Benjamin James Milward pleaded guilty in the Brisbane Supreme Court ahead of his trial due later this month.
Sophie Collombet, 21, was returning home from university when she was killed in a South Brisbane park.
Her naked and battered body was found in a rotunda at the park the following morning.
Ms Collombet's brother was present on Wednesday and the court was told other members of her family would travel from France to be present for the sentencing later this month.
Milward, 26, will be sentence on October 26 and is expected to receive life imprisonment.
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During his committal hearing, two witnesses alleged that Milward had been "intoxicated" after injecting ice and drinking bourbon and wine at a mutual acquaintance's flat on the morning of the attack.
The court also heard DNA matching Milward's was found in a sample from under Ms Collombet's fingernails.
With AAP
