Signed Contract but Only Attended 10 Days – Facing Full Tuition Payment Dilemma in France

[Jormaine]

Hi everyone, I’m an 18-year-old fashion student currently facing a major issue with tuition fees after deciding to withdraw from my program. Here’s my situation:

This year, I enrolled in a Bachelor of Fashion Business program at a private fashion school in Paris. The academic year officially started on September 24, 2024, with an orientation that included a presentation of the program, exams, and the school’s app, along with a team-building activity in the afternoon. Due to social anxiety and being generally introverted, I decided to skip the team-building event after meeting another classmate who told me it wasn’t necessary.

Classes began on October 1, and I initially got along with a small group of classmates. However, as an introvert, I found it hard to integrate fully, and over time I started feeling excluded. I even tried to join conversations, but they were brief, and I often felt left out. Eventually, the discomfort started affecting my mental health; I felt anxious, sometimes wanted to cry from frustration, and even started dreading school. As a result, I began missing classes and even took a few days off when I got sick. When I returned, my classmates seemed to distance themselves from me even more, possibly because of my absences.

With all of this, I came to the decision that staying at this school would likely harm my mental health. I wasn’t integrating well, and I was struggling to keep up with some classes in French. So, I decided to look into transferring to a different school that might be a better fit.

When I informed the head of studies and the admissions manager about my decision, they were confused and seemed not to understand my reasons. The admissions manager insisted that the school is affordable compared to other fashion schools and mentioned that many students come to this school after experiencing issues elsewhere. My concerns, though, weren’t with the school itself but rather with the lack of an English program and my own challenges in integrating socially.

The main issue now is the tuition. The full yearly fee is 7,500€, and I had already paid 750€ as an initial payment. The school is demanding the entire 7,000€, citing a clause in the enrollment contract that states:

Art. 2: Any schooling started is due in full.
Art. 3: Only withdrawal in the event of failure of the examination necessary for admission allows the reimbursement of tuition fees committed.

When I asked if they could reduce the amount since I had only attended about 10 days of classes, they refused, saying it wasn’t possible because I had signed this contract. My bank advisor even connected me with legal services, but they only suggested trying to negotiate.

I met again with the director, who also didn’t budge on the tuition. I felt pressured during this meeting, as the admissions manager encouraged me to pay on the spot. I tried to transfer the entire 7,000€, but it didn’t go through, so she instructed me to make smaller transfers until I was able to send 4,000€ total. She then asked me to go to the bank and complete the remaining amount as soon as possible.

After leaving, I called my sister to explain what had happened, and she was furious that I had paid so quickly without fully exploring my options. She thinks I should consult a lawyer to see if I have any grounds to negotiate the fee given my limited attendance.

I’m now feeling lost and overwhelmed. I haven’t told my family everything yet, and I’m unsure how to move forward. If anyone has any advice on whether it’s possible to negotiate a partial fee or if it’s worth seeking legal help, I would be extremely grateful. Thank you for reading, and I appreciate any guidance you can offer.

You as an adult made a number of mistakes, not fully understanding a contract, not fully investigating the way of learning of the courses, not attending the team building ( on the say so of another wtf!) not attending the course. Sometimes, in fact most of the time mistakes have consequences and you have to own them as an adult. This is fair as it is the way all are treated. And is also fair to the institution providing the service.

The only way to get any other resul th is to get legal help but by the time you've paid for that your situation may be worse. Tell your family and let them help you

Oh, it is. It really is.

Not due to the law though. Only if a party wants to compromise and why should they.

But anyway this is french law and it is likely to be different so OP you either pay them or you pay a french lawyer to advise you. However you may well end up with both your tuition fees to pay AND lawyers fees. Most mid level lawyers charge over £250 plus vat an hour.

@Jormaine I am entirely sympathetic to your situation and I imagine most people posting on here are not being at all unsympathetic to where you find yourself at the moment.

But posters are giving you the facts as they understand them. That doesn't make most of them unsympathetic - just telling you how it is likely to be, given you signed a contract. I doubt there are any experts on French contract law on a UK based social media forum either.

If you need to leave the course for your mental health, that's what you need to do. Joining another one may not help, especially after term has already started, especially if it is still in France, but that's something only you can decide.

I feel for you, but we all make mistakes and some of them can be very expensive, as you are finding out. I hope things work out for you

Sorry but I'm struggling to have sympathy for you - everybody is telling you that legally you have no leg to stand on but you're just not listening.

My concerns, though, weren’t with the school itself but rather with the lack of an English program and my own challenges in integrating socially.

Why on earth have you chosen to go to a French college if you're not confident speaking French? Most Uni courses in the UK that involve study abroad spend the first two years getting you up to speed in the language before you go. Why would another course at a different college help with that?

And honestly, loads of us are introverted but we accept that we cannot let that control our life, you seem to have decided to throw yourself into a potentially difficult situation (probably a lot harder mentally than just attending a UK Uni) with no thought for how it might affect you mentally. How do you know that you hate the course when you've attended so few of the sessions and most of them were getting to know people sessions?

I think you need to grow up and take responsibility for your decisions and that starts with either paying the fees and leaving or carrying on with the course.

The school is a business, not a charity.
They will be unable to fill your place now.
You signed. You pay.

I think it’s time to put your big girl pants on and hotfoot it to class to actually gain something from
the fees you paid.

They’re your classmates, not your friends, and your primary reason for attending the course is learning, so focus on that.

Are you going to quit every job where you feel excluded by colleagues? Consider this course as an opportunity for character development. Bonne chance!

@Jormaine Think of it like you've bought a ticket to the theatre. They had a certain number of seats and they had to fill them all to pay for the expenses of putting on the show, which you think you will like.

You show up, find your booked seat, settle down.

You don't enjoy it - in fact, for some reason it's not what you were expecting at ALL (this happened to my in law with Pulp Fiction) so after five minutes you leave.

Would you ask for your money back, since you only used five minutes of the time? Would it be fair if they refused?

It appears that on this thread you are rehearsing the negotiation points you would like the school to take into account. Your points are well considered and well written.

I don't think they hold any weight under contract law but I do think it is now time to approach the school again and negotiate directly with them rather than with us here on MN.

My (limited) experience of private education providers is that they are unrelentingly single-minded regarding the collection of fees due.

You say the programme is not the right fit for you but you have offered them no opportunity to adapt or amend it to support you. You can continue to try to negotiate with them but I think they could reasonably argue that you haven’t communicated with them about any issue or provided opportunities for them to resolve them so they don’t take a financial loss.

I’m not sure what you are looking for answer wise to be honest.

Your choices are:

1. Rejoin the course.
2. Suck it up and pay the fees.
3. Don't pay the fees and accept the consequences thereof, likely to include a financial charge against you and a negative impact on your credit.

I would recommend course 1.

You seem to be under the impression that other people have some responsibility towards your mental health and the course not being "aligned with your goals". They don't. You're an adult; you signed a contract of your own free will; you have chosen of your own free will not to avail yourself of the education services you can receive in exchange, but you signed the contract, so you have to pay.

OP You’re not going to get much sympathy here. MN is full of Gen Xers. We are of the school where you had to suck it up even when things didn’t go our way. It built resilience and proved to us that we could grind things out, even when it’s uncomfortable. We also grew up in a time when I was no recourse to discuss our “mental health”. Such a term did not exist.

It sounds like you’ve got cold feet.

Personally I’d give it one more chance. Stay until Christmas and if it’s still no good, then consign this to one of life’s lessons.

The law is the law. There are no clauses about withdrawal on the basis of mental health from what you’ve listed. You can see why, can’t you?

Perhaps some human right exists and you can hire an expensive lawyer.

But ultimately a business needs to function. They need to pay their staff. You took a space that was not given to someone else. If you don’t pay, who else will? A contract is there to protect both sides.

I would ask for support from the place to help you bond better with the other people on the course. It’s not too late. You only need one connection with someone and then the rest could fall into place. Go the extra mile. See what you can do.

Good luck.

I only attended 10 days of classes and feel that paying for the entire year is disproportionate.
You don’t pay per class though, you pay for enrollment. You took a space, they’re not going to be able to fill that space after term has began.

OP you signed a contract that says you have to pay the full amount if you start the course. There's no way to not understand that. You can't then think you don't have to pay because you didn't make the effort to make friends and because 'mental health'. Frankly I think you're being ridiculous - and a lawyer is just going to be another potentially large cost. It's too late for the school to give someone else your place so they lose money if you don't pay.

It would make most sense to stick this course out for the year you have to pay for and during that time work out what you're going to do after that. Time to grow up and do the difficult thing for a year, that's what I'd be telling mine and then I'd be helping and supporting them in making alternative arrangements for the following yr.

I do understand your perspective. I just don’t support with it as I don’t agree with it.

You’ve posted for views and advice and that is mine. You would probably gain a lot from learning some resilience and having to stick at something you don’t find easy.

At the risk of sounding old your attitude is part of the problem. Very self centred and expecting exceptions to be made for you just because you think so. Well unfortunately (for you) the world doesn’t work that way and it’s better to learn it now and quickly.

You signed a contract.

Feeling down about not making friends is not a disability and to bang on about MH is bloody disrespectful to people who have genuine and serious MH illnesses.

They have absolutely no reason to negotiate your fees so you can either pay and leave or pay and complete the course.

I understand your point, and I’m taking the situation seriously. I’m looking into legal advice, but I also wanted to gather perspectives and suggestions from others who might have gone through similar situations. It’s not about relying on social media to fix things, but rather trying to explore all possible options before making a decision.

Firstly, I’ve been living in France for 8 years, and although I can speak French, being multilingual means it’s not always easy to be fluent in all five languages I speak. It’s a challenge to balance them, especially in a non-native environment.

Secondly, I applied for a Fashion Business program, but I’m mixed with students from Fashion Creation, and we share many subjects. Fashion Creation is not my area of interest, and it’s hard for me to stay engaged with content that doesn’t align with my goals.

Regarding the language issue, my main concern was the lack of an English program, as I feel I would thrive better in that environment. I didn’t fully anticipate how challenging the social integration would be either, which has contributed to my uncertainty.

I understand that many people have different perspectives, and I appreciate the feedback. But I also need to acknowledge that I’m trying to make the best decision for my well-being and future career. I’m not trying to avoid responsibility, I’m trying to understand my options and make an informed choice.

This is a long shot, but are there any costs that the course provider won’t incur if you don’t participate in the course? I’m thinking about tickets to attend fashion events, or field trips abroad.

Whilst legally you’re likely on the hook for the full amount of the course, you might be able to negotiate a discount if there are any such costs - and only if the costs were included in the price of the course on the first place, rather than an optional/student funded extra.

OP I dropped out of uni after try first term. But I gave it everything. And back then it was free! I could have walked away in the first week but I kept trying and going in. In the end it wasn’t right and I reapplied.

Does the college have any other courses or ANY other form of paid classes?

Id be looking at sister schools/colleges to try and side step to something else.

But if nothing else exists, try a bit longer, until Xmas, ask them to search for someone else - and you, what could you do to fill the spot? Would they agree to someone new starting if you found someone to take your place?

I reapplied the following year and it was the best thing. But life is harder now. You can’t change your mind in the same way.

Friends don’t happen overnight. I had to go to my kids primary school for FOUR YEARS, before I made a friend.

Ask yourself. Are you there to learn fashion??

Or you were hoping for Emily in Paris?

Follow your career, the fun can come later. Personally I’d get my head down and crack out some amazing work.

Some of my best advances in life have been when I’ve been very lonely and down. Look at JK Rowling!! You have to dig deep sometimes.

It's incredibly early to have decided you won't make any friends or gain anything from the course. Maybe it would help to reframe things? Rather than feeling excluded, recognise that everyone has their own stuff going on and they aren't deliberately trying to make you feel left out. Ask for extra help, find some non-scary social things to help you feel less lonely (maybe a French language class). Instead of seeing it as detrimental to your wellbeing, tell yourself you're building resilience. Give it until Christmas and really try to get something positive out of the experience, then reassess. You might as well since you've already paid €4000.

I sympathise and understand about anxiety, believe me, but the fact is it's very normal to be experiencing these feelings in your current situation. It's daunting living somewhere new, getting by in another language, navigating cultural differences and coping with the demands of your course. You wouldn't be normal if you didn't have a bit of a wobble at some point! Are you feeling homesick? Maybe a few days back home would help. Anxiety doesn't go away by removing the thing that's making you anxious, all that does is reinforce the idea that you can't cope.

I would suggest trying to access some CBT and just give things a bit longer. That's the best way to prioritise your long-term wellbeing and mental health.

I have been in this kind of situation before too, unfortunately it's very common. This is precisely why an institution like this won't be in a hurry to waive or reduce fees. We all have our own reasons why things don't work out how we expected and absolutely nobody wants to pay thousands of pounds for something that they feel they can't make use of. The reluctance of people to pay what they owe is why institutions have watertight contracts and why they don't want to give an discretion in cases like OPs.

My advice is to pay the money and move on. Don't let others who are completely uneducated in this field wind you up by suggesting that it's somehow unfair or you can wriggle out of money you legally owe. It only prolongs the inevitable and stops you moving on and focussing on the future.

Absolute bunkum!

You are clearly not legally qualified and should refrain from posting such statements as if they are actual facts!

1. There is no such thing as EU contract law.
2. There is no such thing as UK (contract) law.

English contract law is not the same as Scottish contract law etc…

I understand that feeling down doesn’t equate to a serious mental health illness, and I’m not trying to claim that it does. However, I am dealing with significant emotional difficulties that are impacting my ability to engage with the course. It’s not about excusing my responsibilities, but about trying to find a balance between my personal well-being and my education. I’ve been open about my struggles, not to seek special treatment, but to explain the situation I’m facing. I’m simply trying to understand if there’s a way to work through this and find a path forward that makes sense for both my education and my mental health.

Firstly, I’ve been living in France for 8 years, and although I can speak French, being multilingual means it’s not always easy to be fluent in all five languages I speak. It’s a challenge to balance them, especially in a non-native environment.

I'm amazed that you have lived in France for 8 years and are yet to become fluent in the language, I would have thought it would be the other languages that would suffer. Did the college explicitly say that English programmes would be offered?

Anyway, perhaps you'd be better cutting your losses, paying the outstanding fees and coming to the UK to do your course, although unfortunately you'd be liable for international fees.