Cover of higher education & research in France, facts and figures

📄 Source:OVE.

 Coverage:students enrolled for the 2012-2013 academic year in universities (whole France), schools of engineering, business and culture, Advanced technician's sections (STS) and classes preparing for admission to Grandes Écoles (CPGE).

The 7th edition of the Student Living Conditions survey by the National Observatory on Student Life (OVE) was carried out in spring 2013. An average one in ten students was invited, by e-mail, to respond to an online questionnaire. Around 41,000 students took part, a response rate slightly above 21%.

To guarantee better representation, the raw data was weighted in reference to the centralised data by the statistical services of the supervisory ministries on actual enrolments in the institutions.

The respondents therefore represent the 1,948,265 students enrolled during the academic year 2012-13 at university, engineering, business or cultural schools or in the senior classes of public secondary schools under the authority of the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research (i.e. 82% of the student population in France).

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16 student life: students' financial and economic situation

In 2013, two-thirds of students were at least partially dependent on their parents. For 40% of students, assistance from parents represents over half of their funds. At the same time, more than half of students say they are experiencing financial difficulties.

In general, income from work, assistance from families and public grants constitute students' main funds: for three-quarters of students, these three sources represent at least 75% of their financial resources.

Carrying out paid work significantly increases students' resources. Those in paid work during the academic year have the highest financial resources, with an average monthly budget of €750 compared to €533 for those not in work (table 16.01). With regard to accommodation, the financial resources of students not living at home are nearly two times greater than those of students living at home (€750 for the first and €376 for the second). This difference can be explained by the fact that students not living at home have to pay rent (€426 per month on average) and, in order to do this, are slightly more likely to undertake paid work and receive more family assistance than students living at home. Finally, the amount of resources also varies according to whether the students receive a grant or not, with a differential of €100 more for non-grant funded students, who get a large share of their resources from employment income (€640 on average compared to €315 for grant-funded students).

Being in receipt of various financial resources, even if significant in some cases, does not necessarily signify financial independence. Only one-third of students do not receive any financial assistance from parents (chart 16.02) and, for 40%, at least half of their resources come from parents. In addition, a little over half of students regularly receive non-material assistance and a quarter do not receive any assistance (table 16.03). However, the share of resources from parental assistance and non-material assistance falls when they live outside the home: 9% of students not living at home do not receive any financial assistance or non-material assistance, compared to 3% of students living at home.

Furthermore, a significant proportion of students say they have encountered financial difficulties: half of students said that they have had to economise at least once since the academic year began, a third said they had had at least one bank overdraft, and a quarter said they had requested exceptional assistance from their family (chart 16.04). Although these difficulties increase with the students' age, this increase is not constant with older students, as the proportion of students saying they had encountered difficulties falls from the age of 25. This curved development can be explained by the particular position of 23-25 year olds in the process of independence: below this age category, students still receive family protection; beyond this, students are at an advanced stage in their transition towards residential and economic independence. The transition between these two situations results in a risk of temporary financial precariousness among 23-25 year olds.

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📄 Source:OVE.
 Coverage:students enrolled for the 2012-2013 academic year in universities (whole France), schools of engineering, business and culture, Advanced technician's sections (STS) and classes preparing for admission to Grandes Écoles (CPGE).

How to cite this paper :

BELGHITH Feres, FERRY Odile. Student life: students' financial and economic situation. In: Higher education & research in France, facts and figures - 50 indicators [online]. KABLA-LANGLOIS Isabelle (dir.). Paris: Ministère de l'Éducation nationale, de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche, 2016. 9th ed. Chapter 16 [Accessed 03/28/2024]. ISBN 978-2-11-151572-7. https://publication.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/eesr/9EN/EESR9EN_ES_16-student_life_students_financial_and_economic_situation-ILL_04.php

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The 7th edition of the Student Living Conditions survey by the National Observatory on Student Life (OVE) was carried out in spring 2013. An average one in ten students was invited, by e-mail, to respond to an online questionnaire. Around 41,000 students took part, a response rate slightly above 21%.

To guarantee better representation, the raw data was weighted in reference to the centralised data by the statistical services of the supervisory ministries on actual enrolments in the institutions.

The respondents therefore represent the 1,948,265 students enrolled during the academic year 2012-13 at university, engineering, business or cultural schools or in the senior classes of public secondary schools under the authority of the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research (i.e. 82% of the student population in France).

 

16.01 Students' average monthly resources (in €)

 
All (in €) Proportion of students concerned by the resource
(in %)
Residential situation Paid activity Grant
Living at home Not living at home No paid activity Exercising a paid activity Grant-funded Non-grant funded
Employment income 604 25 369 604 604 315 640
Family assistance 308 62 170 378 315 296 213 360
Public assistance 307 52 340 312 318 290 368 240
Spousal assistance 497 7 138 448 416 561 331 453
Economy, savings 106 32 81 106 98 116 86 105
Other sources 281 7 129 346 304 255 228 348
Student loan 260 4 223 285 278 244 243 295
Total average resources 633 376 750 533 750 571 666

 
📄 Source:OVE
 Coverage: students enrolled for the 2012-2013 academic year in universities (whole France), schools of engineering, business and culture, Advanced technician's sections (STS) and classes preparing for admission to Grandes Écoles (CPGE).

You can embed this table to your website or your blog by copying the HTML code and pasting it into the source code of your website / blog:

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16.02 Share of parental financial assistance in student resources (in %)

Living at home
Not living at home
All
  
No parental assistance
Less than a quarter
Between a quarter and a half
Between a half and three quarters
Three quarters and more
 
 
📄 Source:OVE
 Coverage: students enrolled for the 2012-2013 academic year in universities (whole France), schools of engineering, business and culture, Advanced technician's sections (STS) and classes preparing for admission to Grandes Écoles (CPGE).

You can embed this chart to your website or your blog by copying the HTML code and pasting it into the source code of your website / blog:

<iframe src="https://publication.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/eesr/9EN/illustration-EESR9EN_ES_16-1-share_of_parental_financial_assistance_in_student_resources_in.php" width="500px" height="700px" frameborder="0" id="EESR9EN_ES_16-1" scrolling="auto"></iframe>

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16.03 Students' non-financial assistance

 
Share of students regularly receiving… (in %) Share of students not receiving any non-financial assistance
(in %)
food provisions small gifts (everyday life) large gifts
Living at home 68 29 11 3
Not living at home 33 17 6 9
All 44 21 8 7

 
📄 Source:OVE
 Coverage: students enrolled for the 2012-2013 academic year in universities (whole France), schools of engineering, business and culture, Advanced technician's sections (STS) and classes preparing for admission to Grandes Écoles (CPGE).

You can embed this table to your website or your blog by copying the HTML code and pasting it into the source code of your website / blog:

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16.04 Students' financial difficulties

Under 20
20-22
23-25
Over 25
All
  
Proportion of students who have had a bank overdraft (in %)
Proportion of students who have asked for exceptional family assistance (in %)
Proportion of students who have had to economise (in %)
 
 
📄 Source:OVE
 Coverage: students enrolled for the 2012-2013 academic year in universities (whole France), schools of engineering, business and culture, Advanced technician's sections (STS) and classes preparing for admission to Grandes Écoles (CPGE).

You can embed this chart to your website or your blog by copying the HTML code and pasting it into the source code of your website / blog:

<iframe src="https://publication.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/eesr/9EN/illustration-EESR9EN_ES_16-3-students_financial_difficulties.php" width="500px" height="700px" frameborder="0" id="EESR9EN_ES_16-3" scrolling="auto"></iframe>

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