Food Aid — Assistance Programs for Students in Financial Difficulty
CROUS meals at €1 (scholarship holders) or €3.30 (all students), AGORAe, Restos du Coeur — no nationality requirement
Student food insecurity is a major issue in France. Since the COVID-19 crisis, several programs have been strengthened or created to help students in difficulty eat properly. These aids are open to international students with no nationality requirement.
Main programs
1. CROUS university restaurant meals
- Who: all students enrolled in higher education
- Scholarship rate: €1 per complete meal (starter + main + dessert)
- Standard rate: €3.30 per complete meal
- Where: university restaurants (RU) and CROUS cafeterias
- When: Monday to Friday, lunch and sometimes dinner depending on the location
- How: student card or Izly card (rechargeable on izly.fr)
- No nationality requirement — any student with a student card
2. Restos du Coeur
- Who: anyone in financial difficulty (not only students)
- Offer: weekly food parcels (basic products, fruit, vegetables, hygiene products)
- Campaign: from late November to late March (winter campaign); some centres open all year
- Registration: go to a Restos du Coeur centre with an identity document
- No nationality or residence permit requirement
- Find a centre: https://www.restosducoeur.org/trouver-un-centre/
3. AGORAe (FAGE network)
- Who: students in financial difficulty
- Principle: solidarity food cooperatives specifically for students, on or near campuses
- Price: products at 10-20% of standard price
- Access: on social evaluation (contact the AGORAe in your city)
- Present in: Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes, Strasbourg, Lille, and many other cities
- FAGE network: https://www.fage.org/innovation-sociale/precarite-agorae/
4. Food banks
- How: food banks collect food donations and redistribute them via a network of local associations
- Access: you go to a partner association, not directly to the food bank
- Find an association: https://www.banquealimentaire.org
5. Solidarity grocery stores
- Products sold at 10-30% of normal price
- Access: on referral from a social worker, for a determined period (3 to 6 months, renewable)
- ANDES network: https://www.epiceries-solidaires.org
How to access these aids
- Identify your need: one-time need (Restos du Coeur) or ongoing (AGORAe, CROUS €1 rate)
- Contact social services: CROUS social worker, university social services, or CCAS of your municipality
- Documents useful (not always required): student card, identity document (passport), proof of address, proof of income if available
Key points for international students
- No nationality requirement for most food assistance programs
- No residence permit required for Restos du Coeur and associative distributions
- CROUS meals at €1 are the simplest way to eat a balanced meal at low daily cost
- Combinable — you can use several programs simultaneously
- In absolute emergency: the CROUS can release emergency financial aid within 48h