Low-cost French courses outside EPFL

Last checked: 10 October 2026. Unofficial student guide, not EPFL or government advice: confirm on the linked official pages before you act. Unfamiliar abbreviation? See the Glossary.

Where to find subsidised or low-cost French courses in Vaud outside campus: the canton's list of subsidised courses, Lausanne's city offers, the federal fide system, and university-linked evening courses.

Key facts

• On campus first: EPFL students and staff can take French at the EPFL Language Centre. Details: Learning French at EPFL.
• Canton list: the State of Vaud subsidises French courses run by associations. Vaud says they are given by trained professionals, are "accessible aux petits budgets", and sometimes offer childcare during the course. The full list, searchable by region, is on Vaud Bienvenue.
• Lausanne: the city integration office (BLI, Bureau lausannois pour les immigrés) publishes the free brochure "Apprendre à Lausanne" (2026-2027 edition) listing free and paid courses for adults, and runs free beginner courses at Vidy-Plage each summer (2026: 6 July to 7 August, no registration).
• fide: the federal fide system (SEM) issues the language passport, the official proof of French level used for permits and naturalisation.
• Evening option: the Université populaire de Lausanne lists French courses by level, including a course it describes as highly subsidised by the Canton of Vaud.

1. Courses subsidised by the canton (BCI)

The cantonal integration office (BCI, Bureau cantonal pour l'intégration des étrangers et la prévention du racisme) funds French courses given by associations across Vaud. Two official ways in:

• Vaud Bienvenue, Cours de français: the course list, filterable by zone (Lausanne, Ouest lausannois, Morges, Nyon, Riviera and others). Each entry gives the organisation, town, phone and website.
• BCI project catalogue (vd.ch): all integration measures the BCI funds, including French courses, searchable by activity type, region and course level.

Prices, levels and admission rules are set by each organisation. Check the course page before you enrol. Some subsidised courses are reserved for people on a low income or for a given commune: To verify your eligibility with the organisation.

Private language schools are also listed by Vaud Bienvenue (via the AVDEP directory); Vaud notes they cost more.

2. Lausanne city offers (BLI)

• "Apprendre à Lausanne": the BLI's brochure of courses for adults (French, computer skills, job search), free from the BLI or as a download. A short leaflet in 13 languages, including English, lists beginner French courses.
• Vidy-Plage summer courses: free beginner French on the lakeside, 5 weeks every summer, no registration, with childcare from age 2. The 2026 edition ran from 6 July to 7 August 2026. Dates for 2027: To verify on lausanne.ch.
• City-funded weekly courses (Français en Jeu): for adults aged 18 or over who live in Lausanne, are in economic or social difficulty and cannot use other courses. Levels A to B1, one-off registration fee CHF 40 per year, 2 hours a week. Mostly funded by the City of Lausanne. Students often do not meet the "precarity" condition: To verify with Français en Jeu (021 329 04 49).
• BLI contact: Place de la Riponne 10, Lausanne, +41 21 315 72 45.

Other communes: several communes run or fund their own courses (for example Prilly's "Apprendre le français au centre commercial", listed on Vaud Bienvenue). Ask your commune's office or check the Vaud Bienvenue list by zone.

3. Evening and university-linked options

• Université populaire de Lausanne (UPL): French courses by level, in the evening, at the HEP (Av. de Cour 33). Its B1 "subventionné" course (autumn 2026 session: Wednesdays 18:00 to 20:00, 23 Sep to 16 Dec 2026, 11 sessions, fully booked) costs CHF 190, after an assessment interview to check the conditions. UPL also sells a level test (CHF 15). Other UPL courses have their own prices.
• UNIL: UNIL's School of French as a Foreign Language runs the "Satellites" French courses for non-French-speaking UNIL students and staff (the autumn 2026 courses started on 14 Sep 2026). They are not open to EPFL students as such: To verify any cross-registration with your faculty.
• Ça joue!: a free online French basics course built for incoming mobility students (listed on Learning French at EPFL).

4. fide: proving your level

• fide is the federal language system run by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).
• The language passport is an official document for French, German, Italian and Romansh, obtained through the fide test, the fide dossier or other routes listed by fide.
• fide offers a free simulation of the "speaking" part of the test (levels A1 to B1), about 2 to 4 times a year; it is an estimate only, not an official result.
• Test fees are set by the test centres: To verify on fide-service.ch.

Naturalisation: Vaud asks for French B1 oral and A2 written, normally shown with a fide language passport. The details and exemptions are on Naturalisation basics in Vaud.

Checklist

• Check what EPFL offers first: Learning French at EPFL.
• Search the Vaud Bienvenue course list for your zone.
• Living in Lausanne? Get "Apprendre à Lausanne" from the BLI.
• Need proof of level for a permit or naturalisation? Look at the fide test.