• Back-to-school costs are increasing in 2022 for students, due to inflation and the repercussions of the health crisis, warns Fage on Tuesday in its annual indicator.

  • Unef made the same observation in a survey published on Monday.

  • The two organizations are calling on the government for urgent measures to help students.

Doing higher education is definitely not within the reach of all budgets.

This year even more so, as shown by the Fage 2022 student return cost indicator published on Tuesday.

According to the latter, the cost of the student re-entry amounts to 2,527 euros.

That is an increase of 7.38% compared to last year, against an increase of 1.32% at the start of the 2021 school year. “We have never seen such a strong increase from one year to the next”, observes Paul Mayaux, the president of the student organization.

For its part, the Unef makes a similar observation: in a survey published on Monday, the student union estimates that the cost of student living increases by 6.47% for the year 2022-2023.

If we look at the student budget in detail, we see that all expenditure lines are swelling this year.

La Fage first looked at daily living costs, which each student must assume every month of the year: rent, food, leisure, transport, telephony and Internet, clothing and hygiene and cleaning products. .

However, they will increase overall by 1.92%.

“Inflation, which reached 6.1 in July, caused the prices of food and hygiene products to soar,” emphasizes Paul Mayaux.

The Ukrainian crisis also had strong repercussions on the price of basic necessities.

For its part, Unef estimates that the price of housing has increased by 1.37% at the national level and by 2.04% in the big cities, in particular because of the surge in rental charges.

“The revaluation of the scholarships is only 4%”

And on the side of the costs specific to the start of the academic year (registration fees, agency fees, housing insurance, complementary health and teaching materials), the forecasts are even more pessimistic.

The increase is estimated at 13.04%.

"It is due in particular to the increase of 32.21% in the costs of complementary health, 15.82% in the cost of teaching materials, 11.83% in the costs of housing insurance", analyzes Anne-Laure Syriaix, vice-president in charge of social affairs at la Fage.

The increase in the price of supplements was expected due in particular to the deployment of the 100% health plan with the remainder at zero charge and the effort made by mutual insurance companies due to the pandemic.

Faced with these grim forecasts, student organizations are determined to knock on the door of their new Minister of Higher Education

,

Sylvie Retailleau.

The government has already announced a 4% increase in scholarships from the start of the 2022 school year, as well as an increase in housing aid (APL) by 3.5%.

Without forgetting the maintenance throughout the academic year of the meal system at 1 euro in the Crous for precarious students.

But the account is not there for the Unef and the Fage, which demand more durable and stronger measures.

“The revaluation of the stock exchanges is only 4% while inflation has reached 6.1%.

Moreover, this aid only concerns part of the student population”, stresses Paul Mayaux.

Claims that differ

For its part, the Unef stresses that "73% of students are excluded from this system [of scholarships] which does not take into account the social situation of the student, but that of his parents and which is conditioned by a criterion of nationality ".

The two organizations offer different solutions to solve the question of student precariousness.

"We must broaden the basis of scholarships, revalue them and index them to inflation, without forgetting to extend them over 12 months instead of 10," said Paul Mayaux.

“We also ask that the rent control be extended to all tense areas and that the APL take into account the disparities in rents according to the cities”, continues the president of Fage.

The Unef claims, it, an autonomy allowance "of an amount sufficient to live (up to 1,110 euros per month) and calculated on their own income rather than that of their parents".

Both organizations however have the same claim regarding the construction of new student accommodation.

“During the first five-year term, the Macron government had promised 60,000 student accommodation, but there were only 38,000,” laments Paul Mayaux.

Suggestions to which Sylvie Retailleau should respond during her first back-to-school press conference at the end of September.

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