RESOLUTION: ILLEGAL FEES FOR DENTAL STUDENTS: Education and studying dentistry should not depend on financial considerations

In France, dentistry courses are offered exclusively at public universities; as a result, students are part of the French public education system and enjoy the same rights as all students at public universities throughout France.To gain entry to a dentistry course, students sit an entrance examination during their first year of university. If they pass, they can progress to the second year of the dentistry course.

In France, students are enrolled at a university and study within a UFR (Teaching and Research Unit) linked to their discipline.

The financial resources of dentistry UFRs are directly linked to the grants awarded each year by the universities. However, we note that all 21 dentistry UFRs are underfunded in relation to their actual needs.

Dentistry is a specialised field of study that requires significant resources. The second year of dentistry is marked by the start of practical work, which is essential to the practice of dentistry.

In France, students must purchase this equipment themselves, even though it is essential not only for their learning but also for passing their exams. Student associations therefore take on the task of selling this equipment to students in order to make up for the university’s shortcomings.

On average, students entering dentistry programmes must pay €812.64, with a maximum amount of €2,072 for the UFR in Nice.

It is important to understand that these charges are completely illegal. These amounts are paid on top of tuition fees. In France, the tuition fees paid by students at university must cover the entire course.

Enrolment fees are set annually by ministerial decree. No legislation or regulation authorises universities to impose additional compulsory tuition fees as a condition for access to a degree programme.Article L.612-1 of the Education Code does not provide for any exemption allowing the imposition of fees related to practical or clinical teaching in healthcare programmes.

The situation therefore affects all dental surgery students in France and jeopardises the public university system. Furthermore, it leads to indirect selection of students based on financial criteria, as those unable to afford these additional fees are effectively excluded.

For the reasons outlined above, the ESU and the FAGE support the dental surgery students in France more generally who are affected by this situation of underfunding, and call for:

State funding for universities that meets their actual needs.

Reason & Seconders

This situation is unsustainable for dental students and makes this field of study highly exclusive.

KSU, FAIRE