source at the French Embassy in Cameroon.
Studying in France is set to become significantly more expensive for students from outside the European Union, after a decree from the French Ministry of Higher Education, dated 19 May 2026, established that most non-EU students will face sharply higher tuition fees from the start of the next academic year.
Enrolment at a French university for non-European students will cost nearly €3,000 per year for a bachelor's degree, compared with €178 currently.
