Coronavirus: Rent at 0 € in April for students in university accommodation

Frédérique Vidal, Minister of Higher Education, announced on Thursday March 19 "support measures" for students in the face of the coronavirus epidemic. In particular, the cancellation of rents for the month of April 2020, residences which will remain open and where student jobs will be preserved.

The effective confinement resulting from the coronavirus pandemic in France and around the world has particularly disrupted the daily lives of students. After the closure of all French schools, not all of the students had the opportunity or the possibility of returning to their family home before the start of confinement on Tuesday March 17, 2020. Below you will find a summary of the "Support measures" intended to help students during this health crisis.

University residences remain open

To begin with, this executive affirms that all the university residences managed by the CROUS (Regional Centers for University Works) will remain open. In order not to penalize those who have given their notice in accommodation in a university residence, “the contractual notice of one month will not be enforceable in these circumstances”, moreover “no rent will be charged to them for the month April ”, assures the minister.

Students also have the guarantee, once the containment measures have been lifted, to "benefit again from one of these accommodations".

Jobs retained

Concerning the students employed in the establishment as temporary temporary agent will be ”also preserved and the contracts are intended to be, as far as possible, maintained during all the period of confinement”.

For the situation of employed students in a company, they will be able to benefit from the partial unemployment scheme implemented by the Ministry of Labor on the same basis as all employees.

Scholarship students safe

The Minister commits to the contribution of student life and campus: "can as soon as possible finance essential vouchers for students who need them the most." Scholarship holders will retain their right to scholarships even if they have exhausted them, the statement continued.

French students abroad: Erasmus + not penalized

For French students currently abroad in an Erasmus + program, the minister specified that the interruption of the study stay due to these exceptional circumstances "will not penalize any student once returned to France" and that they will also be able to "Keep their scholarship throughout their stay abroad until their return to France".

For the competitions which had to be canceled, the ministry stresses that "their reprogramming will be done as quickly as possible according to the evolution of the situation". For those planned after April 5, "appropriate solutions will be defined on the basis of in-depth instruction" and the terms "brought to the attention of candidates on a dedicated web page".

Photos credits - fr.freepik.com