Contempt for governments, rising job insecurity... UNEF warns about the cost of student life

A back-to-school season marked by precariousness. This is what UNEF denounces in a report published this Thursday, August 14. As every year , the union organization points to the increase in prices for students and denounces the state's inaction in combating student precariousness.

"The figures reveal a reality that the government can no longer ignore: the cost of student life continues to rise inexorably, widening the gap between the real needs of students and the responses provided by public authorities," writes UNEF.

Among the various expenditure items, none is immune to price increases, according to the union's accounts. This applies to basic needs (housing, food, transportation) as well as access to medical care.

In one year, UNEF announces that the average cost of living has increased by 4.12%, or an additional 807 euros and an overall increase of 31.88% since the election of Emmanuel Macron in May 2017.

"The increase in the cost of living, which is up 4.12%, implies a total of €1,226 in monthly expenses. This sharp increase is explained by an increase in rents, transport costs, and also compulsory fees for university registration," announced UNEF.

Whether it's private or public real estate , particularly through the Crous, rental prices are on the rise. The former are up 2.46% (with an average of €609.60) and the latter are up 3.26%, reaching an average of €421.97.

In terms of transportation, UNEF notes a 1.44% increase in costs for scholarship holders and a 2.44% increase for non-scholarship holders. On average, this represents an average cost of €246.57 for the former and €272.36 for the latter.

As for food, "this year, food prices are increasing by 1.4%. Despite a slowdown in inflation [...] it is becoming increasingly difficult for students to eat a balanced diet, and the impact on their health is significant." He added that university restaurants are "far too underfunded" to allow everyone to have access to them.

With several years of experience in calculating the cost of student life, UNEF also highlights the role of the State in the "continuous worsening of student precarity". "For several years, the responses to student precarity have been limited to measures that in no way address the real needs of students and to publicity stunts, far removed from the structural transformations required by the emergency situation experienced by hundreds of thousands of people."

The union also mentions the CVEC, an "unfair tax imposed on students that did not exist before 2018 and which indirectly helps counter the government's massive underinvestment." In practice, this has led to an increase in rents in university residences and a rise in restaurant prices.

"This situation reveals the State's gradual abandonment of its responsibility in addressing student living conditions," denounces UNEF.

This study also reveals significant inequalities in student profiles. At the forefront are foreign students, particularly those from countries outside the European Union. They are now "excluded from scholarship systems" and forced to pay tuition fees that have increased 16-fold since the introduction of the "Welcome to France" program.

Overseas students are also not spared, as they face a significantly higher cost of living than in mainland France, "without the aid schemes truly compensating for these territorial differences, nor taking into account the differences in living and study conditions in the overseas departments and territories."

As for women, they continue to bear a cost of living €848.12 higher than men, "further widening gender inequalities in access to higher education."