The cost of student life growing four times faster than inflation – Le Figaro

The cost of student life growing four times faster than inflation – Le Figaro

This is the main lesson of the annual study by the UNEF. Rising rents small areas and frost scholarships are among other points.

The cost of living for students still climbing, forcing more and more young people to work full time during the year, the union denounced in a report released in Journal du Dimanche . “Student expenses increased by 2% from the previous return,” said the National Union of Students of France (UNEF). A figure four times higher than inflation, according to the first student union. “Rising rents and mandatory fees (registration fees, ticket restaurant, social security, ed) weighs in the budget,” says the union, which estimates the average cost of living to 799 euros per month for students who left the family nest.

“If the cost of living increases in the fall is the responsibility of the government”

Rents small areas rose 3.1% in the Paris region and 2% in the provinces. “The law should allow Alur rent control but it is not yet applicable for lack of order” laments William Swift, president of the UNEF. Also at issue, the freezing of benefits until October 2015 announced by the government in April. Scholarships will not be revalued, resulting in 5.5% decrease in the purchasing power of students according to the union. Europe 1, William Martinet estimated at 640,000 the number of scholarship students who will be penalized by this. “If the cost of living increases in the fall is the responsibility of the government, especially when it increases the mandatory one side and freezes fresh scholarships each other”, denounced the president of the UNEF. “The commitment of the President of the Republic was to establish an allowance of autonomy,” says William Swift, noting that it remains to Francois Hollande “two returned to do.”

The student union also criticized the insufficient number of places in cities and university residences, rising travel costs and the burden of compulsory expenditure. While the increase in fees is still measured (+ 0.7%), this does not hold true for meal coupons. The meal and cost 5 cents more than last year.

Unef also alarmed by the escalation of student wage. Direct result of the rising cost of student life, more and more young people are employed full time. This is the case for almost a third (29.6%) of student employees, against a fifth (18.5%) in 2006, according to data collected by the UNEF. 51.3% of them believe that having a job is “essential for living.” There were only 40% in 2011