The LMD system has structured French university pathways since the mid-2000s. Bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate: three degrees, three levels, a common framework for most European universities. Behind this seemingly simple architecture, several mechanisms condition students’ success, their mobility, and the real cost of their studies.
Differentiated registration fees: what the LMD costs depending on your nationality
Competitors rarely address the financial issue beyond a line on the relative free tuition of French universities. The decree of May 19, 2026 changed the game for non-European students.
A non-European student enrolled in a bachelor’s program must now pay around 2,895 euros per year, compared to 178 euros before the reform. In a master’s program, the amount reaches about 3,941 euros. Doctoral students remain aligned with the national rate applicable to European students.
Universities retain the right to grant exemptions, but it is capped at 30% of the affected student body, with a planned reduction to 25% and then 20% in the following years. For an African or Asian student planning to follow the LMD system in France on a tight budget, this increase represents a major selection factor.
Additionally, the threshold for financial resources required to obtain a student visa has been raised, effective August 1, 2026. The justifiable monthly amount has increased from 615 euros to 800 euros, a 30% rise that mechanically excludes some candidates.
ECTS credits and semesterization: the real mechanics of the pathway
The LMD is based on a division into semesters and ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits. Each validated year corresponds to 60 credits. The bachelor’s totals 180, the master’s 300, and the doctorate exceeds this with a variable volume depending on the discipline.
This system was designed to make degrees comparable from one European country to another. A validated semester in Bordeaux carries the same number of credits as a validated semester in Berlin or Bologna. In theory, this facilitates Erasmus exchanges and reorientations between institutions.
In practice, the transferability of credits depends on bilateral agreements between universities. Not all credits are automatically recognized when changing institutions or returning from mobility. Field reports vary on this point: some students validate their semester abroad without difficulty, while others must negotiate the recognition of specific modules.
What ECTS measures and what it does not measure
An ECTS credit represents an estimated workload (courses, personal work, internships). It does not measure the difficulty of a course or the selectivity of a pathway. Two bachelor’s degrees with 180 credits can have very different levels of demand depending on the university and the discipline.
This limitation explains why some selective master’s programs look beyond the simple count of credits when reviewing applications. Grades, internships, and letters of recommendation remain determining criteria.
Bachelor’s degree and master’s degree: institutional degrees come into play
A decree from August 6, 2026, established a new list of public institutional degrees that can confer the bachelor’s or master’s degree. This development deserves attention: it means that programs outside the traditional university framework can issue an LMD-level degree recognized by the state.
Specifically, some diplomas from public schools (engineering, specialized institutes) are officially awarded the master’s degree without being a university master’s degree in the strict sense. For the student, the distinction may seem technical. However, it has consequences for further studies, particularly for access to doctoral programs or certain public service competitions.
- The bachelor’s degree (bac+3) and the master’s degree (bac+5) can be conferred by non-university institutions, provided they are listed on the official list updated by decree.
- A diploma conferring the master’s degree does not automatically grant access to all doctoral schools: each school sets its own eligibility criteria.
- The VAE (validation of acquired experience) allows obtaining all or part of an LMD degree without going back through courses, but the rates of complete validation remain modest.
Limits of the LMD: selection in master’s programs and non-linear pathways
Since the Mon Master reform, selection occurs at the entry to M1. This legally regulated selection has ended the almost automatic transition between bachelor’s and master’s that existed in certain fields. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree no longer guarantees access to the master’s program of one’s choice.
For law students, for example, the list of titles or diplomas recognized as equivalent to the first sixty credits of a master’s program was modified by a decree on July 6, 2026. These regular adjustments show that the LMD framework is not fixed: it evolves according to ministerial arbitrations and negotiations between universities.
Reorientation and bridges between cycles
The LMD system provides for bridges between disciplines and types of institutions. A biology bachelor’s student can, under certain conditions, apply for a master’s in public health. A graduate of a BTS or a BUT can enter a professional bachelor’s program and then a master’s.
These bridges exist on paper. Their actual accessibility varies according to capacity, disciplinary prerequisites, and the policy of each university. Available data does not allow for a conclusion of uniform fluidity across the territory.
The LMD remains the skeleton of French higher education, but its connections shift every year. Students who anticipate these regulatory changes, whether regarding registration fees, selection in master’s programs, or diploma recognition, approach their pathway with a concrete advantage over those who discover the rules along the way.