The draft budget presented on Tuesday, October 14 by the government provides for the freezing of personalized housing assistance (APL) in 2026, like several other social benefits, and its elimination for foreign students outside the European Union without scholarships.
Inflation was 1.2% in September, so the effect of maintaining the level of the APL is “relatively limited”, but it adds to other freezes and other reductions in social benefits decreed in recent years, says Manuel Domergue. The finance bill indicates that in “2026, maintaining the APL at its 2025 level will achieve savings of 108 million euros for the State, of which 54 million euros due to the absence of revaluation.”
On the other hand, the savings linked to the elimination of the APL are not evaluated for foreign students who are not nationals of an EU State, the European Economic Area (Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland) or the Swiss Confederation, and who are not scholarship recipients.
“Thousands of dramatic situations”
“This help is vital for these students who already live in extremely precarious situations,” adds Léa Jules-Clément, co-secretary general of the Student Union, recalling that many foreign students pay higher tuition fees and do not have access to Crous scholarships (university jobs).
This measure “can create thousands and thousands of dramatic situations,” warns Manuel Domergue, recalling that the scholarship systems are not the same abroad and that only “2% or 3% of the 315,000 non-EU foreign students” are awarded scholarships.
It roughly estimates that denying between 100 and 150 euros of monthly aid to between 300,000 and 310,000 students could mean a saving of about 400 million euros. Credits destined to aid access to housing, which include APL, will amount to 16.1 billion euros in 2026, 600 million euros less than the previous year.
Source: BFM TV
