The short answer
To prepare the BTS (a two-year vocational higher diploma) by distance learning, CNED (the French national distance learning centre) remains the cheapest solution among full providers: 1,415 EUR per year, or 2,830 EUR for the two years, in a public institution. Private schools charge from 3,490 to 4,190 EUR for the full course, and some annual plans go up to 6,700 EUR over two years. Before choosing, check three points: who finds the compulsory 20 weeks of work placement, who registers you for the exam, and what the displayed pass rate really covers. And be aware that since the reform, the diploma is called the BTS Diététique et nutrition (dietetics and nutrition), with a first exam session in 2027.
The six providers compared
| Provider | Price displayed | Cost over the full course | Teaching hours | Status | Pass rate published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNED | 1,415 EUR per year | 2,830 EUR | 1,020 h in year 1 | public | not published |
| Etudis, Complète plan | 690 EUR then 760 EUR | 1,450 EUR | not specified | not specified | 63%, with no year or scope |
| L’atelier des Chefs | 3,490 EUR | 3,490 EUR | 1,380 h or 2,080 h depending on the page | not specified | 74% in the 2025 BTS, 58 candidates sitting |
| Educatel, Skill & You, Be Académie | 206 EUR then 35 x 102.40 EUR | 3,790 EUR | 1,010 h | private | 84% displayed, see below |
| E-Diderot | 1,690, 2,490 or 3,350 EUR per year | 3,380 to 6,700 EUR | 1,650 h | not specified | not published |
| Academee (Studi) | 4,190 EUR | 4,190 EUR | 1,100 h | not specified | not published |
What the course really costs
The displayed price does not tell the whole story. Three items add to it or reduce it:
- The two years. CNED, E-Diderot and Etudis display an annual price: you need to double it. The schools of the Educatel group, Academee and L’atelier des Chefs display a price for the whole preparation.
- The CPF. Any course paid for with the CPF (the French personal training account) leaves an out-of-pocket amount: 150 EUR according to service-public.gouv.fr, unless the employer covers it. The « 0 EUR with the CPF » displayed by some schools also assumes a sufficient balance, whereas the account is credited with 500 EUR per year, up to a ceiling of 5,000 EUR.
- Work placements. They cost nothing in tuition fees, but 20 full-time weeks mean freeing up that time, and sometimes travelling.
Example: for a preparation at 3,790 EUR, an account holder with 3,000 EUR in their account will have to make up the difference out of their own pocket, on top of the flat-rate out-of-pocket amount if it applies. The eligibility of each offer can be checked on moncompteformation.gouv.fr; that of CNED is not stated on the page we consulted.
The BTS Diététique et nutrition in brief
A reformed diploma: first session in 2027
An order of 27 November 2024 replaced the BTS Diététique with the BTS Diététique et nutrition, registered in the RNCP (the French national register of professional qualifications) under number 40028, at level 5. The last session of the old BTS takes place in 2026, the first of the new one in 2027. If you start now, you will therefore sit the new diploma: check that the provider’s course materials have indeed been updated.
20 weeks of placement, even at a distance
The course lasts two years. Placements are compulsory for all candidates, including those studying at a distance, and without a placement certificate you cannot sit two oral exams:
- 4 weeks in catering for institutions in the first year, in an establishment serving at least 150 meals per sitting;
- 10 weeks of therapeutic dietetics in the second year, in two establishments, supervised by a dietitian;
- 6 weeks of public health interventions, spread over the two years.
Five exams
For a distance candidate, the exam takes the form of one-off tests: English oral (weighting 1), applied biology and pathophysiology written exam of 4 hours (weighting 4), dietary and nutritional care approach oral (weighting 4), healthy, sustainable and adapted eating written exam of 4 hours (weighting 4), and public health interventions oral and practical of 3 hours 30 minutes (weighting 4).
The BTS gives access to the dietitian title
Dietitian is a regulated health profession: only people holding a diploma on a list set by order may practise, under articles L4371-2 and L4371-3 of the French Public Health Code. The BTS Diététique et nutrition is on this list, alongside the old BTS and the BUT (a three-year university technology degree) in biological engineering, dietetics and nutrition pathway. However, it is not a « state diploma »: a provider that writes that the BTS « confers the title of state-registered dietitian » is mistaken. To find out everything about the profession, see our dietitian page, and the difference with the nutritionist, who is a doctor.
Distance learning, in-person or work-study
Onisep (the French national careers information service) publishes graduate employment results, with the 2024 InserJeunes data: six months after the BTS, 36% of graduates from the school route are in work, against 42% of those who took the apprenticeship route. A significant share go on to further study: 36% from the school route, 22% from apprenticeship. These figures do not distinguish distance learning.
| Route | Who it suits | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Distance learning | adult changing career, employee, parent, someone far from a school | variable cost, free pace, placements to organise, exam often as an independent candidate |
| In person, public lycée | after the baccalaureate, via Parcoursup | free in a public institution, school timetable, placements supervised by the team |
| Work-study | young person or adult who wants to be paid | course paid for by the employer, better employment rate at 6 months according to Onisep |
Distance preparation has a real place for adults changing career. But it demands a great deal of independence: you have to stay the course for two years alone with your lessons, and land placements in hospital settings without the network of a school.
Funding your course
The personal training account
The BTS is registered in the RNCP, with a record active until 31 December 2029: it can therefore be funded through the CPF, and Mon Compte Formation points out that an RNCP certification can be funded with no usage ceiling. The chosen provider must also be listed: check the exact offer on moncompteformation.gouv.fr, not on the school’s website. Outside working hours, the employer’s agreement is not needed.
The career transition project
For an employee changing career, the career transition project (projet de transition professionnelle), managed by the Transitions Pro association in their region, makes it possible to take time off to train while keeping all or part of their salary: 100% of the reference salary up to two times the minimum wage (Smic). On a permanent contract you need two years of employment, including one year in the company, and you must apply to the employer 120 days before a full-time course of six months or more.
The detail, provider by provider
CNED: the cheapest of the full providers
A public institution, CNED charges 1,415 EUR per year according to its Parcoursup page, with interest-free payment in instalments, and the same price for grant holders. The course is 100% online, with tutoring and virtual classes; CNED provides the placement agreements. Two limits: it does not publish a pass rate, and it does not register its students for the exam, so it is up to the candidate to do so. In 2025, its Parcoursup page showed 3,400 places, 1,070 applicants and 294 enrolled.
Educatel, Skill & You and Be Académie: the same course under three names
These three brands from the same group sell the same preparation: 3,790 EUR, payable as 206 EUR then 35 monthly payments of 102.40 EUR, for 1,010 hours, with access for up to 36 months and a « qualified or refunded » guarantee. Students look for their own placements, with support, and put together their own exam file. The 84% rate displayed relates to « results obtained in 2025 » whereas the course is said to have been « created at the end of 2025 » and the new BTS has not yet had a session: this figure cannot be that of this BTS. The same page also states an « estimated sitting rate » of 53%: nearly one in two enrolled students would not sit the exam.
Academee (Studi): the most expensive of the full courses
Academee, a school in the Studi group, displays 4,190 EUR for 1,100 hours, or from 81 EUR per month over 36 months, with a grant of up to 30%. Start at any time, access to the platform for three years. The school publishes a satisfaction rate, not a pass rate.
L’atelier des Chefs: the only detailed pass rate
The provider publishes a 74% rate in the 2025 BTS exam, with the numbers: 58 candidates sitting. It is the only figure in this comparison accompanied by its year and its number of candidates. It provides placement agreements and relies on its network of former students to find placement providers. Its price of 3,490 EUR does not, however, appear in plain text on the page, and the teaching hours are given twice there, with two different values.
E-Diderot: exam registration included
E-Diderot offers three annual plans, at 1,690, 2,490 or 3,350 EUR, or 3,380 to 6,700 EUR over two years, for 1,650 hours of lessons and six intakes per year. A rare point: exam registration is included. But its page states that the BTS « confers the title of state-registered dietitian », which is inaccurate.
Etudis: the lowest price, minimal plan
The Etudis Complète plan costs 690 EUR then 760 EUR, or 1,450 EUR over two years, the lowest price recorded. The higher plans add support and video lessons, up to 6,600 EUR over two years for the Live plan. The « 63% pass rate » is given with no year or scope, and CPF eligibility is not clearly stated.
After the BTS: salary and career prospects
According to Onisep, a newly qualified dietitian earns from 1,867 EUR gross per month, depending on location and status. On the France Travail « Prendre soin » website, 80% of job offers propose between 1,805 and 2,600 EUR gross per month. France has around 18,000 dietitians: nearly half are employees of a public healthcare establishment, and about a third work in private practice. Some then specialise, for example in sports dietetics.
Our advice for choosing
- Be wary of pass rates with no year or numbers. A serious figure gives the session and the number of candidates sitting.
- Ask who finds the placements. Providing an agreement does not mean finding the placement location; in therapeutic dietetics, places are scarce.
- Check exam registration. With most providers, it is up to you to register with your education authority (académie), within the deadlines.
- Compare the cost of the two years, not the monthly teaser price.
- Check CPF eligibility of the exact offer on moncompteformation.gouv.fr.
If you are still unsure about the profession, our nutrition advisor page presents a shorter, unregulated route, which does not allow you to practise as a dietitian.
Our sources
- Order of 27 November 2024 defining and setting the conditions for awarding the BTS « Diététique et nutrition », framework published by the French Ministry of Higher Education.
- France Compétences, RNCP40028 record.
- French Public Health Code, articles L4371-1 to L4371-3; order of 24 May 2024 amended on 15 July 2025, list of diplomas allowing practice of the dietitian profession.
- Onisep, « BTS Diététique et nutrition » pages (2024 InserJeunes data) and « Diététicien, diététicienne ».
- France Travail, « Prendre soin » website, dietitian page.
- Service-public.gouv.fr, pages F10705 (personal training account) and F14018 (career transition project); moncompteformation.gouv.fr.
- Providers’ websites and Parcoursup for CNED, prices recorded on 26/09/2026.