REVALORISATION OF SCHOLARSHIP GRANTS AND STUDENT SUBSIDIES: HELPING MORE, HELPING BETTER

In its presentation of the reform, the minister insists on the mission of the French higher education: offering all students the opportunity to “join a training course that will allow them to find work with meaning, succeed in their studies and progress throughout their career”. But, says the minister, “how to prepare tomorrow when you are today caught in material difficulties affecting study conditions and chances of equal success?”. The “first improvements” announced to improve the “solidarity system” for all students answer this question.

Measures or scholarship students

Doing everything possible so “the cost of life never be an obstacle to studies” answers the demand from French president Macron and Prime Minister Borne, who wanted to launch a consultation in October dedicated to student life with all committed stakeholders. The first measures from this consultation lead by the ministry allow to bring more than 500 million euros in improvements to the system of scholarship based on social criteria, access to food services and accommodation as early as the academic year 2023. As early as this year, the Government has decided to:

•  increase the number of scholarship holders: 35,000 students from middle class will become scholarship holders;

• Revalue all scholarship grants through increase of scholarships by 37€/month (i.e. 370€/year), which represents “the sharpest revalorisation in 10 years”.

Measures applicable to everyone

Various measures, already implemented, will be applicable for the academic year 2023-2024. They include:

- the continuation of a very social meal price for scholarship holders and students in precarity. The ministry highlights the fact that after “creating the very social meal price at 1€ to face the exceptional health crisis” due to the Covid, the Government “chose to maintain the benefit for students who need it the most to face the current inflation”. This very social price is available to scholarship holders and precarious non-scholarship holders;

• freezing the price of meals for the academic year (very social price at 1€, and social price at 3.3€ for the other students);
• rent freeze in CROUS residences. The CROUS network offers students about 175,000 accommodations divided throughout France with social price. For the academic year 2023-2024 and for the 4th consecutive year, these accommodation will be once again frozen, which “corresponds to a financial contribution of about twenty million euros to the CROUS from the government”.

Scholarships accessible dependent on criteria for foreign students Reminding that 5.5% of scholarship holders have a foreign nationality, the ministry stresses that “foreign students may be eligible to CROUS scholarships if they are registered in an eligible initial training course and attend a full time study course”.

Two cases are explained. For European students (European Union, European Economic Area or Switzerland), it is necessary to apply to these scholarship:

• Either to have been employed (full time or part time) in France during the year concerned;
• Either to have a father/mother/legal tutor who received revenue in France during the year concerned;
• Or prove more than one year of presence (continuously) on the French territory on September 1st of the year.

For students with other nationalities, it is necessary to:

• Either have the status of refugee recognised by the OFPRA (French Office of Protection of Refugees and Stateless);
• Either benefit from subsidiary protection granted by the OFPRA;
• Either hold a temporary residence permit or a resident card and be domiciled in France for at least two years and prove a fiscal residence in France since at least 2 years.

More information

• the press kit (comprehensive) describing measures announced
• the search engine Campus Bourses by Campus France lists all subsidies granted by the government (French and foreign), the local territories, companies, foundations and higher education institutions.