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Exceptional Arrangements

Sciences Po offers exceptional arrangements that aim to support students and their families confronted with unforeseen events having an effect on the household’s income.

These exceptional arrangements apply to students enrolled in an initial study program (Bachelor / Master).
Doctoral students can also apply for financial aid: see the section dedicated to the doctorate below.
Fixed-rate programmes under specific agreements or One Year Master programmes can benefit from financial aid detailed in the grants page and are not concerned by this section.
The exceptional arrangements offer transitional aid subject to conditions. If a situation applies to you, you can request a specific study while processing your administrative registration online (step 3).

For European economic area households, Sciences Po calculates fees based on all the resources perceived by the household from 2 years before. However, a number of events can occur during these two years and have an impact on the household's family income. Certain circumstances are taken into account by Sciences Po and allow for a revision of the amount of tuition fees. These circumstances are: retirement, unemployment, illness, divorce, and death of a parent.

In these cases, students must provide documents indicating the household's overall resources from 2 years previous, as would any other student. In addition, students must provide documents (translated into French or English) enabling Sciences Po to consider the new situation and current parental incomes.

Documents to be provided according to circumstances

According to the circumstances, the required documents are as follows:

Reason for a decrease in income	Documents to be supplied (for information purposes only)
Retirement	Documents indicating the amount of the primary pension and any additional pension plan; a payslip in case of part-time employment.
Unemployment	A document indicating the amount of unemployment benefits: notification letter + last three payslips.
Illness	A document indicating the amount of benefits (public or private) and any daily allowances
Divorce	Divorce certificate specifying which parent has primary custody of the children and indicating maintenance payments (in the absence of an official ruling, the tax statements of both parents must be provided). In the case of shared custody: divorce certificate + the tax statements of both parents.
Death	Death certificate + surviving dependant's pension (if already determined).

The Registrar's Office is in charge of reviewing all changes in economic circumstances, which must be indicated at the time of your online registration (step 3 payment).

All requests for revision of fees must be made before the end of the academic year

Any specific or special case (excluding situations listed above) submitted by a student in view of obtaining a tuition fee adjustment will be treated by the Committee for Social Affairs. The Committee is composed of elected members such as: the student vice-president of the governing body of the Institut d'études politiques de Paris (or representative), the student president of the Institute's Board of Directors (or representative), an employee representative elected to the Student Life and Education Committee and a faculty staff representative elected to the Institute's Board of Directors or to the Student Life and Education Committee. A representative of the president of the Institut d'études politiques de Paris is also a member of the Committee.

Students are free to refer cases as early as June in order to alert the Commission as to their particular circumstances. To do so, students will need to provide all necessary documents for the examination of their case.

Deadline to refer your case to the Committee for Social Affairs: January 31st, 2025 for the 2024-2025 academic year.

The Committee meets four times a year.

In 2021/2022, 63% of students who referred their case to the Committee obtained a reduction in tuition fees. The average amount of the tuition fees reduction may vary from year to year. In 2022, in the context of the operative scales, the average amount was 40%.

Examples of circumstances studied by the Commitee for social affairs

For students whose parents' tax residence is located within the European Economic Area and who are eligible for sliding scale tuition fees.

Reason for request	Supporting documents
Reduction in income for the year following the reference year - taken into account if independent of the activity of the concerned party (i.e. for commercial income, a less prosperous year, etc.)	Letter providing a detailed explanation for the reduction in income. Income tax returns for the following years: 2023 for 2022 income and 2024 for 2023 income.
Loss of income for reference year N-2, which was not taken into consideration for the calculation of tuition fees	Letter providing a detailed explanation of the reason for the loss of income. Copies of tax returns for the following years: 2022 for 2021 income, 2023 for 2022 income and 2024 for 2023 income. In cases where the reduction in income concerns rental income, include copies of rental income statements for the above years. An average of the three years will be taken

Reason for request

Supporting documents

Reduction in income for the year following the reference year - taken into account if independent of the activity of the concerned party (i.e. for commercial income, a less prosperous year, etc.)

Letter providing a detailed explanation for the reduction in income.

Income tax returns for the following years: 2023 for 2022 income and 2024 for 2023 income.

Loss of income for reference year N-2, which was not taken into consideration for the calculation of tuition fees

Letter providing a detailed explanation of the reason for the loss of income.

Copies of tax returns for the following years: 2022 for 2021 income, 2023 for 2022 income and 2024 for 2023 income.
In cases where the reduction in income concerns rental income, include copies of rental income statements for the above years.
An average of the three years will be taken

Additional documents may be requested.

Students from outside the European Economic Area (including Boutmy scholarship holders) are able to obtain a reduction in tuition fees (one or two tranches, maximum) only in the event of one of the following five changes in circumstances, occurring no more than one year prior to their admission to Sciences Po: unemployment, divorce, illness, death, retirement.

How to refer your case to the Committee for social affairs

Initiate administrative registration online (Sciences Po student area, Administrative Services heading) and create your registration file. During step 3 of the online registration process, go to the "specific arrangements" section and check the box entitled "Committee for Social Affairs".
Complete your application file by uploading all required documentation for your registration and a letter of explanation requesting review by the Committee for Social Affairs (Step 5 of the online registration).
In order to study your request, supporting documentation may be asked.
Once the study is complete, your request will be presented to the Committee for social affairs for decision. You will be informed by email of their decision shortly after the commission is held.

Contact: commission.suivisocial@sciencespo.fr

Independent student status is distinct from independence for purposes of taxation. A separate income tax declaration is not sufficient for a student's tuition fees to be calculated based solely on student income rather than parental income.

The applicable criteria for recognition of financial independence are those established in Annex 3 of the circular NOR : ESRS2315208C dated July 17, 2023 (FR) of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, subject to the application of the criteria of tax residence and not nationality, and the provision by students of the documents necessary for the study of the application.

For reasons of social equity and according to Sciences Po’s students’ socio-professional categories, Financial Independence status can also be granted to students employed as civil servants or in employment. These students will need to provide Sciences Po with evidence of income equal to or greater than 90% of the French minimum wage for the current academic year, along with the relevant supporting documents that will be requested during the online administrative registration.

If any one of the conditions is not met, tuition fees will be calculated based on common rules of tuition fees' calculation regardless of the student's age.

How to request independent student status:

Complete your online registration (Sciences Po Online Platform, Administrative Services heading).
During the online registration process, at step 2 enter the amount of your resources. At step 3 “payment”, go to the Dispensation field and check the box corresponding to your situation.
At step 5, fill in and upload the independent student request form and all supporting documents

Good to know

Once your request has been reviewed and depending on your situation, you may be requested to submit more documents.

Please note:

the request must be submitted by October 31, 2024.
For students registering for Spring semester only, your application must be sent before January, 31st, 2025.

Contact: independance.financiere@sciencespo.fr

Students who change cycle and who are affected by the new tuition fees progressive system voted on December 15, 2020, can report any difficulty to the manager of their administrative registration file or via the online form.

Contractual doctoral student

Contractual doctoral students (FNSP, IEP, MESRI and similar) in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year benefit from a total and automatic tuition fees exemption. The exemption applies when the administrative file is processed.

In order to benefit from this exemption, in step 2 of the administrative registration, first, select "I declare a scholarship or a particular situation and calculate my fees" and under the “Doctoral student” section choose the type of contract.

Other situation

Non-contractual students enrolled in a PhD at the School of Research have the possibility of submitting a request for tuition fee waiver based on social criteria. All requests are reviewed by the Scholarships and Student Support Office in conjunction with the School of Research. A committee will rule on each request for exemption.

For more information, consult the exemption framework (PDF, 120 kb).

Students must complete an online form with all requested documents. This form will be available from September 23rd until October 17th, 2024, strict deadline.

A committee will meet at the end of October 2024.

Marginal Rate Effect

For students liable to the tuition fees sliding scale comprising 15 brackets, marginal rate effect may occur between the different brackets of this scale.

Thus, within the limit of 200 euros, if a marginal rate effect is observed during the verification of the calculation of your tuition fees, the administrative officer will directly apply the marginal rate effect and will inform you by email.

Sibling Enrolment

If siblings from the same household are enrolled in the same academic year, Sciences Po allows you to benefit from a reduction on the second student enrolled.

When submitting your registration file online, please indicate the name and first name of the brother or sister as well as his or her year of study. The administrative officer will inform you of the reduction granted which depends on the amount of your tuition fees.