Can €1 meals in university restaurants be extended to all students, scholarship holders and non-scholarship holders alike? On Thursday January 23, 2025, the French National Assembly largely adopted the proposed law aimed at offering all students €1 meals. The bill passed with 149 votes in favor and 5 against.
Adopted last October by the Finance Committee, this proposed amendment aims to generalize the €1 Crous meal for all students, regardless of their scholarship status. This scheme, initially introduced during the Covid-19 crisis, currently only targets students in very precarious situations, who have to provide proof of financial need.
For the 2023-2024 academic year, more than 500,000 students, out of a total of 2.965 million in France, benefited from these 1 euro meals, according to the Ministry of Higher Education. According to data from IFOP and the COP1 association, in 2024, 36% of students regularly skipped a meal due to lack of funds. This situation particularly affects those who work alongside their studies (47%), a figure that reveals the financial challenges they face. Added to this is the limited access to university restaurants: only 54% of students use these places, often hampered by distance, queues or restricted opening hours. Indeed, 85% of university restaurants remain closed at weekends, exacerbating inequalities in access.
The project, backed by the Socialist Party and the Ecologiste et Social group, is estimated to cost 90 million euros. It has sparked debate in the House, with some arguing its cost, while others defend its crucial role in combating student malnutrition. In 2023, a similar proposal failed by a single vote. This time, the hope of adoption is palpable, as food insecurity among young people remains a priority public health issue.
This universal scheme would guarantee a complete and balanced diet for all, responding to a social emergency. It has to be said that the conditions for accessing the grant can be obsolete today, and that students whose parents have average incomes often find themselves in difficulty. However, if this project is adopted, a number of logistical challenges still need to be resolved if this measure is to be fully effective and accessible to all students, whatever their situation or place of study.
TheNational Assembly 's decision on Thursday does not, however, validate the introduction of the scheme. The Minister for Higher Education, Philippe Baptiste, described the measure as " socially unjust " and strongly opposed its adoption, going so far as to describe it as "a system benefiting the most privileged". However, the notable absence of Macronist and right-wing Les Républicains MPs in the Hemicycle enabled the left, with a clear majority, to push the proposal through. The victory remains uncertain, however: to be implemented, the text will have to be voted in the same terms in the Senate, where the right-of-center majority makes its approval unlikely.
To find out more about current scholarship eligibility criteria and the steps to follow, visit Service Public.
