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CAF Housing Aid (APL) for International Students in France: the 2026 Rules

Since 1 July 2026, most non-EU students in France can only get CAF housing aid with a Crous grant, a job or an apprenticeship. Who still qualifies and how to apply.

By Riyan M.6 min read

Since 1 July 2026, students from outside the EU who are in France on a study visa or student residence permit can get CAF housing aid (APL, ALS or ALF) only in three cases: they hold a Crous grant based on social criteria, they work, or they are apprentices. The rule comes from the 2026 Finance Act (article 179) and a decree of 27 June 2026, and it applies both to new claims and to students who were already receiving aid. Students from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland are not affected. If you do qualify, apply online at caf.fr in the month you move in: the aid starts from the month after your application.

What changed in 2026

The Finance Act for 2026 (law no. 2026-103 of 19 February 2026) rewrote the rule on housing aid for foreign students, and a decree of 27 June 2026 applied it to aid due from 1 July 2026. The Constitutional Council approved the measure in February 2026.

A student from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland who holds a long-stay visa or residence permit issued for studies can now get housing aid only if they:

  1. hold a Crous grant on social criteria (bourse sur critères sociaux), or a regional grant aligned with it;
  2. have a professional activity (a job); or
  3. are on an apprenticeship or a professionalisation contract (contrat de professionnalisation).

It covers new claims made from 1 July 2026 and students who were already receiving aid but no longer meet one of the three conditions.

Still eligible as before: refugees, stateless people, and the spouses of non-EU students. Not affected at all: students from EU countries, the EEA and Switzerland.

What this means in practice

To get a Crous social-criteria grant, a non-EU student generally needs a residence permit and to have lived in France for two years, with a French tax household for two years. So most students who have just arrived from outside the EU can only get housing aid if they work or are apprentices. The published rules don't name a minimum number of working hours; ask your CAF how they assess your situation before you count on the aid.

Plan your budget without housing aid until you have a written decision from the CAF.

APL, ALS or ALF: which aid is which

The CAF pays three kinds of housing aid. You can only get one, and the CAF decides which:

  • APL (aide personnalisée au logement) — for "conventionné" housing, including most social housing and the Crous residences that are conventionnées.
  • ALF (allocation de logement familiale) — for family situations, such as having a child or being married.
  • ALS (allocation de logement sociale) — for everyone else.

People often say "APL" for all three. A single student in a private flat or a traditional Crous room usually gets the ALS.

The other conditions

Whatever your nationality, the home must meet these rules:

  • Decent housing: at least 9 m² with a ceiling height of 2.20 m, or 20 m³ in volume.
  • Your main home: where you live at least eight months a year.
  • Not rented from your parents, grandparents or children (yours or your partner's). Renting from a brother, sister, uncle or cousin is allowed.
  • Shared flats (colocation): each flatmate makes their own claim, based on their share of the rent.

Claiming housing aid for yourself means you stop counting as a dependant for your parents' French family allowances.

How to apply

  1. Move in first. You apply once you live in the home.
  2. Apply online at caf.fr, under "Aide au logement étudiant". You don't need a French social security number for a first claim: the CAF gives you a temporary number.
  3. Have these ready: - your lease and the landlord's details (and their company number if the landlord is a company); - the landlord's certificate (attestation de loyer), which states the use of the home, its size, its decency and the rent; in a Crous residence you download your certificate from messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr; - a French bank account (RIB); - for non-EU students: your passport, birth certificate and visa or residence permit; - for EU students: ID, birth certificate (with a French translation), a sworn statement of resources and proof of enrolment.
  4. Wait for the decision. A complete file takes about five weeks on average.

When the money arrives

Housing aid is due from the month after the month you apply, and it is paid around the 5th of each month for the month before. For example: you move in on 15 October and apply the same day; your right starts in November; the first payment arrives around 5 December. Months before your application are not paid, so apply in the month you move in.

The APL is usually paid straight to your landlord, who takes it off your rent.

How much you get

The amount depends on your rent, the zone your town is in, your household and your resources over the past twelve months. For students, the CAF uses a flat-rate estimate of resources. The only reliable way to know the amount is the simulator on caf.fr ("Faire une simulation" → Logement).

If you can't get housing aid

  • Look at Crous rooms: a traditional room costs about €200 to €500 a month. Our guide to student housing in France explains the dates and the €70 booking fee.
  • Use Visale: the free rent guarantee from Action Logement is open to students under 30, including international students with a valid student visa or permit — check the conditions on visale.fr. It doesn't depend on housing aid.
  • Budget the full rent. Split shared bills with the free bill split calculator and convert euros with the currency converter.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. The rules changed in 2026 and may change again — check the CAF and service-public pages below, or ask your university's international office.

Frequently asked questions

Can international students get APL in France in 2026?

Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland can, on the usual conditions. Since 1 July 2026, non-EU students on a study visa or student permit can only get it if they hold a Crous social-criteria grant, work, or are apprentices.

I already received APL before July 2026. Do I lose it?

If you are a non-EU student on a study permit and you don't meet one of the three conditions (Crous grant, job, apprenticeship), the new rule also applies to you. Check your CAF account and ask the CAF about your case.

Do I need a French social security number to apply?

No. For a first claim the CAF gives you a temporary number.

When is the first payment?

Around the 5th of the second month after you apply. If you apply in October, your right starts in November and the first payment comes in early December.

Can I get housing aid in a Crous room or a shared flat?

Yes, if you are eligible. A Crous room usually gives ALS, or APL in a conventionnée residence. In a shared flat each flatmate claims on their own share of the rent.

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