Bayrou's 2026 Budget: Will the "blank year" further weaken students?

"Students will once again be […] the hardest hit by this blank year," Hania Hamidi, its secretary general, told AFP, referring in particular to the benefits students receive, such as personalized housing assistance (APL).

Among the many budgetary measures announced on July 15 to reduce public spending , Prime Minister François Bayrou decreed a freeze on the tax scale, social benefits, and pensions for 2026. This "blank year" is expected to generate some €7.1 billion in savings.

According to UNEF calculations, the cost of student living has increased by 4.12% in one year, twice the increase noted by UNEF last year (+2.25%) in its annual survey. The increase in expenses thus amounts to "807 euros" on average compared to 2024, according to the left-leaning student union.

"It's extremely alarming to see increasing student insecurity," emphasizes Hania Hamidi. To calculate how much more students spend each year, the organization determines an average "out-of-pocket cost" based on different student profiles, after payment of certain social benefits. However, UNEF explains that it does not have all the data to include certain tax deductions.

Students' standard of living is thus affected by the increase in rents in the private sector (+2.46%) and in Crous residences (+3.26%), as well as the student and campus life contribution (CVEC), from which scholarship students are exempt, which has been constantly increasing since its introduction in 2018 (+16.67%). This is also compounded by the rise in transport costs.