The tuition fees for bachelor’s degrees at French business schools have been steadily increasing for several years. KEDGE Business School, located in Bordeaux, Marseille, Paris, and Toulon, is no exception to this trend. For families comparing post-bac programs, the question of price is accompanied by another, less frequently addressed: what this degree actually yields once entering the job market.
Structural Increase in Tuition Fees at KEDGE: Beyond the Displayed Price
The online content often presents the price of the bachelor’s program at a given moment, without questioning the trajectory. Data published by several higher education observers show that tuition fees at major French business schools rise year after year, sometimes by several hundred euros each term.
KEDGE is not immune to this trend. Documented increases in the Grande École Program (PGE) reflect a dynamic that also affects post-bac courses. A student entering the first year of the bachelor’s program today will likely pay more in the third year than what the initial pricing grid indicates. Anticipating the increase over three years changes the calculation of the total cost.
To consult in detail the price of the bachelor’s program at KEDGE Business School, it is essential to distinguish between the displayed fees and the actual costs once ancillary expenses (housing, living expenses on campuses located in cities where the rental market is tight like Marseille or Bordeaux) are included.
Actual Cost of the KEDGE Bachelor’s Program: Ancillary Expenses and Financing
The amount of tuition fees only represents part of the overall bill. Two significant items are rarely detailed in brochures.
- Housing in Marseille or Bordeaux, where KEDGE concentrates its bachelor’s campuses, represents a significant monthly budget, varying by neighborhood and type of accommodation (CROUS, private residence, shared housing).
- Expenses related to international mobility, mandatory from the second year of the program, include airfare, health insurance abroad, and the cost of living differential depending on the destination.
- Educational materials and association fees, often underestimated in official estimates, add several hundred euros per year.
The total cost over three years significantly exceeds just the display of tuition fees. Families budgeting only for registration fees may face unexpected expenses as early as the second semester.
Work-Study in the Third Year: A Partial Financing Lever
KEDGE offers work-study options in the final year of the bachelor’s program. In this case, the host company covers the tuition fees and pays a salary to the student. This mechanism reduces the bill but only covers the last third of the program.
The first two years remain entirely the responsibility of the student or their family. Therefore, work-study does not constitute a comprehensive financing solution, contrary to what some marketing messages imply.
CARE+ Program Launching in September 2026: What We Know and What Remains Unclear
KEDGE has announced the launch of the CARE+ program for September 2026, presented as a milestone in terms of equal opportunities. The official communication mentions enhanced financial support and guidance mechanisms, without detailing the amounts or eligibility criteria.
The available data do not allow for conclusions about the actual impact of this program for bachelor’s students. Several questions remain unanswered: Will CARE+ apply to all programs or only the PGE? Will scholarships be combinable with CROUS aids? What will be the income ceiling considered?
As long as the operational details are not published, incorporating CARE+ into a financing plan is speculative. Candidates for the 2026 intake should build their budget without relying on this program, adding it as a bonus if conditions are favorable.
Return on Investment of the KEDGE Bachelor’s Program: Indicators to Monitor
Measuring the return on investment of a bachelor’s degree from a business school requires cross-referencing three data points: the total cost of the program, the salary upon graduation, and the time to professional integration.
KEDGE claims a high employment rate for its bachelor’s graduates, with a majority of contracts signed in the months following graduation. However, the median salary of a bachelor’s holder remains lower than that of a bac+5 graduate from the same institution. The gap is notable from the first hire and tends to widen over the first five years of a career.
Bachelor Alone or Springboard to a Bac+5
A significant portion of KEDGE Bachelor graduates continue to a master’s program, often within KEDGE’s PGE or another bac+5 program. In this scenario, the bachelor’s degree is not a terminal degree but a first cycle that adds to the cost of the master’s.
The ROI calculation changes radically depending on whether one considers three years (bachelor only) or five years (bachelor then master’s). Over five years, the cumulative tuition fees approach very high amounts, comparable to those of the most expensive pathways in French higher education.
- Bachelor only (3 years): quick integration but at moderate salary levels, typical of positions accessible with a bac+3 in management, business, or marketing.
- Bachelor then PGE (5 years): significantly heavier total investment, offset by higher salary prospects and career advancement.
- Bachelor then master’s at another institution: variable cost, but the possibility to diversify one’s profile and access complementary networks.
The ROI depends less on the displayed price than on the professional project built during the program. A well-utilized bachelor’s degree (internships, work-study, alumni network of over 90,000 KEDGE graduates) can accelerate a career as much as a more academic pathway.
Families evaluating the KEDGE bachelor’s program benefit from considering the complete cost over the actual duration of studies rather than just the annual fee. The profitability of a business degree is measured over five or ten years, not at the time of graduation.