As the start of the new school year approaches, the cost of living is expected to increase further for students.

Rising rents, more expensive university catering and insufficient revaluation of scholarships: student precariousness could clearly increase in this new school year. Already damaged by the health crisis, many students should see their purchasing power drop during the university year, due to inflation. This is what the study of the National Union of Students of France (UNEF), made public, Monday, August 15, reveals.

“Almost all of the expenditure items” concerned

According to the indicators of this student union, the cost of student living increases by 6.47%, while inflation amounts to 6.1%, for the academic year 2022-2023. Consequently, this increase represents a necessary additional budget of 428.22 euros for the year, or 35.70 euros more per month, according to the UNEF.

This is particularly the case with food. “Pasta has increased by 15% this year”underlines the president of the union, Imane Ouelhadj, invited, Monday, on BFM TV. “A significant increase in our budgets”, she recalls, while the cost of “virtually all expenditure items” increases, with the exception of transport because prices are stabilized by local public policies, explains the union.

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An autonomy allowance requested

In parallel, “the public policies of Macron governments towards students are well below expectations”, denounces this left-wing organization, born in 1907. On this subject, the government plans in particular to revalue student grants by 4% at the start of the school year. But this increase remains insufficient, according to the union, because it remains lower than inflation.

For the student organization, this survey reveals the “extreme precariousness” students and highlights the need to set up a ” social protection “ for these young people in training and integration. The union proposes to create an autonomy allowance“a sufficient amount to live on, for all students” and calculated on their own income rather than that of their parents.

The World with AFP (with AFP)