What does it cost to study in France without a safety net?
New housing aid rules are changing the financial reality for some international students
For many international students in France, housing aid is not extra money. It is part of the budget they rely on to pay their rent and cover everyday expenses. Studying in a new country always comes with financial challenges: finding accommodation, managing living costs and, for some, finding a job alongside their studies.
France hosted 443,500 foreign students in 2024/2025, representing nearly 15% of the country’s student population, according to Campus France. But since July 2026, access to housing aid has changed, and many students are now facing restrictions and have lost benefits. So what exactly changed, and who is affected now?
Before this summer, international students could apply for housing aid, commonly known as “APL”. This housing aid is managed by CAF (Caisse d’Allocations Familiales), a public program that provides financial support including housing, family and low-income benefits. APL (Aide Personnalisée au Logement) helps eligible students pay part of their rent.
In 2020, among students living away from home, 66.3% received housing aid, while 33.7% did not. It was available to French and foreign students who met the eligibility criteria. This includes renting a home as their main residence in France, paying rent, living in a home that meets minimum housing standards, and meeting certain income requirements. For non-EU students, this also meant living legally in France and having a valid residence permit.
What the change means
On July 1, 2026, the rules changed for students from outside Europe. For most Students who are not citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, and who hold a long-stay visa or residence permit marked “poursuite d’études”, they must now receive an eligible social-criteria higher-education scholarship to qualify for housing aid.
The change applies to new applicants and to students who were already receiving housing assistance but no longer meet the new conditions. However, some exceptions apply: students who work, including self-employed students, apprentices, students on professionalisation contracts, refugees, stateless people, and spouses of non-EU students can remain eligible.
During the parliamentary examination of the measure, an impact assessment cited by the French Senate estimated that around 130.700 foreign students were receiving housing aid. Of these, approximately 100.000 were non-scholarship recipients. At the time, they were therefore considered potentially excluded under the proposed rules. That raises another question: why did the French government introduce the reform?
The answer is largely financial. France is facing a high level of public debt, and for the 2026 budget, the government decided to reduce housing-related public spending. According to the government’s assessment cited by the Senate, restricting housing aid for non-EU students was expected to save around €100 million in 2026. The measure was also designed to target housing aid towards students meeting social criteria.
Supporters of the measure argued during the budget debate that housing assistance should be more targeted and noted that access to comparable benefits for non-EU students can be more restrictive in countries such as Germany. The Senate report also presented the scholarship requirement as a way of maintaining support for students meeting social criteria.
The reform also faced opposition during parliamentary debates. Critics argued that not receiving a scholarship does not necessarily mean that a student is financially comfortable and warned that withdrawing housing support could increase financial insecurity among international students.
What does losing housing aid really mean?
According to public data from the French administration, CAF and APL welfare play a crucial role for vulnerable populations. The money this program gives to less fortunate individuals reduces inequality and improves overall quality of life in France. The goal is to promote equity, solidarity, and neutrality by developing targeted actions and providing case management tailored to individual needs.
Data from L’Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques (Insee) supports the importance of this redistribution. By comparing taxes and social contributions, their studies highlight how essential these mechanisms are to balancing tax burdens across the population.
In addition, this money’s redistribution increases revenue for low-income households. Before these initiatives, income disparities were much wider, but social transfers have significantly increased resources available to low-income individuals, helping bridge the financial gap.
However, losing housing aid directly drives inequality by dismantling the safety net that supports vulnerable residents. This policy shift affects around 57% of low-income households, while international students are severely impacted by this counterproductive measure.
The scale of this loss becomes clearer when compared with an international student’s monthly budget. Campus France estimates average monthly spending at €867, almost half of which goes towards housing.
Against this budget, the estimated €165 monthly loss in housing aid is substantial. At the same time, data on students relying on food assistance shows that many already struggle to afford essentials such as food and rent, as shown in the graphic below.
International students are already a vulnerable population
International students have been protesting since the French government decided to reform housing benefits amid soaring living costs, which have placed heavy financial pressure on foreign students. The main concern is how these students will now manage their bills and living expenses.
Consequently, most low-income international and European students will struggle to stay afloat. Many affected students were forced to re-evaluate their financial situation before enrolling in Bachelor’s or Master’s programs. Although their VLS-TS student visa allows them to work up to 20 hours per week, this income alone is rarely enough to cover rent and basic groceries.
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To understand how these financial pressures translate into everyday life, we spoke with Manel, a 19-year-old international student from Algeria who volunteers at Cop1, a student solidarity organisation providing food assistance. From her position at the distributions, she sees first-hand how many students rely on this support.
You can listen to the full interview with Manel here:
In Paris, Manel says between 250 and 350 students typically attend each Cop1 distribution, with mostly international students among them. She points to the difficulty of finding employment, as well as the significant differences in currency values between France and students’ home countries, as additional pressures.
For students from countries with weaker currencies, such as Algeria, money brought from home can have very limited purchasing power once converted into euros, making it difficult to afford even basic necessities, she says.
Food assistance is not always a one-time solution either. Manel says she regularly recognises students returning to the distributions:
“I see a lot of the same faces, I recognise them by now. At the same time, new students continue to arrive every week”.
We also spoke to Djully Rodrigues, astudent directly impacted by not receiving CAF. She is currently pursuing a Master degree in Digital Marketing Strategy while working under an apprenticeship contract in Paris.
She struggled to settle in the city and navigate administrative obstacles to access CAF aid. This strain affected her not only financially, but also mentally and socially. At one point, she had only between €15 left in her bank account to survive the coming weeks and cover essential needs like food and hygiene products.
Listen to our inteview with Djully Rodrigues now:
Rodrigues’s situation was prolonged by complex administrative procedures before she could secure any benefits. To cope with her financial challeges, she had to borrow money from a friend and rely on support from associations like Cop1.
Link.ee’s report show that 84% of students seeking food assistance due inflation, and this reflects 20% of the student population, she had no choice but to rely on food banks.
This reflects an alarming broader trend where 65% of students regularly seek food assistance because they cannot obtain adequate state financial support. As we can see in the graphic below:
Ultimately, after an arduous eleven-month struggle, she finally managed to receive her CAF benefits. However, it is crucial to recognise the hardship students are forced to weather to secure basic dignity and cover essential living expenses.
Beyond financial uncertainty
In conclusion, low-income students rely heavily on government support to maintain a reasonable standard of living and secure housing while studying abroad. It is vital for the government to seek real solutions to these challenges and to address the realities of student living costs.
The issue can hit women harder than men. Women make up 55% of the student population in France and represent 66% of those relying on food aid, which highlights a growing feminisation of poverty among students.
It is also important to consider that government changes to income support and benefits for households are essential to meet the basic needs of foreign students and of all students who truly need this aid, especially women. According to Insee, 20% of women students face low income and need help to cover their household expenses.
What has your experience been? Have you been affected by losing housing aid, or even had the opportunity to receive it? Comment below to share your experiences with us and let us know.
About this article
This article has been written by a student on the Grenoble Ecole de Management’s Advanced Masters in Digital Strategy Management. As part of a content creation assignment, students are given the task of writing articles based on their digital interests and disseminating the articles online. Articles are marked but we make minimal changes to the content. Thanks for reading! James Barisic, Programme Director, MS DSM.
