Studying in FranceAPL housing aid ends for non-European students without a grant: who is affected, and how to cope
Since 1 July 2026, non-European students who do not hold a means-tested grant can no longer receive the APL, unless they work or are on a work-study contract. Who is affected, which exceptions apply, what happens to existing recipients and how to balance your housing budget without the aid.
Founder · Compatri, the social network for diasporas
Information checked on 11 September 2026.
Since 1 July 2026, some international students no longer receive the APL (aide personnalisée au logement, France's personal housing allowance). The measure was voted in the 2026 finance act, upheld by the Conseil constitutionnel (France's constitutional court) in February, and a decree published in the Journal officiel (the official gazette) on 28 June made it applicable. Around 100,000 students are affected, according to L'Etudiant. For them, rent is no longer reduced: it falls entirely on their budget. Here is exactly who loses the aid, who keeps it, what happens to those who were already receiving it, and how to reorganise your housing around this change.
What the APL reform changes on 1 July 2026
The implementing text is decree no. 2026-552 of 27 June 2026. It limits the right to housing aid for so-called « extra-Community » students to those who meet the conditions for a means-tested higher education grant (bourse sur critères sociaux), and it provides for equivalent situations, including work and apprenticeship.
The rule applies to the housing aid paid by the CAF (Caisse d'allocations familiales, the family allowance fund): the APL, the allocation de logement sociale (ALS) and the allocation de logement familiale (ALF). It applies to entitlements due from 1 July 2026.
The government expected savings of around 100 million euros in 2026, according to Public Sénat. The student union Unef and several housing-rights groups condemned the measure; it is nonetheless in force.
Who is affected: students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland
« Non-European » has a precise meaning here. Nationals of the following are outside the measure:
- the 27 countries of the European Union;
- the three other countries of the European Economic Area: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway;
- Switzerland.
Everyone else is affected as soon as they study in France on a long-stay visa or a student residence permit: students from Africa, the Maghreb, Asia, the Americas, or a European country outside the EU such as the United Kingdom. For them, the rule boils down to this: no means-tested grant, no APL, unless an exception applies.
Why the grant condition excludes almost all newcomers
The means-tested grant is not closed to foreigners, but a non-European student must, according to Service Public (the official French government portal), meet three conditions: hold a titre de séjour (residence permit), have lived in France for at least two years, and have belonged to a tax household in France for at least two years. Refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection are exempt.
A student arriving through the Études en France procedure therefore does not meet these conditions in their first year. For them, the grant condition amounts to exclusion, unless they fall under one of the exceptions below.
The CAF specifies which grants count: those paid by the CROUS (France's student services body) and certain regional grants in health and social work courses. A grant from your own government, an excellence scholarship or a grant from your institution is not on that list: don't assume it is enough, ask your CAF.
The exceptions: who keeps the right to the APL
| Situation | Housing aid |
|---|---|
| EU, EEA or Swiss national | Kept |
| Means-tested grant holder | Kept |
| Professional activity alongside studies | Kept |
| Apprenticeship or professionalisation contract | Kept |
| Refugee or stateless student | Kept |
| Spouse of an extra-Community student | Kept |
| Non-European, no grant, no activity | Removed |
« Kept » only means the new condition does not exclude you: the usual conditions of the aid (rent level, income, decent housing) still apply.
Working, even a little: what we know about the threshold
This is the exception that concerns the most students. The CAF states that students with a professional activity remain eligible, without mentioning a minimum number of hours or minimum income. According to the French Ministry of Housing, quoted by franceinfo, an activity of at least one hour a week is enough.
Two precautions. That threshold has only been reported by the press quoting the ministry: it is the CAF that will assess your situation, on the basis of documents. Keep your contracts and payslips, and declare any change (new job, end of contract): if the activity stops, the ground that kept you entitled disappears too.
Student work has its own rules: 964 hours a year at most, a separate regime for Algerian students, a mandatory declaration by the employer to the préfecture (the local state office). It is all detailed in our article on working during your studies in France.
You were already receiving the APL before 1 July
Acquired rights are not preserved. The CAF says it plainly to recipients who no longer meet the new conditions: their entitlement ends from July 2026. And any application filed since 1 July is refused if the conditions are not met.
What to do, in this order:
The impact on your budget, and the link with 877.50 € a month
How much aid you lose depends on your rent, your city and your income: no single amount applies to everyone, and the « average » figures going around say nothing about your case. The simulator on caf.fr gives an order of magnitude of what you would have received.
The reform adds to another one. For any application filed since 1 August 2026, the minimum resources required for a student visa or residence permit rise from 615 € to 877.50 € a month (decree no. 2026-526 of 22 June 2026). So you must prove more resources, and those resources must cover a rent that is no longer reduced. The details are in our article on the minimum resources for a student visa, and the whole journey in our complete guide to the Campus France procedure.
A simple planning rule: build your budget as if the APL did not exist. If an exception entitles you to it, it will be a margin, not a line your rent depends on.
How to get organised without the APL
Aim first for CROUS residences
CROUS university residences are subsidised public housing, among the cheapest options. International students do not have access to the main allocation phase, which is reserved for students who filed a dossier social étudiant (student social file), but they can apply in the supplementary phase on trouverunlogement.lescrous.fr, which opens in early July (on 7 July in 2026 according to etudiant.gouv.fr), subject to available places. If you are preparing for the 2027 intake, note it now.
House sharing
Splitting rent two or three ways remains the most powerful lever. Read the lease before signing (a joint lease or one lease per tenant, with or without a joint-liability clause) and know that the security deposit is capped: one month's rent excluding charges for unfurnished housing, two months for furnished. To search from abroad without falling for a scammer, follow our guide to finding student housing from abroad.
The Visale guarantee instead of a guarantor
Without a guarantor in France, Action Logement's Visale guarantee acts as your guarantor free of charge. It is open to students aged 18 to 30 holding a VLS-TS (long-stay visa serving as a residence permit) marked « étudiant », and must be obtained before signing the lease. The CROUS have signed an agreement with Visale; a private landlord remains free to accept it or not. Visale does not replace the APL: it does not pay your rent, it reassures the landlord.
The support still open to international students
- CROUS one-off aid: it can be requested by students with or without a grant, French and international alike, after an interview with a social worker. In an emergency, the CROUS director can authorise an advance payment.
- University restaurants: open to international students, at the social rate if you are eligible.
- Student solidarity grocery shops, found in several cities.
- Local support: some local authorities have their own schemes for students; the CROUS social service and your institution's student life service know them.
To find your way, the CROUS national helpline answers on 09 72 59 65 65, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.
Working, without sacrificing your studies
A part-time job brings income and, according to the CAF, keeps your right to housing aid. But Campus France points out that beyond about 15 hours a week, succeeding in your studies becomes difficult. A small, regular contract is better than a pace that costs you your year.
Don't face the rent increase alone
Losing the APL is a rent problem, and rent is rarely solved alone. The students who cope best often have someone on the ground who told them about a free room, suggested a flatshare or put them up for the first weeks.
That is what your city's community on Compatri makes possible: compatriots in Lyon, Toulouse or Lille, students or long settled, who know the residences, the affordable neighbourhoods and the flatshares that come up. You can join the one in your future city for free, even before you leave, and the group « Étudiants africains » brings together students from several cities around grants, housing and mutual aid between campuses. How to go about it: joining your community before you leave. What mutual aid can concretely bring: mutual aid between compatriots.
Compatri is neither the CAF nor a legal service: for a disputed entitlement, contact your CAF, the CROUS social service or an association that supports students.
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
Are international students still entitled to the APL in 2026?
Yes for some, no for others. Since 1 July 2026, students who are nationals of countries outside the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland are no longer entitled to it unless they hold a means-tested grant. Those who work, are on an apprenticeship or professionalisation contract, as well as refugees, stateless persons and spouses of extra-Community students, remain eligible.
How many hours must an international student work to keep the APL?
The CAF only states that students with a professional activity remain eligible, without setting a number of hours or a minimum income. According to the Ministry of Housing, quoted by franceinfo, an activity of at least one hour a week is enough. It is, however, the CAF that assesses your situation on the basis of documents: keep contracts and payslips, and declare any change.
I was receiving the APL before July 2026: do I keep it?
Not if you don't meet the new conditions: the CAF states that the entitlement of the recipients concerned ends from July 2026, with no preservation of acquired rights. If you work or are on a work-study contract, declare it to the CAF with supporting documents. If the aid stops, tell your landlord and redo your budget before the next rent.
Can an international student get a means-tested grant?
Yes, but under strict conditions. According to Service Public, a non-European student must hold a residence permit, have lived in France for at least two years and have belonged to a tax household in France for at least two years; refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection are exempt. A student who has just arrived through Études en France therefore does not meet these conditions.
How can a student pay rent without the APL?
Aim first for a CROUS residence, open to international students in the supplementary phase on trouverunlogement.lescrous.fr, or a flatshare, and use the Visale guarantee if you have no guarantor. A part-time job brings income and, according to the CAF, keeps your right to housing aid. In case of hardship, the CROUS social service can grant one-off aid, which is also open to international students.