Overview
- A decree published in the Journal officiel on June 28 implements a change from the 2026 finance law that will stop personalized housing aid (APL) for non‑European students who do not meet the conditions for means‑tested higher‑education scholarships as of July 1.
- Students who hold need‑based scholarships will keep APL, while apprentices and students working at least one hour per week remain eligible under the text issued by the Ministry of Housing.
- Student groups and housing associations have denounced the measure as a form of national preference that will make rent unaffordable for many poorer foreign students and narrow access to French higher education.
- UNEF warned that the rule could have immigration consequences, saying a foreign student who changes course or status might face an obligation to leave France (OQTF), a risk seen as raising pressure on vulnerable students.
- The measure was adopted in the finance law and cleared by the Constitutional Council in February, reducing short‑term legal options to overturn it and linking the change to broader 2026 budget priorities.