More than 42,000 Moroccan students studying in France could soon lose part of the financial help that keeps them afloat. A new proposal in France’s 2026 state budget, known as the Projet de loi de finances (PLF 2026), includes Article 67, which would cut housing aid (APL) for foreign students from outside the European Union who don’t receive a French government scholarship.
The APL, short for Aide personnalisée au logement, is a lifeline for many students. It provides between €100 and €300 a month to help pay rent.
Right now, every student in France, French or foreign, can apply for it. But if this measure passes, only those with a “bourse sur critères sociaux” (a scholarship based on family income) will keep that right.
That means most Moroccan students, who make up about 10% of all international students in France, could lose this support. Out of around 315,000 non-EU students, only 2 to 3% currently receive that specific type of scholarship.
The French government says the reform is needed to control spending and claims the APL freeze and restrictions could save around €108 million next year. The budget also plans to freeze APL amounts at 2025 levels, meaning they won’t increase with inflation, another blow for struggling students.
Lawmakers and student groups have sharply criticized the plan. Thomas Portes, an MP from the left-wing La France Insoumise, called the measure “terrible,” warning that it would mean “a loss of €100 to €150 every month for nearly 300,000 students already living in hardship.”
Suzanne Nijdam, head of France’s largest student union Fage, said that cutting APL for non-EU students “is like pushing almost all of them out of our universities.”
If Article 67 is approved, the new rules would start applying from July 1, 2026. Student unions say that gives little time for those affected to adjust.
For Moroccan students, especially in expensive cities like Paris or Lyon, losing this aid could make studying in France far more difficult.
Rent alone can eat up most of a student’s budget, and without APL, many may have to move farther from campus, or rethink studying in France altogether.
The proposal is still under debate in Parliament, and some lawmakers are calling for changes or exceptions.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.