What does 15 lakh get you for a management masters in France?

Your Rs. 15 lakh budget will not open the door to elite Grandes Ecoles like HEC Paris, but it fits comfortably into strong public university and IAE business school tracks for a management masters, as long as you plan carefully around living costs and use the support systems available to students in France.

Where Your Rs. 15 Lakh Goes Over Two Years

Where To Study And How To Bridge The Gap

• Target IAE Lyon, IAE Aix Marseille, IAE Paris Sorbonne or Toulouse School of Management
• Avoid Paris and choose Toulouse, Lyon or Bordeaux, where monthly costs run far lower
• Apply for the CAF housing subsidy, which can reimburse 30 to 50 percent of your monthly rent
• Take a mandatory paid internship, since French law requires payment for internships over two months
• Apply early for the Eiffel Excellence or Charpak scholarship for tuition waivers and monthly stipends

My Advice

Shortlist IAE schools outside Paris first, then build your budget around a mandatory paid internship in year one, since that alone can inject roughly Rs. 4 lakh back into your plan and make your Rs. 15 lakh stretch across the full two years.