The guide of new actions in favour of students for the academic year 2020
In order for the start of academic year to be successful, the ministry in charge of higher education published a practical and complete guide about all new actions implemented in favour of students.
The ministry or Higher Education, Research and Innovation published the guide “Prepare your start of academic year 2020” to inform students about the systems and actions implemented this year for the next academic year.
A significant step for social assistance
With 2.3 billion euros allocated to social welfare benefits, the French government “confirms its commitment in favour of students and student life”. This was the mindset in which this practical guide was written to detail all support and follow-up systems.
Frozen university registration fees
The guide stresses that in France “the government takes charge of the rest of the actual cost of education for students”, and registration fees requested to students only cover a fraction of the costs engaged. The average government spending for student education is “10,000 euros per year throughout all university levels”.
Given the current health situation, the minister of higher education decided to freeze the cost of university registration fees. So, registration fees will not increase for the second consecutive year.
Many actions for social support
The guide also lists all benefits available to struggling students, including specific support locally managed by the CROUS network.
Such support can take the form of “punctual help if the student faces momentary difficulties”. In addition to these specific supports, a social follow-up is provided by social services from the CROUS throughout the country.
These services help “students who need it to be helped in their processes to access their rights (supplemental health insurance, housing support), to benefit from food assistance and/or financial assistance, or apply for social follow-up”.
Student job with Jobaviz
Students looking for a job can register to Jobaviz.fr, a platform to look for student jobs designed by the CROUS. The website gives free access to offers specifically for students, and thus compatible with studies. With these services, “students can enrich and diversify their professional experiences”, said the minister.
You’re a student, and looking for an internship? Explore all your matching job offers on JOBAVIZ, the platform...
Published by EtudiantGouv on Friday 31 July 2020
Action for student accommodations
In its guide for the new academic year, the ministry reminds that the French government “deployed an ambitious program of rehabilitation and construction of new student accommodations”.
New schemes have also been implemented to help students looking for accommodation in the private sector. The Lokaviz platform lists of accommodation offers verified by the CROUS. Lokaviz is “the hub of non-commercial student accommodations helping you to search and view ads from the private sector free of charge”
Changes in university catering
The guide published by the ministry also stresses how catering by the CROUS greatly changed “to match the new consumption patterns of students, by offering quality catering, including vegan meals in 86% of the 788 catering entities available to students”. Diet menus are available for 3.30 euros for students, and 1 euro only for scholarship holders, including international students benefitting from a scholarship from the French government, who can benefit from this social rate as soon as the start of the academic year.
Specific guidance for disabled students
Disabled students can benefit from a “tailor-made plan for studies follow-up”, arrangement of exam conditions. All French universities also offer access to a service dedicated to the reception and follow-up of disabled students, just like schools with a “disability referent” référent handicap in their structure.
Thanks to the dedicated pages on the website etudiant.gouv.fr, students can gain access to disability referent’s contact details in any institution and discover all access actions implemented in institutions.